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

Yes. That is what i am hoping. A year old 4C for 50k would be OK. $70k is used 991 Carrera price or even 360 Modena.

 

The 8C doesn't, and given the nature (it's not a hatchback or sedan) and fairly limited production of the 4C, I do not expect it will do so either.

Yes, it will devaluate, but nowhere near as much as the regular Alfa's of the past two decades.

 

Is it selling well in the US?

 

Have a look at ebay, already plenty of low mileage ones for sale. Cant say how much they will depreciate. But I think like a lotus elise a fair number of new buyer will quickly tire of the reality of its raw nature.

If Its like an elsie, they will depreciate 2/3 of their new price and then start to appreciate once production ends and people start to realise there is nothing new like it comming along

 

I see them on cars.com or autotrader and the asking prices for used ones are MSRP or more. Is there a waiting list or just a long wait on these if you want to spec one? The Chicago dealer is clueless when i ask if it will be limited in production.. (Which i knew was going to be the case since they make their living selling 500's..).

 

There are new ones on ebay at msrp.

 

I would suspect their depreciation will be similar to the Elise.

 

A small carbon fibre tub and a 240BHP engine in the back: This is what I was dreaming of. A new Ferrari Dino, or Lotus Elan. A car that would reverse the trend towards 1000BHP techo-chariots that drive themselves and kid their owners that they are Giles Villenueve with their trick exhausts and BHP inhibiting traction control systems. This little Alfa would roll back the years and bring back the joy of motoring.

Getting in is an art. The carbon fibre tub has a very high sill so you either slither in feet first, or go in side saddle and rotate to get your feet in.

Inside it is snug. There are very few pointless buttons and you look out over a sloping bonnet, like a proper 1970s supercar. Rear visibility is also like a 1970s supercar: Non-existent. This car absolutely needs rear parking sensors because you can basically see nothing useful in the rear view mirror.

Thankfully the idea of a stationary seat with moving pedals has been abandoned somewhere between Geneva and The Showroom, but the pedals are still a bit odd. The brake is more like a single seat racing pedal, but just a great deal bigger. I have no idea why.

Everything else is pretty self-explanatory, in an Italian sort of way. There is no starter button, just a key. No patronising start up exhaust-bark or “power, beauty, soul” nonsense, just turn the key and it starts.

And there’s the first surprise. When you do start it, by Christ it is a rough old thing. I know its four cylinders and it is just behind your head, but I was genuinely taken aback by how chunky and clunky it sounded. Pulling away is simple enough and the unassisted steering feels kind of retro, in a nice way. It is lighter than the last Ferraris to be built without power steering, but it still brings you back that sense of physical connection to the wheels. The steering is alive to every bump and hollow and you feel the forces as the car picks its way over English potholes. It is fun, but I was also underwhelmed by the steering speed. Having become used to fast, soft power steering, the slower, unassisted steering rack felt a bit imprecise. If a Ferrari 308 steered like this you’d rave about it. But Ferrari 308s are forty years old. In the 4C it feels again a bit rough and crude. If Alfa wanted to build the best 1970s sports car, they have hit the nail on the head. However, I imagine they weren't being ironically retro.

I had got out of a C63AMG to drive the 4C. I was therefore expecting precise steering and instant throttle response, albeit a lot less torque and fury than the Mercedes. What I actually got was a nippy little car with a willing but noisy engine and a gearbox that works well if you control it. However, like every automatic in the world, is just a bit rubbish on its own at speed on a country road. It hunts up and down the gearbox and switching to dynamic mode just makes it swap cogs more frequently whilst making turbo whistles and exhaust barks.

Yes, it is fun for a while, but it is just not good enough in a modern car costing up to £70k. A Porsche boxster or a Cayman is, I am afraid, a much, much better car.

But here’s the thing: I couldn’t countenance owning a Boxster or a Cayman, i would curl up and die of embarrassment, but if the spider is any good, I reckon you could forgive this car a great deal. It is mechanically sub-standard, but they will get that sorted, and when they do, this will without any doubt be a classic car of the future. Even if it is a bit crap, I’d still quite like one and anyone who buys one will swear by it, as long as they have another car to make real life journeys in.

