It might have been designated as a “study”, but from the moment we laid eyes on it, everyone knew that the 4C Spider displayed at the 2014 Geneva Show was the real deal, plus or minus some details.

With production scheduled for this year, the finished item has made a couple of appearances so far ahead of its official premiere, which will probably be at the upcoming Detroit Auto Show, to boost the brand’s return to the US market or, failing that, the Geneva one in March.

Another image of the 4C Spider, possibly an official press shot, landed in our office, courtesy of Carscoops reader “V”. Painted in a very Ferrari-like Giallo (that’s yellow in Italian), and with those contrasting black wheels covering yellow-painted calipers, it looks stunning.

The 4C Spider is built around the same carbon fiber chassis as the coupe and features a carbon roll-bar cover and windscreen ring. It’s actually closer to a targa, like the Elise, than a full open air roadster.

That may be a good thing, though, as Alfa Romeo claims that, when the top is removed, air turbulence is kept to a minimum and there is no loss of rigidity. Moreover, the suspension set-up has been retuned in order to make the Spider handle like the Coupe.

The mid-engined 4C Spider is powered by the same turbocharged 1.75-liter four-cylinder that pumps out 240PS (237hp) and 350Nm (258 lb-ft), which are sent to the rear wheels by a six-speed dual-clutch transmission.

*Update: Second photo added

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