2014 Alfa Romeo 4C : Alfa’s Elise – The Car Is Not Just For The Alfa Lovers

It’s a comeback to rival Robert Downey Jr, the former brat packer who became known as the drug-addled laughing stock of Hollywood. But sober again, the Ironman cleans up at the box office. Alfa Romeo has faced a similar malaise at times over the past couple of decades, the glory days of the achingly beautiful Tipo 33 Stradale seemed unrepeatable. Until now.

2014 Alfa Romeo 4C First Drive

If you’re thinking the 4C looks pretty on these pages, trust me it’s plainly gorgeous in the flesh. It’s impossible not to stare. I can’t recall a car which looked so perfect from every single angle. Just don’t focus too hard on those ‘low-volume manufacturer’ style headlight clusters.

So much has been said about the 4C being a Porsche Cayman rival but, as I see it in the flesh, the Lotus Elise family of cars is what comes to mind. The Alfa shares Hethel’s lightweight mantra, largely thanks to a very visible carbon fibre tub which tips the scales at just 65kg. This contributes to a dry weight of 900kg, and a power-to weight ratio of 193kW/tonne. In other words, this dainty looking sports car is a match for some supercars.

We were given the chance to stretch the 4C’s legs on the Balocco test track before heading out onto the winding roads in the foothills of the Alps around Biella. The lightness is apparent the moment you set off. Officially the 4C will hit 100 in 4.5 seconds, but some have recorded closer to four flat. Even more impressive is the midrange, and by midrange I mean the 100-200km/h range; my hands were too full to pull out a stopwatch, but with the twin dry clutches delivering new gears in 0.13 of a second, it’s a frenzied rush. I don’t quite reach official top speed, my 232km/h, eighteen short of the official figure. At these speeds the 4C tends to hunt around a little at the front end, a reminder of its lightness, and the rare purity of unassisted steering.  

2014 Alfa Romeo 4C Left Rear

 After the unlimited blast on the track, with a couple...okay four...launch control starts for good measure, the prospect of dodging tractors and cyclists on road in a car as wide as a Range Rover seemed unnecessary, not to mention fraught. However, as soon as we’d left the brown stubble of the wintertime Piedmontese rice fields, and started winding upwards through narrow streets of Salus-sola, the 4C was in its true element. It may be the environmentally friendly face of sports cars, but the wee Alfa is still very much an Italian thoroughbred. The turbocharged four produces quite the ruckus, the liberated chorus echoing off the stone walls inches from either side of the car. My initial worry was that it might be antisocial. But this is Northern Italy, not Queen Street and old ladies smile, teenagers stare and even the traffic police offer a polite wave. The region is obviously proud of its cars.

The highlight of the drive was a series of first gear hairpins climbing out of the town of Bollengo. Luck was with us and the road was clear both ways, allowing wide entry and room for just a touch of full-throttle fun on exit. A close second to these ‘oh boy’ moments was the impressive ride. A by-product of that super-light structure is some genuine suspension subtlety. Even on sections of road still bearing winter’s pockmarks, the 4C was never crashy.

2014 Alfa Romeo 4C Dashboard

I had been worried that my anticipation of driving the 4C was going to set me up for disappointment that my expectations would be too high to be met. It turns out they didn’t come close. The 4C is everything they say it is, and more. It’s not a Cayman rival; it’s something much, much better: an Alfa Romeo.