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

under 350 lbs! that's crazy

my lotus elise says 250kg or 551 lbs

 

Yeah, that's really tight but I think I know why the combined occupant/luggage weight limit is so low. It's due to the North American add-ons that porked up the car.

In European trim, the car weighs 920 kg. and the occupant/luggage weight limit for it is 255 kg. or 562 lb. which is right where your Elise is. The owner's manual indicates the maximum permitted loads on the front axle is 490 kg. (1080 lb.) and 755 kg. (1664 lb.) on the rear axle. These loads should also be well within the tires' weight-bearing limits.

So I guess there might actually be practical benefits to picking the CF options.

 

Cut down on the pasta intake, Bro.

More importantly ...date skinny girls. Lol

I can see it now. Sorry, Babe you are gonna have to shed xxx pounds before you can ride in my 4c. Really.

 

Jeremy Clarkson may be a drunk and a jerk but he knows what makes cars good.

Alfa 4c vs Corvette C7 convertible. Interesting as I traded the Vette for the 4c. I would have to agree with what's been said here.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkK07lz6MKM[/ame]

 

Interesting... yeah, the way supercars have been progressively overbuilt makes them, for the most part, less and less attainable and not "explorable" in everyday driving. Money is just spent on bragging rights, assuming the audience cares. A lighter, more nimble car really makes for a much more usable and enjoyable everyday package.

Car buffs will miss the orangutang, Charlie Hebdo of automotive journos. I hope he and his 2 foils will "carry on" outside the BBC.

 

Earlier today I posted a thread on Grand Opening... Maserati | Alfa Romeo of Oakville. Here are some additional photos of the cars they had on display. There were about 6 coupes in various colours and 1 yellow spider.

As is often the case, the cars look and come across much better in person than from photos, all the same though here are the photos of the yellow spider... enjoy.
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Here are photos of a launch edition Rosso Competizione and a launch edition Madreperla White...
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

.
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

What do the two front fender vents on the launch edition do?

Is there a weight differnce for the spider, or is the cf tub so stiff weights are more or elss the same?

 

Actually I was discussing this with 2 other car guys (who also ordered the spider) at the party. We think they may be help brake cooling and keep brake dust off the wheels during high speed braking - after all, this car is track-oriented. The brakes are also iron not CCM. The vent would create 2 streams of air flow to the side of the front wheels and may act like an air foil with the inner flow closer to the wheel than if the vent were not there. This may increase turbulent air flow adjacent to the wheels.

Spider weighs about 10kg more than the coupe as it has a targa roof. You can check the Alfa websites, Euro models may differ.

 

I can see that the 4C Spider is most attractive than the coupe.

 

Unfortunately the Carbon fibre "halo" won't be available for a while. The halo is a kind of black plastic which I'm sure will fade over time like black plastic bumpers do.

The actual roof is a piece of fabric similar to the Lotus. There's an optional CF hard roof but it cannot be stored in the car.

No pricing yet on the spider but the guess is 10 grand more than the coupe.

 

just read article in c&d on 4c braking feel excellence. i havent heard anyone praise 4c brakes as out of the ordinary before so id like to hear what owners here have to say.

the system seems pretty std fare for performance cars but they say careful tuning and light weight give it best feel

 

I gotta get me one of these:

http://video.alfaromeopress.com/p/it/it/alfaromeo/post/30767/video/150041?embedded=1&mini=&medium=

 

Actually, one of the things I like BEST in the 4c are the brakes. I like them firm. The pedal barely moves but my gosh do they have modulation and feel! Very "race car" like. The car stops as well as anything else I have ever driven. Hard, straight and no drama.

I can see how some might find it odd that the brake pedal doesn't move much. It's the modern way with power assist for pedals to move a lot. But these are just great brakes if you want feedback. And, unlike CCB's, they need no break in and seem more consistent over temperature.

The first time I stepped on the brakes of a new 458 I was like "whoa! Where they hell are the brakes!!!"

 

Thats just what c&d said. Would like to try one out

 

I also read that article. Normally I disagree with writers but they had it pretty good. My first post about driving the car was extremely positive about the brakes. If you've driven a race car like a Formula Ford, the brakes have a very similar feel.

 

Saw my first 4C today while visiting San Diego, at the zoo. Super nice looking car, much better in person than in pics. I think it was the limited edition initial release version, had carbon body bits and a plaque on the dash I think. Really like this car. I wonder if I would fit in it, I'm 6'3", 228 lbs. I most certainly do NOT fit in a Lotus Elise, I tried!
Greg

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

 

You will fit. The seats though are a bit narrow. But you can fit inside. There's plenty of headroom

It is difficult to get in and out of but I've heard the Lotus is worse.

 

Thanks mayor. The 4C is a super cool car, gotta find a Houston Alfa dealer and arrange a test drive.

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

 

I'm 6'2 (210 lbs) and you would definitely fit; sat in both the 4C as well as an 2006 Exige; the 4C fits comfortably, the Exige though with my crown against the roof. The Lotus Elise/Exige is in another, smaller, ballpark in terms of interior space. Both in width as well as height.

 

Thanks for the info, guys.

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

 

Petrolicious gets it

Does The Alfa Romeo 4C Spider Instill Hope in the Driver? | Petrolicious


There was a time when “sports car” meant a car designed for sport, that is, a car whose primary, and often singular purpose was the sport of driving. Carrying groceries or kids was secondary, and the idea of integrating a purpose-built receptacle for your beverage would have been laughed at.

Over the years the sports car has evolved, or more accurately, devolved, into a comically over-engineered, overweight, luxury status symbol whose list of design goals place things like iPhone connectivity and multi-zone air conditioning systems above driving pleasure. Hence why so many of us have turned to vintage cars to get our excitement out of driving. How else are you going to feel connected with the road, the car, and the elements? Some of us still enjoy the sense of danger that comes with pushing a purely mechanical object to its limits and those of our own.

It’s in this context that regardless of where your brand loyalty lies, if you are a true driving enthusiast, you must have deep respect for FCA for taking such a risk and developing the Alfa Romeo 4C and 4C Spider -- cars whose singular purpose is pure driving pleasure.

 

Yes, so true, everything so over-engineered that it takes the fun out of driving; I really hope the Giulia nails at least the driving dynamics. They will have to deliver all the tech toys as that is what the market segment dictates. Alfa can really hit some home runs if they deliver a unique AND reliable product.

 

They shouldn't have said danger, but instead said challenge ... pushing a car close to its limits is not dangerous if you have respect for physics and know your own limits, plus using that word gets the greenies and do-gooders excited about banning things.
Pete