Coming soon to a Maserati or select Fiat dealership near you, the 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C turned up at the 2014 New York Auto Show Wednesday before its U.S. showroom debut this June.
Putting the power to the back is a 1.75-liter turbo-four pushing 237 horsepower through a dual-clutch transmission, more than enough to move the 2,200-pound sports car and its carbon fiber monocoque chassis down the highway.
Up front, last year’s compound-eye headlamps can now be replaced by the 4C Spider’s more traditional configuration if so desired.
As for how much to take a 4C home, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has yet to say anything on price, as well as how it will market the car in the United States. Originally, Fiat dealerships were going to sell the Alfa exclusively, but as of now, only a select group of Fiat dealers will sell the 4C alongside Maserati, who will act as the primary dealer.
Whatever happens, the first 500 4Cs will arrive in showrooms this June, and will be a part of a commemorative launch edition.
Say what you will of the cars, but no one does beautiful like the Italians.
IMO this doesn’t look near as good as often claimed. In compressing the 8c design down to this size it looks too squat, and probably even worse than the Elise.
Frankly it just looks like a Lotus w/ a body kit.
I see your point, but I’ll respectfully disagree.
Just look at the two side by side:
http://images.pistonheads.com/nimg/29651/Alfa4CvsLotusExige_09-L.jpg
Now compare to 8c:
http://cloudlakes.com/data_images/models/alfa-romeo-8c/alfa-romeo-8c-07.jpg
The 4C and Exige have very similar profiles no doubt, but the execution of the Alfa is much better. Much more polished while the Lotus looks project-car-ish.
As to the 8C, it’s unfair!Top Gear, for what it’s worth, did a segment on it asking can a car be art. They concluded it was no good, but as art the 8C has everything going for it. I agree.
Yes, they do. The cuore sportivo beats once again.
Agreed. They’ll have no problem moving the 4C, assuming it actually shows up!
I think they may have more trouble than they should. What are they competing with? Boxster? SLK? TT? Miata? Z4? All established cars with loyal fans and Convertibles that outsell the coupe (if it’s even available.)
This is a very pretty car, and they’ll sell some of them on looks alone, but they almost certainly need a good topless version to make any inroads here.
I think they’re mostly competing against themselves, at least initially. Something to get the Alfisti of those who tend towards Alfa back. get the brand noticed. Then, if that’s achieved, you’ll probably see improvements to make it competitive against other cars.
The trouble is the Alfisti (who actually have driven Alfas in North America) are now in their 50s or older, and are generally not looking for something quite as Spartan as the 4C.
Of course I may be wrong on this …
Naw, I think you’re right. I think Alfa is banking on their image, history, heritage, whatever. I think even the most North American enthusiast have heard of Alfa, even the young ones, and might have their interest piqued. Anyway, your analysis is as good as mine. What I wrote is just what I’m thinking their thinking might be.
That’s SEX disguised as an automobile.
If one were to interpret Sophia Loren as a form of transportation – this would be the result.
Monty, LOL! Ahem, pretty much my opinion, too. Very sexy thing.
It looks nice, but I personally think the Brera/159 style was much better.
Funny how these things go, many prefer the 159, but I always like the 156 more.
No manual transmission, no sale.
Euro’s (except Brit’s) seem to have lost their sense of driving involvement even in sports cars.
And Alfa still has to fix the decline in torque delivery, in its turbo engine at midrange.
In addition, the unfortunate front-façade female genitalia reference is precisely the type of styling cue that killed the Ford Edsel in this country. Remember?
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The tire pressure is so low it’s alerting you twice!
They didn’t even correct it for American spelling, lol.
And it’s actually THREE warnings! On the left, on the right, and in the centre* tyre* text colour* display.
*#Euro
For the target audience, the fact that it’s in “British” works. European flair and all that.
It also probably saves a penny.
That’s a valid point. Do Fiats here have this Euro spelling feature?
I’ll have to check. As not a big fan of this kind of thing, the cars come in Portuguese and I leave it at that. At least the Fiats come in Brazilian Portuguese. BMWs and I’m sure others, come in Portuguese from Portugal , which leads to some almost incomprehensible information. Good for chuckles though!
Given how much larger the Brazilian market is than Portugal, you’d think they would use your Portugese version. OR, is it because the Brazilian version is a modified or “dirty” version – so they use the proper one? Are there upper-class Brazilians somewhere who speak more in the Portugal way?