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Cars: We All Fall in Love With Our Models

 

good post! you should apply to evo or car.

 

F328nvl, excellent write-up, thanks!


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Nice write-up.

Didn't drive it yet, the thing I'm most curious (or apprehensive??) about is the steering.

Would the 4C be better off with a faster, hydraulic power steering rack ?

 

I must be driving a different car then the write up, I have tracked the car with great satisfaction and enjoy the lack of power steering, as well as the lack of bells and whistles. Its is more of a drivers car, the radio is useless, and guess what I am glad- also I don't drive it in much in Auto trans mode , but when I have it was acceptable. Put the car on a race track or some twisty back roads and go.

 

I agree. I don't understand the steering comments. It's a faster rack than my 308 and even my Boxster.

Ultimately, to each his own. Some like blondes, some like brunettes....

 

I have a 1982 911 and i absolutely love the manual steering on the car; the alfa sounds like it is right up my alley.

I bet if you put a BMW badge on it the press, especially C & D, would be drooling all over it.....

 

I loved the direct feel of my old Ferrari 328 (hence the tag), but honestly the 4C is not razor sharp, it's a bit slow, presumably to damp the steering to make it feel less frantic than an old steering rack. On the plus side you aren't constantly wrestling with it over every bump, but the downside is that you sort of feel you ought to be wrestling with it on every bump. I guess its expectations vs reality.

As I said above, I got out of a C63 AMG Estate to drive a 4C and I was disappointed by the sharpness of the 4C steering - that has to be wrong.

But as I also said, anyone who buys one will forgive it its faults, because it is a really nice idea and it is pretty and it is an Alfa Romeo.

 

+1

+1

I ended up ordering the new Boxster Spyder instead. To me it felt more agile and more direct, and sounded better inside. But I'm sure anyone will have fun with the 4C.

 

Did anyone post this?

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Udmwy9iVxU8[/ame]

 

The 4c you drove and mine must have different alignment.

The steering in mine is quite sharp and in fact you do have to pay attention to every bump!

 

I've discovered that tire pressure makes a huge difference in the handling and steering feel.

 

Just don't get a flat or your screwed !!!

 

Had a 4c coupe and it was a little nervy in terms of steering feel.

Now have a 4c spider and its smooth, straight and not darty. The spider has 'revised' front suspension.

I bet the revision is merely a corrected alignment.

Alfa 4cs are going to be remembered as one of the last truly epic drivers sports cars.

 

Interesting. I found my car to move around only really on a highway and it seemed to get a lot better when the tires had a few hundred miles on it. As I said, checking the tire pressure can also make a difference.

It's not the most stable car in the world. But, I liken it to a modern jet fighter.

Modern jet fighters are inherently unstable. They use computers to constantly correct the attitude and pitch to keep the plane flying straight and level. In the 4c, you are the computer.

Why do you want this in a fighter aircraft? Because the more unstable it is, the faster it can react to movement. A more stable vehicle will want to stay in the same direction and not be moved one way or the other.

 

Just curious...what pressures are you running? I have the 18/19 setup and am running them how they came. I would be interested hi try something else.

I do have the eurocompulsion ecu in now in its "break in" period. Nice toy.

 

I have elise but pretty similar. factory pressure recommended about 26 front/29rear. surprisingly, I find the ride quality much improved at 30f/32r. that's opposite of what I would expect since more pressure means harder sidewall and worse ride quality. interested to hear experience with alfa

whats eurocompulsion ecu?

 

Eurocompulsion (they do Alfa and fiat tuning) offers a clone ecu (complete replacement) that reworks the fuel mapping, etc. great hp gains. The dyno plots are on line. I have about 30 miles on mine. I had a small issue with a relay activating that was apparently fixed in an earlier factory update on the LE (my coupe is a newer SE coupe, my spider is obviously a first batch car). They have been great yo work with. I am shipping it back to reflash and correct the relay issue. I may put it in the spider when it returns.