After a decade of promises—and a ferociously sexy false start—Alfa Romeo has made a welcome return to American shores. Last year, our time with the 4C proved fantastic, so much so we named it Motor Authority's Best Car To Buy 2015, and we now have news about availability and pricing for its topless variant, the 4C Spider.

Set to arrive this summer, the 4C Spider will start at $65,495, a significant $10k bump from its closed cockpit sibling. The price puts it squarely into Porsche Boxster territory, though the Italian's relative shortage of amenities—along with the lack of a third pedal option—makes us think few buyers will seriously cross shop the two.

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But what Alfa Romeo's pocket rocket might lack in storage space and creature comforts, it more than makes up for in style and purity of purpose.

The carbon tub—the Spider is only 22 pounds heavier than standard car—makes it a featherweight; manual steering means unparalleled feel; and the wail of its 1.75 liter turbocharged in-line four threatens to make the available Alpine premium audio system irrelevant. To that point, there will be four different exhaust options available, including a titanium, dual-mode, Akrapovic unit and a racing option with trick concentric tips.

Obviously, Alfa Romeo's signature five-hole wheels are available, along with four new designs in sizes up to 18 x 7.0-inch front and 19 x 8.5-inch rear. The only wheel color choices will be silver or dark gray, though customers can choose from seven exterior options, including the usual suspects like red, black and white, along with Rosso Competizione Tri-coat red, Madreperla White Tri-coat and all-new Giallo Prototipo yellow.

We'd be happy with a 4C Spider regardless of what option boxes were checked, and suspect dealers will have little trouble moving them. Look for one on a twisty near you soon.   

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