Nope. Fact is people from Portugal are much more familiar with Brazilian Portuguese than the other way around as they watch more Brazilian TV, films and listen to our music. Sort of like American vs. British English. No one in Brazil speaks like in Portugal (except for some very small populations in the South that have an Azorean Portuguese influence) and the Portuguese in the various regions of Brazil varies a lot, in accents, sentence structure and even vocabulary. But Portuguese from Portugal is so far removed from the Brazilian version that I have to pay really close attention to understand (and sometime I fail).
Thanks, I enjoy this sort of information. Sounds like BMW needs a better fact checker.
quote: “But Portuguese from Portugal is so far removed from the Brazilian version that I have to pay really close attention to understand (and sometime I fail).”
I couldn’t agree more. To my ear, the Portuguese are speaking with a heavy Irish or Scottish accent.
I thought Portuguese was someone speaking Spanish with a mouth full of mashed potatoes ;)
Big Al that’s Portuguese Portuguese! Many times, when I’ve been in large groups in the US, people would come up and ask if we were speaking some sort of Italian. Once they even said they thought we were “singing” a language.
@Marcelo
My mother told me that. As a kid she lived in Oporto. My grand father was quite high up in a company called Valentine Paint, some French company. I should google it.
I will make it to Brasil one day, I’ve worked it out. I will do an Antarctic tour, then Santiago/Machu Pichu. The Argentine and Uraguay (for steak), then the Carnivale.
Maybe I’ll see you in Rio at the Carnivale ;)
Alas, this is 3 years off. I must be content with work travel and once/twice a year Europe and the US.
Hey, it even came with a complimentary malfunction!
And it’ll be $70K and full of lots of bits the lowly Fiat dealer can’t service. So you take it to the Maserati dealer for service, and they look down upon you because you bought a lowly Alfa :(
Its’a make’a me sadface’a, Luigi.
Closer to $80-90k in fact .
Anda itsa make a me sada as a well . Ecco ! Basta !
# 1 Its a badge engineered KTM X-Bow [ that they cannot give away .. nor does it live up to expectations ] with a FIAT based motor with Alfa badges to cover over its origins
#2 Its pricey as hell as well as slower than any of its competition and less comfortable as well [ actually its a noisy and rough riding cheaply made pos ]
#3 Its looks … are derivative on the best of days and anything but up to past Italian design standards . Fact is it looks like a feminine Lotus Elise for the hair dresser set
#4 It has no manual
#5 The price .. base price that is … according to FCA representatives … will exceed that of a very well optioned Porsche Boxster/Cayman S here in the US [ insider info ]
Summation ? Yet another FCA failure in the making .
Oh here we go with the badge engineering BS again, what a maroon!
@gtrslngr
#1 – Total BS. Please get your facts right before uttering BS. This is 2014 not 2011 where you seem to be stuck in. Pls read up.
#2 – That’s BS as hell! The power to weight ratio is from a class above. It is way quicker than any competition. It holds the lap record for a under 250bhp car at the ‘Ring. So you drove it I guess…;) Funny how every other review said it was great.
#3 – This means everyone who saw it in the flesh must be partially blind since they were all raving about the looks.
#4 – Hooray you got one right! Well done.
#5 – Should be and there’s a reason for that. It’s ( virtually hand) made (by Maserati) of more exotic materials than the steel Boxter for starters that lends it the superior power to weight ratio. It’s quicker and a more focused driving tool than the Porsche. (Public Info ;) )
Summation – They can’t build them fast enough owing to the CF tub supply although they are trying to increase production. There’s a waiting list. Low production numbers but it’s a sellout.
“Yet another FCA failure in the making” yeah sure. The Fiat 500 range now outsells the larger BMW Mini range in the US. Maserati is on a record roll. So yep yet another FCA failure in the making!
How do you use a cupholder that’s next to your elbow?, additionally what’s the point in a massive handbrake sticking out of the center console when it lacks a manual trans?
Also it reminds me of that one Toyota car they(Toyota) used to make.
Ahem signor Hummer . Now pay attention . This car is a FIAT ! Capice ? A FIAT ! F-I-A-T ! Only worse now that its being run by the Elkanns [ barely ] and Marchionne’s Madness
Now …. any other questions the above may not of answered ?
Thought not ;-)
Saw this on Top Gear. An absolutely beautiful sports car.
Its also a cheap [ materials and workmanship ] pos dog if you watched the review they gave after driving it .
