Alfa Romeo goes back to the future with a carbon fibre
retro rocket
Alfa Romeo is a name steeped in automotive and motorsport
nostalgia, but the new Alfa 4C is as much a raw driving experience as it is a
technical marvel. The car made its Middle East debut at the Dubai Motor Show
last November and recently, the first customers in the US began receiving
theirs. It’s due here any week now, and will send a ripple through the motoring
world when the first ones get their inaugural outings.
Alfa Romeo 4C
front view
Most of the important bits you probably already know. It’s
built on an all carbon fibre chassis tub which is bookended by two aluminium
substructures. It’s so stiff
that The one at the front is where the suspension hangs and the front crash
structure nestles while the one at the rear is where the transverse 1.7-litre
turbocharged aluminium engine and gearbox sit. The engine is located between a
pair of struts and the straw-thin tubes of the triangulated lower control arms.
In front of the driver, an unassisted rack-and-pinion steering gear reaches
toward knuckles supported by twin pairs of cast-aluminium A-shaped control
arms.
Alfa Romeo 4C
turbocharged1.7-liter inline-4 engine
The body work is fibre glass, or sheet moulding compound,
and is designed to evoke the great Alfas of old, like the 1967 Tipo 33
Stradale. It shares more in common with the Lancia Stratos, but its lines are
better and more fully appreciated in person rather than through pictures. It
all centres on the Alfa shield at the front: every line seems to extend
backwards from it, with short overhangs and a compact footprint. There’s not
one bad angle on the car and it lacks none of the visual drama of the 8C
Competitione but comes in a condensed package that wields a punch. Think of it
as a short espresso to the 8C’s long Americano.
We’re at the Chelsea Proving Ground in Michigan to sample
the car, and while our little test won’t cover any real road mileage and only
last a couple of minutes around a coned out auto test course, it’s enough to
get a taste of the direction Alfa has gone with the 4C. We’re also lucky that
there are two cars here, one running on 17-inch fronts and 18-inch rears and
standard suspension, and the other fitted with the optional Track Package which
comes with sportier 18-inch front, 19-inch rear wheels, uprated dampers and
thicker anti-roll bars at either end.
Alfa Romeo 4C side
view
Lightweight construction was central to everything. The SMC
body panels are lighter and more rigid than steel, the fascias and rear spoiler
are made from polyurethane to cut weight, and the windshield and side windows
are made from thinner glass. Even the seats are made from carbon fibre and
fiberglass to shave vital kilos. There’s also more to this Alfa 4C than you’ll
get with the Euro-spec ones too. There’s extra carbon fibre in the chassis tub
to meet US crash regulations, an adjustable passenger seat (unavailable on
European 4Cs) to meet airbag standards, and airbags in each of the doors, also for
US regulations.
That engine is the same base unit you’ll find in the
Giulietta, but the noise from the unmuffled exhaust sounds tremendous as it
bellows around our little test track and, by the sound of the tyre screeching
and exhaust note, its a hoot to drive.
Alfa Romeo 4C back
view
On paper, the 4C stacks up well. It spits its way to 100
km/h in around 4.5 seconds and Alfa says it will generate 1.1g of lateral
acceleration in the bends and 1.25 g under braking. Given its power to weight
ratio, the Alfa 4C should have the measure of the Porsche Cayman and Cayman S
in the sprint to 100, and should run the supercharged Lotus Elise S and the
Evora close. The Elise is even lighter but produces 20 bhp less.
