The tyres are as big as those fitted to the top GT cars - whose sporting DNA they carry - while the 'AR' on the sidewalls reveals exactly who this exclusive rubber was created for - the rapid and elegant new Alfa Romeo 4C.

The state-of-the-art technology embodied by the car is record breaking. The new Alfa Romeo 4C has in fact lapped the legendary Nurburgring in just 8:04 on P Zero Trofeo tyres - the most overtly sporting rubber in the P Zero range.

It's not just the lap time that is a record but also the time that was taken to develop the bespoke tyres - less than a year of intense work between Pirelli's engineers and those of Alfa Romeo, who, just as in the glory days of Fangio and the 159 Formula One car, collaborated closely to find the very best possible roadholding and driving precision.

Development started last year, with the first track tests taking place in November and homologation confirmed in February 2013. Leading up to that moment were thousands of kilometres of testing both in the simulator and on the Balocco, Nardo and Nurburgring circuits.

Maurizio Boiocchi, Pirelli's Chief Technical Officer, explained, "The 4C is a very light and quick car, which produces low levels of downforce and requires optimal contact with the road surface. In order to attain this objective we studied the contact patch in the simulator carefully, which we then tested on demanding circuits in real life. From that we were able to come up with the perfect compound and structure, particularly in the area around the belt. The 'AR' P Zero tyres are synonymous with grip, performance, sportiness and driving precision."

These characteristics are emphasised further in the 'AR Racing' version, available in 18-inch size for the front and 19-inch for the back. These tyres have been subjected to wet-weather testing at Pirelli's test centre in Vizzola and are also suitable for track day use.