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

A white 4C? Ooops, don't tell MARMIST that. FWIW, the local AR salesman informs me that Spiders will be arriving around the end of this Summer. BTW, may I ask whereabouts in the GTA did you spot the car?

 

Yep! It was going south on the DVP and exited at Lawrence going west (I was exiting east). Around 1:00pm on the 15th of March (Sunday).

The only thing I noticed was how narrow the rear tires look because the car is so wide, at least that's the impression I got - first time I ever noticed that.

 

I just bought one. . Haven't driven it yet.

 

Looking forwards to your reviews

 

Yeah, 1 pm down the DVP on a Sunday would make a nice drive. I also like to double back on Mt. Pleasant north via Rosedale Valley Road back to St. Clair and then grab a late lunch in the Deer Park area, capping it off with a nice stroll through Mt. Pleasant cemetery afterwards.

I think the 4C's low height makes it look wider when it's actually narrower than my Cali30 but also a lot lower. Its rear tire section width is 235 for both the 18" and 19" wheels, 9.25", which isn't that wide really but then it's a light car.

 

Well, I guess we shouldn't be surprised. Good for you! Is it an LE or... what color is it?

My name's also on the list for a spider but I put off delivery till Spring 2016. Meanwhile, my Cali30 will keep me entertained.

 

LE Alfa red. Compared to the Cal 30 it's downright crude. But it is a hoot. Feels very light. Extreme confidence in cornering.

It's completely impractical for anything but making you smile.

One word. I don't know a female on this planet that would like riding in it. This car should come with only one seat.

 

LOL! Thanks for confirming my worst expectations. I guess I won't have to worry about luggage space any more.

I also went for an LE Rosso Alfa. Hoping to get the car with the Akrapovic dual centre exhaust. However, while Canadian AR website shows it as spider option my salesman can't locate any pricing???

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Also trying to get the original bug-eyes from the factory or their parts department but no luck so far. I didn't like them at first but now I prefer them.

Love to read and see more about your new baby!

 

The Akrapovic exhaust can not be ordered yet, will be available in the coming months.

Luggage space isn't bad, it's a bit bigger than the one in my 8C.

 

Well done Mayor. Are they still demanding/getting over MSRP?

 

Agree with you...it's more like a sport bike (a passenger could come along but probably wouldn't enjoy it).

 

Depends what your chosen driving route is. If its straight to a top notch shopping centre then ...
Pete

 

Good grief, you mean AR actually compromised and enlarged the luggage space from the 8C!

Thanks for the heads-up on the Akrapovic exhaust. I think it would really add to the spider's appearance. Too bad about the bug-eyes not being available in North America, I think they suit the car better. Since they were the original design I wonder why they don't offer it as an option.

 

Nope. Each dealer is different but they told me straight out they would not sell over MSRP.

I was really lucky. A truck with 2 cars showed up at the dealer on Saturday. These were the first 2 he had that were not pre-sold. I called Tuesday and on Wednesday morning I flew in to buy one.

I had my choice of white or red. I may have been the only person in the country with an actual choice!

I like the white but the red just seemed more Alfa. I've seen pictures of Metallic gray and it looks fantastic. But there are only white, metallic red and alfa red available now with the majority being alfa red.

 

Because there are no options.

I think to do the USA DOT tests it's too expensive. There are a lot of differences between the US and Euro models. You can see evidence of it just about everywhere you look.

 

You're really lucky. My dealer has already sold 50 coupes and could only display sold cars. Same thing with pricing, just MSRP. Hope the EURO stays low till I can finally order my car.

The white car is simply stunning but I agree the Rosso Alfa is iconic and different from Rosso Corsa. I also think metallic grey is surprisingly gorgeous on the 4C. Here are some shots from C&D, not sure if the red one's RA or RC.
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Fair enough but from earlier car magazine reports I was led to believe the "... lack of a glass cover presumably saved Alfa the cost of getting the headlights certified...", written up here in the C&D article published on March 20, 2014. I imagine the C&D guys know what they're writing about.

So if the bug-eyes don't require certification and they actually swapped the coupe's bug-eyes for the newer spider lights, I imagine the bug-eyes should also work on the spider. The C&D article showed a comparison between the 2 lights. I think the bug-eyes look better because they don't have the distracting plastic cover which catches too much light. The CF shows up much better on the bug-eyes.

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...and here's a shot showing Chris Harris standing next to his test car, below is the (RC) LE coupe that I photographed at the Toronto auto show. The bug-eyes really make the 4C look unique whereas the covered lights make it look more conventional, which is arguably not what their designers had originally set out to do.

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I had a closer look at both lights and it seems to me the individual lamps are identical and it's just the plastic or CF housing that are different.

I looked up UK AR parts suppliers who offer the CF version of the bug-eyes as upgrades for about £1760 a pair. One of them sent me this screenshot off his online catalogue. The problem is that they either don't ship them overseas or they say the factory may take a very long time to fill an order for these housings. Not sure what to make of the factory's choice in the matter but I hope they decide to also offer the bug-eyes on the spider. My dealer does not want to do the swap because headlights are safety items and they think it may void the warranty.
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Red one's Rosso Alfa.

As for the headlights, here's the deal.

The "bug-eyes" indeed didn't require certification, as they're entirely composed of Hella off-the-shelf parts (the headlights aren't even a single piece as usual). This saved Alfa both time and money.

