Truth be told, I was unaware what to expect with the Alfa Romeo 4C – and don’t get me wrong, it was nothing against the brand. I myself have been an Alfa Romeo owner, on more than one occasion, and have fallen in love with ‘Italianess’ of the car; the expressive drives and the consistent inconsistencies.
For me, an Alfa Romeo was a “better to have loved and lost” scenario, a car that you will go back to regardless of the cost and relative fragilities encountered.
That said, this was a new generation Alfa Romeo, and termed a ‘supercar’. The Alfa Romeo 8C that launched a few years earlier was preceded by triumphant fanfare – this car was to be the Alfa Romeo, of Alfa Romeos. It looked the part, performed the part, and was nigh on ‘perfect’. This car was every Alfa Romeo owners dream, but there was one main problem – well two actually. Firstly the price – 100k new (at least £180k second hand) – and secondly the availability, the cars were sold out at launch.
So the Alfa Romeo 4C is essentially a stripped down, supercar with the performance essence and the heart of the 8C combined into a more affordable option at around 60k.
The car weighs under 1 tonne – even with me inside – which means despite the rather unassuming engine power of 240hp, the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider is still capable of 0-62mph in less than 4.5 seconds. The 4C gets you there in some style too, grunting and popping away as you shift up the gears, with the manual steering and carbon chassis ensuring that you feel the extent of the acceleration. If I could sum up this car in one word, I would say, fun. This car absolutely loves corners, and going very, very fast.
The 240hp supercar comes equipped with many high-end features, including Bi-Xenon headlights, racing tyres, large 10-spoke 19” alloy wheels, intuitive Alfa D.N.A selector with Race mode technology, and a semi-automatic 8-speed ALFA TCT gearbox that ensures the fastest possible gearshift in all driving conditions.
As my confidence grew in the Alfa Romeo 4C, I couldn’t help but have a constant smile on my face, even at the lower speeds. One thing you don’t associate with supercars is fuel economy, and the Alfa in that respect is as good as many ‘A-to-B’ cars with a reasonable 41mpg – and despite various my attempts, I wasn’t far off that figure.
Was it perfect? No, the interior was a ‘tad’ basic and the boot space was minimal to say the very least. But did I care? Not one bit. This was quite simply the most fun I’d had in a car, for quite some time – take that how you will. Furthermore, to celebrate 50 years since the launch of the iconic 1966 Alfa Romeo Spider, they have also recently unveiled an Alfa Romeo 4C Spider Limited Edition of 50 cars in the UK, featuring a number of additional Alfa Romeo details.
A final word on the Alfa Romeo 4C if I will; if you ever get a chance to drive one, leave your ego outside and take a seat. It will be the best decision you’ve made – and perhaps one that will end up costing you £60,000. Either way, it’s a win.
ALFAROMEO.co.uk
