Alfa 4C Concept

After the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione was launched we were very enthusiastic and we had a suspicion that the 8C model was only the beginning of something greater to come. And after the Alfa Romeo Mito and Alfa Giulietta showed some design traits similar to those presented by the Alfa 8C we knew we were right. Alfa Romeo is on a strong come back trend and their new Alfa Romeo 4C Concept car proves that their intentions to capture the market’s attention has a very strong basis to stand on.

Alfa Romeo 4C Concept will debut at Geneva

Alfa 4C Concept is a compact two seat coupe sports car. The design of the Alfa 4C is very interesting because it clearly has some supercar features resembling very closely those of the Alfa 8C.
Alfa 4C Concept will be presented to the public at the 2011 Geneva International Motor Show, but we can get a pretty close idea from this first Alfa 4C photos.

Alfa 4C Concept design review: astonishing and adrenalin rushing

These Alfa 4C images really succeeded to catch the car’s essence and spirit. Unless you got speechless the most you could say would be either “Wow!” or “I want one of these!” At a first glance one of the first striking aspects would be its compact appearance. However, even more striking than this is the fact that despite being a compact sports car Alfa 4C has not that bulky, crowded like look that you may find on a sporty hatch, for example. The car looks more like a supercar, very aerodynamic and from the outside the passenger compartment looks very dynamic, resembling the cockpit of a fighter or of a speedboat.

All the edges of the car flow harmoniously and logically over the surface of the car in a very eye catchy and eye friendly manner. Even the edges on the bonnet, though they have a certain sharpness, seem to belong naturally there. Watching the Alfa 4C from the front you can’t miss the carbon fiber elements integrated in the front bar. The headlights have a slightly sharp pentagonal shape housing the projectors which are linked to the corners of the pentagon by five radiuses. The external mirrors of the car are suspended from angled fin like braces in carbon fiber housing.

Changing the perspective and looking at the car from a 45 degrees angle, the entire feeling the car transmits changes to even a more dynamic one. From this point of view the headlights look elongated and width of the bonnet is emphasized. Nice shapes seem to be carved on the door panels starting from the engine’s air intakes to the front of the car. The roof descends to the back of the car meeting the rear wheels wings in a muscular, arched shape.

Both the roof and the air intakes are elongated towards the back of the car, with plenty of inspired curves to make the eyes happy. The cover of the language compartment is raised up forming a built in spoiler.

Alfa 4C offers a complete visual delight so the back of the concept has received no less attention from the designers. The back window, for example, has some roundness to it from any angle you view it. Besides, the outer lines are inspiring a convergent, V shape which adds again on the dynamic, sportive nature of this Alfa Romeo Concept.

The back lights use the basic radial principle as the headlights but in a different manner. The entire backlight block has a round, tubular shape with the indicator lights in the center, and the brake lights surrounding it like the petals of a flower. A thin, third brake light is nicely integrated in the centre. Two symmetrical exhaust pipes pop out of the carbon fiber back diffuser.

We have probably covered most of what meets the eye in this too humble design review of the Alfa 4C Concept.

If we were to pull some conclusions out of this alone, we could say that Alfa Romeo exceeded any expectations we ever had from this brand, and this just with this 4C supercar Concept. It is beautiful and heart touching. Yes we said it. And we expect even the competition to like and possibly buy an Alfa 4C. This is how well done we think this Alfa Romeo Concept is.

Alfa 4C Concept set to go into production

The best news for the alfisti and for pretty much anyone else is that this Alfa Romeo Concept will turn into a real, ready to buy car in 2012. Since Alfa 4C is part of Alfa Romeo’s strategy for a “global growth”, we expect the 4C to be available worldwide and for the U.S. market as well, but we have no official confirmation on this yet. Production of this model might be of a few thousands units per year.

Alfa Romeo 4C technical specs and performance preview

The Alfa 4C not only looks spectacular, it will also be a fun car to drive, or, at least this is what we expect. We are tempted to bet on it since it will borrow some supercar technology from the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione and the 8C Spider.

Alfa 4C will have the main body made of carbon, while the front and the back of the car will be made of aluminium. Both of these lightweight materials will ensure a low gravity centre and a total car weight below 850kg (~1780 pounds).

The engine will be placed in a central position, before the rear axle which will provide an optimum front to rear weight balance of 40% on the front and 60% on the rear. Since Alfa 4C will have the rear drive transmission of a genuine sports car, this choice of weight distribution makes perfect sense.

The engine that will power the Alfa 4C will be the 1.75 litre 4 cylinder petrol engine with direct injection and turbocharger, also present on the Alfa Giulietta Quadrifoglio Verde, on which it brings up 235 HP. We don’t know yet if the engine will have the same amount of horse power as the one that powers the Alfa Giulietta 1750 TBi, but we believe a power increase is possible, even if not entirely necessary. And this because the Giulietta 1750 TBi has a weight of about 1400kg while the Alfa 4C will have less than 850kg, which is equivalent to a weight to power ratio of only 3.61kg/HP for the 4C.

In terms of performance the Alfa 4C might reach a maximum speed greater than 250 km/h and a 0 to 100km/h (62 mph) acceleration in less than 5 seconds. Beyond these already encouraging performance facts there are 3 more reasons that will add considerably to the Alfa 4C’s road behavior and driving pleasure:

The first one is the suspension. Alfa Romeo 4C is going to have a high quadrilateral front suspension and a MacPherson type rear suspension. Add to this the rear drive transmission, the reduced weight, the wheelbase of 2.4 metres out of a total car length of about 4 metres, and you get a very agile sports car that should corner superbly.

The second reason that will contribute to the driving pleasure of the Alfa 4C is going to be Alfa’s TCT or twin dry clutch transmission (also to be featured on other models of the Italian car maker like the Alfa Mito and the Alfa Giulietta), which should contribute significantly to gear change efficiency and acceleration, and we are quite sure it will.

And finally, the third reason will be the presence of the Alfa’s DNA driving mode selector, which will let the driver choose between normal and sport driving mode depending on the situation. On normal driving mode we expect the Alfa 4C to have another advantage: very low fuel consumption for a sport car.

Alfa Romeo 4C price

Of course all of these goodies will come at a price. We can not know for sure how much will the Alfa 4C cost. The final price of the car on acquisition may vary with numerous factors like the price of the features, and how many of the equipments will be featured as standard. However, the average price of the Alfa 4C should be around 45,000 € in Europe, maybe a little over 60,000$ in the U.S. and somewhere in between 37 to 39,000₤ for the U.K. market. Obviously these are just estimates for now, we just have to wait and see how much the Alfa 4C will cost in 2012.

For someone who wants just a fast car this might seem like a high price to pay, but for someone with a passion for sport cars and good looks, or for someone who always wanted to own a supercar like a Ferrari or a Lamborghini but could not afford it, the Alfa Romeo 4C might prove the next best alternative, since it has the right look, the proper performance and buying it does not require being rich beyond dispute.