That whole segment was ABSOLUTE rubbish. I was so put off when Clarkson announced at the end that they had actually re-filmed the whole thing, when an American had knocked the film into the water and ruined it (supposedly).
And yet they still acted surprised at the outcome, and all these random “events” occurring during the film, like Clarkson encountering Hammond on the road along the water (in perfect sync). But it was all just a fake re-take.
I’ve lost about 80% of my interest in the show. I just watch it for their special long episodes.
True, it’s been a long time since anything on that show was actually useful to the car buyer as a consumer. It’s pure entertainment. In the long shows or some of the writings they still inform, but I think the present show isn’t for that anymore.
It’s very disappointing. Another rather heinous example was when he spent a good 30 minutes doing a film on the new Corolla, bashing it around in Australia. It’s a car millions of people the world over will buy, and he never once mentioned the ride, interior, power, or handling characteristics. He just ran into a bunch of things.
Running into things and blowing them up has really gotten old. Like the Fiesta in a mall. Sigh.
YES, that one was awful too. Of course a Corvette can’t catch a Fiesta on a marble floor, when the driver is flooring it constantly.
Come on Corey and Marcelo, you guys know better.
The show is CLEARLY for entertainment value. The three themselves lampshade it constantly and laugh their butts off and give many sidelong glances whenever they win media awards for their “factual program”.
Top Gear is strictly entertainment, and they do a phenomenal job at it. Cars just happen to be the canvas they use to facilitate the fun.
Is “lampshade it” a Canadian slang? LOL made me laugh.
And the show didn’t USE to be that way, is my (our) point.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LampshadeHanging
Top Gear UK is awesome- as entertainment. I bought an Audi A6 and watched the review on it. This was a review done in 1998- when Top Gear was factual and like MotorWeek.
Now, though, I watch it for entertainment. Would I ever drive trucks in Burma? Would I race a Porsche against a Beetle in Freefall? Would I build a 4-story motorhome on a Citroen? Nope. Do I enjoy watching them do it for entertainment. Yes.
Still looks like a bad ass car. Its not Porsche Cayman level. But it is damn nice.
Viva Alfa!
I love it, I’d daily drive this thing. The wife would hate it, though. Anyway, not really what I’m expecting from Alfa Romeo. They must come up with a new Spyder and a 3 Series killer. That’s the proper comeback.
2017. Maybe.
Or not. Or later. Or before.
It’s too much pressure! Don’t confuse me! hahaha!
Lovely car! I don’t agree with, umm, the female genitalia comment. That’s been the classic Alfa radiator grille since the dawn of time. But if that’s what it looks like to you, well…not that there’s anything wrong with that!
I’d have one of these in a flash, but not if it costs as much as a Cayman S. Is the 1.75L turbo up to the job though? Alfa have also announced a new corporate 1.8L turbo with 300 hp which might eventually be a candidate for the 4c. On the other hand a stronger engine could also need bigger and heavier brakes, suspension, etc., and that would spoil the car.
The gearbox is an interesting question. I have hard-won skills with a traditional manual, but having driven a couple of dual-clutch paddle-shift cars on the racetrack I can tell you unequivocally that they’re faster and more effective. Note that I wouldn’t term the dual-clutch gearbox an automatic as such, even though it has an automatic mode.
This car’s almost as pretty as the guy with the scarf looking at the white one.
LOL! I was too busy looking at the car to even notice that. Had to go back and see.
I’d have to agree that this is a “lampshade” of an Alfa. Compared to the sublime elegance of the 1970’s Bertone GTV or even the latter day V6 GTV, this looks like something out of a cereal box.
The GTV was always very nice.
Extend the steering wheel so I could sit on the roof and this would be the world’s sexiest go-kart.
This is a hard core sports car with no power steering, minimal comfort features etc. So you would think it will attract the sort of auto enthusiast who still want a manual transmission. What were Alfa’s product planners thinking?
This isn’t the look I was hoping for. I think it’s overdone. I’ve seen a lot better looking Alfas.
I would not be totally beyond the idea of risking bad reliability and horrendous depreciation for some of the beautiful cars I have seen in Italy, but this isn’t going to be one of them.
these cars are not going to age well.
watch at the brit review- look at the scratches deep into the interior carbon fiber tub around the transmission wall and side rails. Imagine that in 5 yrs. I think once the hype is done these cars are going to sink like rocks on depreciation.
Needs targa version. I did a quick check on Auto Trader and E-Bay and none are listed. I wish Toyota would bring back the MR2.