In 2011, Alfa Romeo debuted an all-new sports car that it dubbed the 4C. Upon initial inspection, this beastly compact model looked to be more of a “future styling” concept, which means it will never see production, but as time went on, Alfa Romeo let us know that the 4C will be a reality. Even better, Alfa Romeo plans to release the 4C in the U.S., making it the first U.S.-sold Alfa Romeo since the 2008 8C.
The details are still pretty scarce on the Alfa Romeo 4C, but there are plenty of rumors and some confirmation from the Italian automaker. With this small amount of information, we can at least give you a small glimpse into what the 4C will be and how well it will perform in the growing compact sports car segment.
Alfa Romeo 4C Exterior
We’ll just wear our opinions on our sleeve with the exterior of the upcoming 4C; it is flat-out sexy and we can’t put it any other way. Its sleek and rounded nose is perfect for effectively ushering wind over and under the compact body, giving it an ultra-low drag coefficient. The nose boasts the traditional Alfa Romeo triangular grille and a pair of air vents on each side that dons splitters on the lower portion.
The hood features a pair of ridges that start near the upper edges of the triangular grille and shoot rearward as they widen out toward the sides of the 4C. When you reach the windshield, you encounter an elegantly rounded piece of glass that is graced by only a single wiper, helping the AR 4C save every last ounce.
As you swoop over the sleek roofline and down the shallow-raked rear glass, you come to a small rear lip that adds a little extra down-force to the rear end. On this back end, you get a pair of massive round taillights that look to feature LED lights. A rear diffuser graces the bottom of the rear end and the tailpipes pop out of each side of said diffuser to allow the engine to exhale.
The side profile of the 4C is simply amazing. You can simply imagine the air flowing over the sleek body. The humps created by the front and rear wheel wells just add to its beautiful styling. At the rear of the doors are the only break-ups in the entire body and those are the air-intake vent to help cool the high-strung engine in the rear of this compact sports car.
The entire body is made of carbon fiber, the crash boxes are made of aluminum, and the frame is a hybrid of steel and aluminum to keep its curb weight extremely low. In fact, Alfa Romeo has let us know that the 4C will tip the scales at less than 850 kg (1,873 lbs), with 60 percent of the weight over the rear axle. That’s a little too much of the weight shifted to the back end, but that is one of the tradeoffs for the mid-engine configuration.
Alfa Romeo 4C Engine and Drivetrain
Powering this lightweight sports car is a 1,750 cc, turbocharged 4-cylinder engine with direct fuel injection, dual variable-valve timing, and a scavenging control system to help eliminate turbo lag and boost low-end torque. Alfa tells us that this engine will produce more than 200 horsepower, but does not list a torque estimate.
According to rumors from Autocar, this 1.8-liter powerplant will pump out 296 horsepower, which is a serious amount of power for a car this light. Alfa Romeo places the 4C’s weight-to-power ratio at less than 4 kg per horsepower, which means the engine will pump out at least 212.5 horsepower, but we’ll have to wait for Alfa to release the official info.
The engine hooks up to a twin-clutch automatic transmission that ships power to the rear wheels. We wish there was an AWD option available, but there is no mention of that.
This driveline combination is enough to get the Alfa Romeo 4C to 100 km/h (62 mph) in less than 5 seconds and to a top speed of more than 250 km/h (155.34 mph).
We certainly expect the 4C to be fast, but not supercar fast. We anticipate it to hold its own against the likes of the Miata MX5 and the Lotus Evora.
