{"id":33358,"date":"2024-09-12T20:53:21","date_gmt":"2024-09-13T00:53:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=33358"},"modified":"2024-09-12T21:04:02","modified_gmt":"2024-09-13T01:04:02","slug":"payne-classic-alfa-romeo-4c-is-a-delicious-italian-meatball","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2024\/09\/payne-classic-alfa-romeo-4c-is-a-delicious-italian-meatball","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Classic Alfa Romeo 4C is a delicious Italian meatball"},"content":{"rendered":"

Charlevoix<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 One of comedian \u2018n\u2019 musician Steve Martin\u2019s ol\u2019 stand-up routines celebrated the banjo.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re playing the banjo, everything is OK,\u201d he said, merrily strumming his favorite instrument. \u201cI think the banjo is the one thing that could have saved Nixon. Think if he had been traveling around the country and got off the plane and said: \u2018I\u2019d like to talk about politics, but first a little Foggy Mountain breakdown.\u2019 The banjo is so happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The same could be said of the Alfa Romeo 4C.<\/p>\n

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Happiness is an open road in the 2018 Alfa Romeo 4C. <\/em>Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n

The wee, mid-engine sportscar is one of the most joyous automobiles ever made. Accelerate through the gears on a curvy rural road and the 2,464-pound roller skate squirts forward with a calliope\u2019s soundtrack \u2014 BWAAAHH! FFFT! HAWWMP! FOOOOSH! Downshift into a turn \u2014 BWOMP! FRRRZZZZ! WHOOOOOMP! \u2014 and the carbon fiber chassis demands more throttle. WHRAWHAWWWWW!<\/p>\n

I review new cars for a living, but there are old icons worth revisiting. The 1959 VW Beetle, 1988 Porsche 944, 2001 BMW M3 E46, 2016 Dodge Viper ACR. The Alfa was made for four glorious model years, 2015-18, and became an instant classic. It had the unique, engaging personality of, well, Steve Martin.<\/p>\n

As we embark on an era of commoditized electric vehicles built from the same platforms powered by the same lithium-ion batteries, the 4C may be remembered as one of the finest species of internal combustion sportscar.<\/p>\n

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With a mid-engine layout and weighing less than 2,500 pounds, the 2018 Alfa Romeo 4C is whip-quick through the twisties. Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

It is the antithesis to the EV Era\u2019s defining car, the Tesla Model 3.<\/p>\n

Sitting inches apart in my garage, they are miles away in purpose. The all-wheel-drive Model 3 Performance is an electronic gaming console; the rear-wheel-drive Alfa an analog wind-up toy. The Model 3 is operated by a 15-inch screen; the Alfa has, um, a radio. The M3 boasts Autopilot software; the 4C has no power steering. Under hard throttle, M3 is stealthy as the wind; 4C farts like Deadpool after a dinner of pork \u2018n\u2019 beans.<\/p>\n

The M3 wants to drive itself, the 4C demands to be driven. Just beware of road trips.<\/p>\n

The Alfa is as close to a race car as you will find on the street. It is the rare production car built from ultra-stiff carbon-fiber monocoque \u201ctub\u201d construction like an IndyCar or IMSA prototype. Aluminum structures cradle the engine in back, the suspension in front. My Lola race car is made with a similar monocoque design (aluminum riveted tub instead of carbon fiber) and has zero body roll. It\u2019s designed for a billiard-smooth race track.<\/p>\n

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The 2018 Alfa Romeo 4C sports a rare, carbon-fiber monocoque construction – beware the high sills upon entry. Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

I took the Alfa 4C on a road trip up north, and I can tell you where every single bump was on I-75. The interstate was under construction from mile post 92 to 125, with both northbound and southbound traffic sharing the rough southbound lanes while the northbound lanes were reconstructed. WHUMP-WHUMP, WHUMP-WHUMP, WHUMP-WHUMP went the Alfa over each broken seam. I placed the wheels on the asphalt ribbons that separated the lanes to survive the punishment.<\/p>\n