Alfa Romeo 4C. Feel like a racer
The Alfa Romeo 4C (960) is a compact two-seater sports car with a mid-engine layout, produced from 2013 to 2019 in coupe and cabriolet bodies. The 4C Spider open-top version existed a little longer. By analogy with its ‘siblings’ Alfa Romeo 6C (produced in the 1920-1950s) and Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione (produced in the late 2000s), the 4C sports coupe’s name is derived from the number of cylinders in the engine. The 4C was equipped with a 4-cylinder turbocharged gasoline engine with a working volume of 1.75 liters and an output of 240 hp.
It all started well. The Italians called the premiere of the two-door coupe an extraordinary event, because there was a double comeback: to light-weight sports coupes and to the US market. But the spectacular ‘Italian’ turned out to be much more expensive than one of its main competitors, the Porsche Cayman. Thus, in the USA, a 4C Spider cabriolet cost $ 66,900 and a coupe cost $ 55,900, while in Europe it cost 60 thousand euros, which, ultimately, affected the level of sales, leading to their annual significant drop. The falling demand, as expected, led to the decision to discontinue the production of this sports car, which is a pity… It’s so beautiful! Brave, sensual and temperamental… And what feelings does it evoke in you? Do not forget to leave your opinion below.
Exterior
The Alfa Romeo 4 C is the brainchild of designer Lorenzo Ramachoti, who was inspired by the legendary Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Stradale coupe that was popular in the 1960s. The sports car is compact (length - 3,989 mm, width - 1,864 mm, height - 1,183 mm, wheelbase – 2,380 mm), neat, moderately aggressive and generally very attractive. As befits a sports car, the trunk is very modest, offering a volume of only 110 liters. But the main advantage is the curb weight of 895 kg.
The 4C exterior is functional, and all the ‘design’ elements of the body (stamping and relief) actually actively participate in aerodynamics, thanks to which the sports car hold the road well. The new model has a carbon fiber aerodynamic body kit, an aluminum diffuser, LED headlights and audacious alloy wheels: 18-inch at the front and 19-inch at the rear. The car has two color options: base Alfa Red and exclusive Carrara White.
Interior and equipment
The new Alfa Romeo 4C is a 2-seater car with a racing interior, featuring sports seats with lateral support, an ergonomic driver’s seat with convenient access to all controls and a sports steering wheel. At the same time, this is a completely modern car. It has a fully digital dashboard that displays on-screen data for the selected driving mode and changes the backlight for each of them: yellow - race, red - dynamics, gray - normal, blue - all-weather. The basic equipment includes: a full set of airbags, ABS and ESP systems, air conditioning, tire pressure sensors, power accessories for mirrors, and a sound system.
Engines and chassis
The Alfa Romeo 4C sports coupe is equipped with a 4-cylinder turbocharged gasoline engine with a volume of 1.75 liters. The engine has a variable valve timing system and direct fuel injection, which allows it to develop up to 240 hp at 6,000 rpm. The peak torque is 350 Nm in the range from 2,200 to 4,250 rpm, while an impressive 280 Nm is produced at 1,700 rpm. The car comes with a 6-speed preselective TCT dual dry clutch transmission. Acceleration to the first 100 km/h occurs in just 4.5 seconds. The maximum speed is electronically limited to 250 km/h, but during factory tests, the car easily developed 280 km/h. Fuel consumption is about 6.8 liters in the combined cycle.
During factory tests, the Alfa Romeo 4C easily developed 280 km/h.
The Alfa Romeo 4C is built on a new lightweight platform, based on a carbon fiber monocoque weighing only 65 kg, the suspension is almost entirely aluminum. The body is entirely made of a low-density, high-strength composite that is 20% lighter than steel. Weight distribution of the body has a ratio of 40:60 in favor of the rear. The sports car is only rear-wheel drive. It has an independent multi-link suspension at the front and an independent MacPherson strut suspension at the rear. The light weight made it possible to abandon the power steering, which significantly improved the handling of a car with a real sporty male temperament.
All wheels of the Alfa Romeo 4C are equipped with Brembo ventilated disc brakes with the discs having a diameter of 305 mm at the front and 292 mm at the rear. Up front, heavy-duty 4-piston calipers provide up to 1.25g maximum deceleration. As a result, it takes the sports car only 36 meters to stop completely.
Among other things, the new Alfa Romeo 4C features an upgraded Alfa DNA traction control system with an additional ‘Race’ mode (in addition to the usual Dynamic, Normal and All Weather modes). In the Race mode, the ESP is completely disabled, placing the car exclusively at the disposal of the skilled driver. At this moment anyone can feel like a real racer!
