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The incorrigible 4C is late, loudmouthed, and lovable.
Thanks to our crack investigative staff, we have compelling new proof to clarify why it’s taken so extended for the Alfa Romeo 4C to arrive in the United States.
Sure, there was the delay outlined so eloquently by one Mr. Sergio Marchionne to make certain that the auto arrived not with just any old powerplant, as it “must have a [pejorative word for Italian-Americans] engine.” And there was the time it took Alfa to lay bunches much more carbon fiber onto the small car’s tub (an additional 92 pounds worth of the stuff) to meet U.S. crash regulations. There was the fitment of an adjustable passenger seat (unavailable on European 4Cs) to meet airbag requirements. Oh, and speaking of airbags, the business had to add a single in each of the doors, also per U.S. regulations. And there was the small matter of figuring out who was going to sell and service the things here in the land of specifically zero Alfa Romeo dealers.
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But that is all behind us now due to the fact the 4C has arrived! Properly, okay, it hasn’t arrived but. The auto will not go on sale until late in the third quarter of this year. And when it does, the 1st 500 of them will be loaded-up Launch Edition vehicles, carrying a healthful value premium. It’s only soon after these are sold that potential purchasers will be able to order a shiny new 4C to their preferred specification. And that is not likely to come about prior to the end of the year, offered that the 500 launch cars represent half of all the 4Cs that will be imported annually.
But whatever. It is right here at least in the sense that we have a pearly white one particular on loan in Michigan, brapping and growling and likely terrorizing the other tenants in our office park. It is inside this non-Launch Edition 4C that we located the crucial piece of proof. The calendar readout just beneath the 4C’s speedo reveals that Alfa believes it to be the month of January. So, the auto is actually 6 months closer to on time that you may have thought.
Bisecting the Cayman
In all other ways, the car is entirely up to date. You most likely know the fundamentals already. It cradles in its aluminum rear structure an aluminum-block 1.7-liter direct-injected 4-cylinder gulping 21.8 psi of turbo enhance and expelling it loudly via an exhaust method unencumbered by a muffler (at least on vehicles equipped with the Race exhaust like ours). It carries a 6-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, manual steering, a plastic physique formed into what looks like a taffy-pulled and slightly squished marshmallow when it’s painted white. It, of course, is built utilizing a carbon-fiber tub, which is amply advertised inside the auto with visible carbon. It weighs 2464 pounds, providing it a weight-to-energy ratio of 8.4:1, about halfway between that of the Porsche Cayman S PDK and the normal Cayman.
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Right here are some other pertinent figures from our testing: The 4C bellows and blats its way to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds, aided by a regular launch-handle method. That efficiency is closer to that of the Cayman S PDK’s 4.1-second time than to the regular manual-transmission Cayman’s 5.7. The 4C, wearing optional sticky Pirelli P Zero “AR Racing” tires, circled the skidpad at .97 g. And it stops from 70 mph in an impressive 148 feet. Not poor for a car that begins at $ 55,195.
Our test example came loaded, although, plumping up the final bill to $ 70,345. As optioned, this automobile is fundamentally a Launch Edition with no commemorative plaques and a few bits of filigree. The options include the $ 1800 Comfort package that brings cruise manage, really helpful rear parking-assist sensors, and a woefully negative “premium” sound technique. The $ 2400 Track package comes with stiffer dampers and fatter anti-roll bars—the so-named Race suspension—a decklid spoiler, and a carbon-fiber gauge-cluster bezel and mirror caps. (The carbon pieces weren’t obtainable when our test car was assembled, so it is fitted with standard pieces as an alternative.) Alfa also match the car with the $ 2750 Leather package, which brings, you know, leather. Xenon headlamps added yet another $ 1000. A auto cover expenses $ 400. Sport seats with microfiber upholstery are a forced option when the Track Package is selected—you can decide on amongst them for $ 1500 or red leather seats for $ 1000. The fancy Madreperla White paint is also $ 1500. The larger-performance P Zeros added $ 1200, even though the upsized 18-inch front and 19-inch rear wheels cost $ 1800. Alfa painted the brake calipers red for $ 300. Oh, and the removal of the muffler tacks $ 500 onto the bill.
Continued…
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2015 Alfa Romeo 4C Coupe Tested: It is Late, Loud, and Lovable
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