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If Dustin Hoffman\u2019s character had received an Alfa Romeo 4C as a graduation present in the counterculture 1960s film, \u201cThe Graduate,\u201d he wouldn\u2019t have had free time for Mrs. Robinson. Ben would have been addicted to California\u2019s twisty public roads and legendary racetracks in the gorgeous, insanely fast Italian machine.<\/p>\n
Ms. Romeo, are you trying to seduce me?<\/p>\n
Consider me smitten. Alfa is back in the U.S. after nearly three decades away and it\u2019s well worth the wait. The 4C is a rolling video game console. Thank the wedding of Chrysler and Fiat for this child prodigy. You\u2019ll find it at 86 Fiat-Alfa dealerships this fall. Just follow the squealing groupies.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Graduate\u201d made Alfa an American cultural icon. But the 2015 4C is nothing like the cute, underpowered, convertible 1967 Alfa Duetto Spider of movie fame. The 4C is the direct descendent of another 1960s Alfa legend, the curvaceous 1967 33 Stradale. Like the Stradale, the 4C is a track-developed missile that brings race-car technology to the street.<\/p>\n
Simon and Garfunkel, get me rewrite. The sound of silence has been shattered by the bedlam of 237 stampeding horses.<\/p>\n
Where the Duetto was an affordable Italian sports car, the pricey Stradale was an exclusive rocket ship for the few (only 18 were made). The 4C splits the difference. Starting at $55,195, the Italian roller skate brings Ferrari technology at a Corvette price \u2014 though production capacity will initially be limited to 1,000 units a year. This is a raw, mid-engine driver\u2019s car with manual steering, a howling 4-cylinder on turbo-roids, and a taut, 2,465-pound carbon fiber chassis.<\/p>\n
Small though it may be, the 4C portends big things for Alfa in America. It leads an invasion of eight new vehicles in five years as Fiat-Chrysler positions Alfa as its premium luxury brand against sporty lux heavyweights like BMW, Audi and Cadillac. It\u2019s an ambitious menu for Turin\u2019s Italian kitchen. The 4C is just the appetizer.<\/p>\n
But what a dish. This is one spicy meatball.<\/p>\n
Designed by legendary Pininfarina designer Lorenzo Ramaciottie, the 4C\u2019s shape bears the unmistable echo of the sexy Stradale with is tapered front end, narrow greenhouse, and rear air intakes for engine cooling. Beneath covered headlamps, the signature triangle on the nose is flanked by two gaping horizontal scoops \u2014 the legendary Alfa \u201cTrilobo.\u201d It\u2019s the face of a bobcat ready to pounce. As I drove through San Francisco on a June test drive, locals flashed thumbs-up at the unmistakable visage. Welcome back, Alfa.<\/p>\n
Catch up with a 4C (if you can) and the rear end recalls mid-engine Ferrari designs with its round taillights, aggressive stance and glass engine cover giving a glimpse of the epic power plant within.<\/p>\n
Deeper within the Ferrari parallels get more interesting. The 4C employs a similar lightweight carbon fiber tub found in the Italian stallion\u2019s Formula One cars. Carbon fiber\u2019s expense means it\u2019s usually found in half million-dollar supercars, but the 4C is the first under six figures. The diet come at a price, however. Alfa has sacrificed amenities for weight (600 pounds less than a Porsche Cayman).<\/p>\n
The 4C may look like a junior Fezzaz on the outside, but inside it\u2019s just junior. Its tight interior pales in comparison to the comfortable surroundings of a Corvette C7 or Cayman, much less a Ferrari. This hot rod makes a Subaru STI feel like a stretch limo. The narrow interior contains no glove box or door storage. Doors stuffed with sound-deadening material? Double-laminated glass? You want the Maserati dealer next door.<\/p>\n
Mind the low roof, climb over the high, exposed carbon fiber sills, and the manually adjusted, bolstered seats are surprisingly roomy. A motorcycle-inspired instrument cluster hides behind the tiny, flat-bottomed steering wheel. The cramped passenger seat is an afterthought, like a motorcycle side pod. The narrow center console is a model of efficiency. A cluster of buttons determine shift modes (manual sticks are soooo 20th century) for the wheel-mounted paddles.<\/p>\n
A tiny radio is angled 30 degrees to the driver. I never turned it on. The engine is all the music you need.<\/p>\n
