Alfa 4C - "Without The Heart We Would Be Mere Machines"

British review: 4c vs Evora.

Alfa Romeo 4C vs. Lotus Evora 3.5 V6

 

Interesting read...

 

One can never beat Italian design and low weight with a dynamic chassis. Im a major Lotus fan having owned 3 different Esprit Turbo's. I so want a 4C Its has alot of 'Lotus' philosophy with the Italian soul. Very impressive. Thank you for the post Mr Mayor.

 

I agree, one can never best Italian design, and remember that "touring" pioneered weight saving long before Lotus were on the scene, however Lotus ingrained it it their philosophy and took it to entirely new level


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Just took my Alfa for a drive today and it always reminds me why I love it. Alfas are truly special.

 

Well you know what the guys at Top Gear say..."you're not a true car enthusiast until you own an Alfa". Still haven't purchased my first, but eventually...


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Looks like the 4C will be hitting our shores in late June at both Maserati and the best performing Fiat studios according to this:

Alfa Romeo 4C hitting stateside late June

 

According to the poster of the video in question, it's a 2005 Exige 240 cup, supercharged, 240hp, with worn Yokohama 048 tires and a
Larini exhaust system.

 

I await the answer to the $64,000 question

 

I am checking on this now.

I still don't believe it or what we assume it means (aka existing Maser dealers will be selling them in June).

 

I have heard from my local Dealer Sewell that their Houston Maserati store may get the 4C, but pricing is unknown. Odd for so much to be in the air at a time when Alfa could and should be booking orders and taking deposits.

 

No doubt the 4C is a beautiful landmark car, carbon fibre chassis, the perfect car to herald Alfa's return to a North America, but I was was just thinking, that for a little more than the price of a new 4C, one could pick up a decent 2000 Ferrari 360 for example. True it would be a 14 year old car, but it's also an aluminum bodied V8 engined Ferrari!


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Depends on if you want to pose or drive - the 360 is a tank in comparison and probably has a worse power to weight ratio to boot. From that perspective, I'd save money and get a 355, as I think it's far prettier than the 360. Just apples and oranges. The 4C will hopefully be a real driver's car if not too toad-ified with extra weight for the US market.

 

Despite its size, the 360 is actually lighter and quite a bit quicker than the 355. As for its styling, its all a matter of personal taste. Personally, I prefer the design of the 360, the first all aluminum bodied Ferrari of the modern era. In fact I feel that some of the 4C's design is straight off the 360 (sides and side air intake behind the door), and it almost looks like a baby Ferrari. As for power to weight ratio, I would have to check, but you're right, it is like comparing Apples to Oranges regardless. I was comparing a modern carbon fibre chassis efficient 4 cylinder turbo engined Alfa to a 10 to 15 year old (depending on the year of the 360) V-8 engined Ferrari. I don't think its such an easy choice.

 

SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!

I must have this car. It's like the '74 FIAT X1/9 I had in high school, but on steroids. The Mayor NAILED IT when he called it a contemporary Dino. The 206/246 has been a lifelong itch for me. This car would scratch that itch.

Cheers,

George

 

Hey George, who's THE MAYOR?


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Dean Martin!

 

Oh ok


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This guy!

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/142407067-post100.html

Cheers,

George

 

OK , got it

 

For the price and shear "exoticness" it should have a NA ~2.5L I6 or even a tiny V8 or something wacky like a 2.5L boxer 4, W-6 or a big turboed I3.
Alfas have always been about their motors as much as anything else. Turbo 4's are everywhere, put something special in it.

 

Come on now... my first car in 1989 was an '79 1.5L X1/9. Me and my pop rebuilt the motor and trans, bought two more as spares (total cost of all three was under $1000), repaired and repainted car #1 in our garage after a friend backed into it with a F-250, drove it for 3 years.... etc.... so I can say that the 4C is no X1/9.
If for no other reason than the price of a new X1/9 in 1979 was ~$4000. In today's dollars that's ~$16k.
You can buy a hell of a lot of steroids for $45k!

 

LOL! Okay, you're right, but, believe it or not, I still dream about that little yellow X1/9. Mine was a '74 with the 1290cc motor, so it was very underpowered, but it handled like a dream.

If FIAT were to come up with a modern version...

Cheers,

George

EDIT: Here's me in '77 with my X1/9.
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There is no logical reason for fiat to **** this up so badly...I went to both the local maser and fiat dealer and they both said they have no idea who will sell the car and they suspect "the other dealer" will...so lame.


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As you may recall it was the same sort of situation when Fiat relaunched its brand in North America with the 500, there were a lot of rumours and speculation, and no one really knew who would be selling the car until they knew. I suspect the are trying hard to meet demand in Europe, and the planned release in North America is well on the way to the point where the respective dealers who will be carrying it already know, but are not allowed to say.


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