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

Exactly.

What we want is the 4c Challenge not Stradale.
Pete

 

I'm 6'1" and 225.
I was deathly afraid to even look at the 4C because of the experience had with an ordered Lotus; Couldn't get out of the damn thing.
And now an ITALIAN version. Jeesh !
Just for grins I checked out a local 4C to to see what it looked like. Had no intention of getting in let alone ordering one. Salesman "talked me into it" Riiiiight......
Damn thing fit like a glove. Even headroom to spare. Had a great feel as far as quality and ergonomics. Now the final test... getting out. Actually not that bad.
So now I'm on the list for a non-launch car.

 

I think Alfa was using the term Stradale long before Ferrari did.
The Tipo 33 Stradale was supposedly an inspiration for the 4C.

 

I'd never buy a new Ferrari for medium term appreciation.
Short term on a new model; yes.
Long term on a older model; yes

IMO the 4C is nothing like anything offered in the market because of its CF tub and manual steering. A minimalist car. Brand name difference between Alfa and a Lotus in perception is fairly wide.
Because of the price point, name brand recognition, hand made quality, pocket rocket size and looks this car may break the mold in depreciation expectations if indeed production is stopped after 2 years.
Just an opinion.
Probably not but I would not be surprised.

 

Possibly, but again the Tipo 33 Stradale was the street/road version of the race car.

Anyway, if they make a faster 4c, IMO it should not be called a Stradale
Pete

 

I'm note an Alfa fan myself. At all. I have driven the 4C though and liked it a lot. Comparable to my 360. Though much better at acceleration, similar in corner speed (both have quite some understeer) if you drive the same tires, I think. The 4C felt heavy compared to the 360. Ferrari somehow always manages to get you a feeling of perfectly tuned steering. But I didn't want to wait 2 year for an Alfa to be finally delivered, and frankly I also tested the Porsche Boxster Spyder which indeed simply drives better, and with sport exhaust sounds better too. Apart from that, it's the open version that I'd be interested in.

But I had this weird feeling that while I would recommend my friends the Porker Boxster Spyder, I would secretly choose myself for the 4C. No idea why.

And last Friday, the Alfa dealer called me to say that they received a stock 4C (I'm guessing somebody cancelled) and if I was interested in trading my 360 for the 4C. With deliveries of the 4C spider not happening until end of 2016, it would be a nice car to cover the bridging period until 4C spider delivery. I told the dealer I'll think about it and get back to him next week.

Now why didn't I say no? Why am I considering this offer the entire weekend? Hard to say. Maybe it's because I'm not interested in a change from 360 (Modena) to F430 spider (or even 360 spider), and the change from 460 to 458 spider is heavy on the pocket still. Or maybe there's simply something about that 4C that I seem to like, despite the small engine, despite the understeer, despite the fact that it's an Alfa. Strange...

 

Mmhhh and when I went for a run this morning, a 4C drove by! A sign!?? First time I spot one in the streets. I think there are only 18 in my country.

 

A sign from God. No question about it!!!

 

Was it on your right or on your left? If the former, buy . . .

 

On the right!

 

Post pictures of your new alfa please! Too many signs to ignore!

 

I didn't buy it yet. Hope to test it tomorrow.

As of 1 March the 4C prices in my country increased by 10k (!!!!). No joke. This one I can still buy for the old price. But they offer low money for the 360, so I'm not sure we'll find a deal. Also, I would have spec'd it a bit differently (seats & color). But it may be a nice way to cover the 2 years until the 4C spiders are brought to the road.
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Careful...you are likely to come home with it. I did.

 

On the contrary...

I soooooo want to love this car. It's a beauty, it's light, it's cool, it's rare. Etc.

But I drove it before (see http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/143268779-post775.html ) and while it was cool, I left a bit disappointed.

Today I drove it again. In fact, I got up today and said to myself: "that's it. I'm going to buy myself a 4C today". It's available right away, all the good options. A great opportunity.

However, again the drive left me disappointed. I still think it feels heavy (which it shouldn't), I hate the steering wheel and while it sounds fantastic on the outside, I really don't like the sound inside. I kept opening the window to hear the exhaust better (the engine is so small you hardly hear it, which I think is normal for such a light car with light engine, but at least let me hear the exhaust!). I simply can't trade my 360 (which does sound great and does feel good with the steering) for a car that looks great but doesn't feel great.

I ended up not buying it.

 

So much for omens . . .

 

I'd love to get a test drive in the 4C but they don't have any demo cars in my area yet.

The steering turns lock-lock is 2.7 in the 4C, a bit slow compared to contemporary Fcars and that may account for making the car feel a bit ponderous or heavy at slower speeds. However, given that its steering is manual, the 2.7 turns may well be a compromise designed to help persons with "weaker" arms when the car is moving from stationary. I don't believe the F360 has manual steering so it naturally would feel lighter at non-track speeds.

Perhaps the journos overlooked yet another aspect of the car but I believe the D-shaped steering wheel is designed to give extra clearance for ingress/egress, perhaps for race car cockpits. Again, it may simply be a compromise for incorporating other neat features, this time being the carbon fibre tub, which is a race car structural element and presents ingress/egress issues. I did sit in a 4C. Here's a casual photo I took which illustrates my point. I'm 5'7", 170 lbs but on the slim side.

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...and another photo showing my salesman sitting slightly sideways in the car. He's 6'++, slim build.

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Getting in was pretty easy, not any more involved than with my Cali30. Getting out requires putting down a hand on the sill to balance myself before lifting one leg over the sill.

I can't comment on the sound on the road but it started up and idled with a very good sound... had a VROOOM quality to it which overcomes any tendency to sound raspy. The car does look much better in person than from its photos.

I thought the double-stitch leather interior was very nice.

 

Yeah that definitely plays a role. Steering is still incredibly heavy when stationary but I do believe it's a compromise indeed. And I really don't mind heavy steering. But unfortunately the ratio aids to what feels like a bit sloppy steering. Then there is the steering wheel itself, that I don't like. Probably the funny shape. And it felt very 'thick'. Plus the plastic shifting pedals, makes everything you touch feel strange.

The double stitching is nice indeed. And stationary it sounds good.

 

Manual steering is supposed to help improve road feel and perhaps it isn't quite successful in the current setup. From personal experience, tire tread and toe settings would affect this quality so I wonder if the factory specs aren't optimal in normal driving. The journos did complain about the wider tires (on the big rims) being less desirable from a performance point of view than the narrower tires (on the smaller rims) but one has to wonder if narrower tires would compromise track performance.

The steering wheel did come across as a bit thick to hold but from personal experience it is often a matter of what you're used to holding.

I'm also not crazy about the plastic shift paddles and agree they won't feel as crisp as aluminium or CF ones placed differently.

 

The Montreal would do 7000.

 

Someone made a tribute Stradale version. I think this looks really sharp.
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Oh, I stand corrected.
Pete

 

In addition, ALL of the V6 24V Busso based engines had a 7k redline.

 

And soprano voice. IMO a euro GTV6 sounds as good as motor can

 

I saw my first Alfa4C out on the road yesterday - it was white, but it had black around the roof area and thought - wait, is that a Spider?!? Most likely not (not available yet I guess), it blew past me too fast for me to realize what it was! ha..

Sounded great

 

No spiders yet but some have been doing a black roof wrap.

White is super rare. The first batch were all the two colors of red. Some whites have now just filtered into the system. Launch editions are only available in 3 colors: Alfa Red (like Rosso Corsa), metallic red (like Rosso Berlinetta) and flat white.