But there's a technical reason for their existence, too. AR wanted covered headlights, but they weren't feasible for packaging reasons: there's very little space between the wheel well and the front of the car, and there needs to be a minimum space between the projector and the headlight cover for thermal reasons. Projector modules available while the 4C was being developed were too deep, and there was no way of covering them up without making the lights look like heinous giant bubbles. Modules with reduced depth became available later on, which made "US-spec" lights feasible.

The covered headlights do not differ just for the cover; while the disposition of the individual elements and the attachments on the body are the same, the assembly is different; it's a traditional integrated one-piece headlight, with the reduced depth projector module I already mentioned, and the DRLs are different as well. It's also a different technology: The bug-eyes are available in halogen and bi-LED variants (just bi-LED from March 2015 orders), the covered ones are bi-Xenon (35W D1S for NAFTA, 25W D5S for EMEA).

 

And yet you then went on to explain how covered headlights were implemented so the "weren't feasible for packaging reasons" is not surely true.
Pete

 

So, I've driven the 4c a few days now in normal and spirited (!) driving and I have a few comments.

First, this car is NOT for everyone. It's uncomfortable, has zero creature comfort aside from a very good and simple AC that came from the 80's, the seats are very narrow, it has almost no trunk and all (my computer bag barely fits --- and that's it!), is LOUD, makes the most obnoxious BANGS! when you hit a pot hole, is terrible at U turns, and is almost crazy to get in and out of (heaven forbid someone parking next to you closely on the driver's side -- you're never getting in until they come back), and looking out the back is kind of like looking through a key hole.

BUT -- it's just so alive. It's an animal. The noises it makes are just insane. Like WTF kind of noises I've never heard before.

This TRULY is a race car for the street. It is a big Go kart. It's only purpose it is to go fast and handle well. It's addictive. You just want to mash the pedal at every stop light. It just rev's like crazy and never gives up.

And my god does it love to corner. I don't think I've had a car that gave me more confidence to drive hard. The brakes are simply --- perfect. Hard with little movement but easily modulated. Forget Carbon Ceramics. Just design a system with the old technology but do it REALLY well. How novel.

Is this a mini Ferrari? No, not even close. It's a fancy Fiat. Some things are cheap to the laughable. Some things are like "what the hell were you thinking?" But, the 246 Dino was a fancy Fiat so it's in good company.

What amazes me is that some lunatic at Fiat decided to make this thing. It's just nuts. I can't see any way they make money on it.

The CF interior is beautiful. The paint is better than any Ferrari I've had. It looks fantastic -- with so many curves it's Sophia Loren with 4 wheels.

And, I know it's a REAL Alfa because my trunk release already won't work.
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Oh dear, so it does look like the bug-eyes need to be installed at the factory. Thanks for explaining the bad news though, it's better to not get my hopes up.

The bi-LEDs are indeed currently required when you select the CF bug-eye housing with UK cars. I didn't realize the covered lights are bi-Xenons. Wonder why AR didn't use bi-LEDs for them as well. I get the sense that bi-LEDs are the future direction so why use bi-Xenons?

The front fenders do have minimal space. The "bonnet" does not even lift open. If you have to change lightbulbs, you must remove cover panels from the wheel wells to gain rear access to the lights, but you probably knew that already.

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Similarly FYI other readers, if you need to add windshield washer fluid, you need to get out your screwdrivers and remove 4 screws holding down a metal grid cover in the space between the "bonnet" and windshield. Cover E is for the windshield washer access, D is for the brake fluid. This is a car for the dedicated car nut.

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Thanks for the nifty reviews and interesting comments. Glad you like the steering and brakes. Yeah, I think it's really a weekend track car/rolling Alfa-brand-advertising-mobile. Apparently, the margins on it are no different from those of an econobox.

As for the trunk release, it feels like a cable connection. I bet it just needs to be adjusted or tightened but you don't really need your computer, do you? Anyway, it must be cooked by the engine by now.

BTW, when you say "The noises it makes are just insane. Like WTF kind of noises I've never heard before", do you mean the turbo noises or...?

 

It's the turbo's farting and popping. That plus the exhaust blaring and the engine valve train going right over your shoulder.

The trunk release problem was spotted at the dealer -- and fixed (well for 30 minutes). It's the setting of the latch. It's really sensitive because if it's too much one way, the indicator showing the rear not latched shows. If it's too much the other way, the trunk won't open.

I have the later

 

Lol
Pete

 

Read again: I said that they were not feasible *at the time*, due to the depth of projector modules on the market and the required clearance between said projectors and the plastic cover. Later on, reduced depth modules became available, thus making covered lights feasible. Development of covered lights began before the car with bug-eyes was ever shown to the public, by the way. So the rumors claiming Alfa had to redesign the lights due to public backlash are off the mark.

That's not what I wrote. The attachments on the body are the same, so a conversion is technically feasible. They may have different connectors (bug-eyes don't have a single connector, each individual element has its own connector), but I guess that's nothing that a skilled and patient auto electrician can't fix. Legality is another matter, though. I do not know whether the Hella off-the-shelf parts comprising the bug-eyes have DOT certification.

The configurator has not been updated yet, CF housings are becoming standard equipment as well.

Back to the lights, generally speaking, bi-Xenons at the moment still have a higher light output than bi-LEDs. That's certainly true for the 35W ones on NAFTA ones, I don't have sufficient data on the new 25W ones that will be fitted to EMEA cars. 25W bi-Xenons have been introduced in the recent years as a cheaper alternative to the traditional 35W ones, as they do not surpass the light output threshold over which ECE R48 regs require the fitment of automatic leveling and headlamp washers.