This 4C-engined Alfa Romeo Giulietta might not be the fastest hot hatch, but it is the coolest

A NEW hatchback which shares the same heart as Alfa Romeo’s 4C sports car will go on sale later this summer.

The Quadrifoglio Verde – or Cloverleaf, roughly translated into English – version of the Giulietta shares the same 240bhp engine as the mid-engined sports car tested last week by Life On Cars, but offers it in a more practical, five-door hatchback package.

The Italian manufacturer said of its latest hot hatch: "Under the bonnet lies a thoroughbred Alfa Romeo power-plant: The all-aluminium engine first seen in the Alfa Romeo 4C supercar. The four-cylinder, direct-injection, 1750 Turbo Petrol engine delivers 240hp at 5,750rpm and 250lb/ft (340Nm) of torque between 2,000 and 4,000rpm with 80 percent available from just 1,800rpm.

"In addition to the 1750 Turbo Petrol engine, the state-of-the-art, six-speed ALFA TCT twin dry clutch transmission has also been inherited from the Alfa Romeo 4C supercar. While the adoption of ALFA TCT as standard ensures more comfortable and relaxing day-to-day use, it also translates into a more exciting drive when the mood takes the drive."

While it's not the fastest hot hatch on the market or the most powerful - the new SEAT Leon Cupra offers up a pulverising 280bhp, while Volkswagen's Golf R closes in on 300bhp - the prospect of an charismatic Italian hatchback with an engine developed with a mid-engined supercar in miniature in mind does have a certain cool factor from the off.

The fastest Giulietta yet will cost £28,120 when it goes on sale across the UK next month.