Alfa Romeo 4C Coupe
- Brand: Alfa Romeo
- Body Type: Coupe
The Alfa Romeo 4C. The mid-engine, rear-drive sports car was unarguably one of the most eagerly awaited cars of 2013. It’s Alfa’s gamble of reinvention with a low-volume, high visibility sports car to create a halo around the brand, and provide a springboard from which to launch a new range of fresh mainstream models.
Technical highlights?
The engine - Alfa’s familiar turbocharged, direct-injection 1742cc four-cylinder petrol motor - is some 22kg lighter than that found in the Giulietta, thanks to a new cast aluminium block in place of the regular cast iron item. Tuned to deliver a peak of 237bhp at 6000rpm and a fat 258lb ft of torque between 2200 and 4250rpm, it trades top-end effervescence for low and mid-range accessibility.
With the optional Race Pack’s exhaust fitted it’s surprisingly noisy, emitting a fruity fwaarp that’s two parts Fiat 500 Abarth EsseEsse and one part Ferrari 458 Italia at less than stratospheric revs. It’s mated to Alfa’s six-speed TCT dual-clutch paddleshift transmission.
With the aid of Launch Control the Alfa 4C will punch from 0-60 in less than 4.5sec and hit a 160mph top speed. That’s serious performance from a sub-2-litre, sub-£50k sports car.