The 1750 cc, turbocharged four is an aural delight.<\/p>\n
It has more percussion than a Jennifer Lopez concert. Lope through town and the turbo whistles under acceleration, the downshifts bark, the turbo\u2019s wastegate spits.<\/p>\n
Koo-koo-ka-choo crackle-pop-vrooooom, Mrs. Robinson.<\/p>\n
Mash the pedal and the engine wails \u2014 its 258 pound feet of turbo torque arriving like a tea kettle blast after a moment of … um … turbo lag.<\/p>\n
Turbo lag?<\/p>\n
Isn\u2019t that a relic of the 20th century? From blown BMW sixes to Subaru fours, modern turbos deliver their torque seamlessly. Not the 4C. Even with advanced scavenging (a control unit maximizes cylinder air flow), the lag means you have to anticipate acceleration as you depart turns. The delayed explosion doesn\u2019t unsettle the 4C thanks to the carbon monocoque\u2019s exquisite firmness, but it does retard the car\u2019s fun factor.<\/p>\n
California\u2019s high speed Sonoma Raceway magnifies this personality tic. It\u2019ll keep you as busy as a chainsaw juggler. Rotate the go kart-precise steering into a corner and the chassis won\u2019t necessarily follow, sometimes showing oversteer. Hit the apex right and hang on for 1.1 g side loads \u2014 until the turbo\u2019s hesitation forces you to thumb the paddle shifters to maintain momentum. I found myself longing for the instant power of a Cayman S\u2019s normally-aspirated flat 6.<\/p>\n
Once the boost arrives, however, the 4C\u2019s acceleration is gelatto-smooth. The digital tac blurs \u2014 90-100-110-120 mph \u2014 as the car accelerates in 4th gear down the Sonoma main straight. Peg the revs at 6 grand with launch control and the 4C will go 0-60 mph in the same 4.5 seconds as the Cayman \u2014 despite having\u00a0half<\/i>\u00a0the displacement. Mama Mia, that\u2019s a hot espresso.<\/p>\n
Over 50 years, Porsche sports cars built a foundation for performance that launched a showroom-full of sporty SUVs and four-door coupes. The Alfa Romeo 4C will try to duplicate that narrative for 8 sedans and SUVs in just five years.<\/p>\n
Crazy? Perhaps. But whether it succeeds or not, Alfa\u2019s ambition will be entertaining to watch. Personally, I\u2019m hoping for a sequel to \u201cThe Graduate\u201d featuring the Alfa 4C. Scene: Party at parents\u2019 home, Take One.<\/p>\n
Mr. McGuire: Ben, I just want to say one word to you \u2014 just one word: Plastics.<\/i><\/p>\n
Ben (wearing sunglasses, a leather jacket, and an Italian model on his arm): Way ahead of you, sir. Ever done 0-60 in a carbon fiber Alfa?<\/i><\/p>\n Vehicle type:<\/b>\u00a0Mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive, two-passenger sportscar <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If Dustin Hoffman\u2019s character had received an Alfa Romeo 4C as a graduation present in the counterculture 1960s film, \u201cThe Graduate,\u201d he wouldn\u2019t have had free time for Mrs. Robinson. Ben would have been addicted to California\u2019s twisty public roads and legendary racetracks in the gorgeous, insanely fast Italian machine. Ms. Romeo, are you trying […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14960"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14960"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14960\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14961,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14960\/revisions\/14961"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14960"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14960"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14960"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n\n2015 Alfa Romeo 4C<\/h3>\n
\nPrice:<\/b>\u00a0$55,195 base ($64,845 as tested)
\nPower plant:<\/b>\u00a01.7-liter, turbocharged 4-cylinder
\nPower:<\/b>\u00a0237 horsepower, 258 pound-feet of torque
\nTransmission:<\/b>\u00a0Six-speed, sequential Alfa TCT with dual-clutch, paddle shifters
\nPerformance:<\/b>\u00a00-60 mph, 4.5 seconds (manufacturer); 160 mph top speed
\nWeight:<\/b>\u00a02,465 pounds
\nFuel economy:<\/b>\u00a0EPA 24 mpg city\/34 mpg highway\/28 mpg combined
\nReport card
\n<\/b>
\nHighs:<\/b>\u00a0Go kart-quick handling; Italian good looks
\nLows:<\/b>\u00a0Cramped passenger seat for your hot date; Turbo lag
\nOverall:<\/b>\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n