Alfa 4C on the Ring

From the BBC:

‘Tis the season for automakers to squeal tires on Germany’s vaunted Nurburgring Nordschleife. For a production car with performance intent, a great lap time on the 14.2-mile circuit provides equals instant global street cred. And the new Alfa Romeo 4C has delivered.

The mid-engined two-seater, makes use of a carbon fibre composite chassis (unheard of in a mainstream car) and a turbocharged, 1,750cc four-cylinder engine that produces 237 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. The engine is matched to a quick-witted six-speed dual-clutch transmission.

Alfa claims its bug-eyed brawler will blast from 0-60mph in 4.5 seconds, and press on to 160mph. On its hot lap of the ‘Ring, reports Alfa’s UK press office, the 4C clocked a very impressive 8 minutes and 4 seconds with Nordschleife veteran Horst von Saurma at the wheel. The time is a precious few seconds shy of the 325hp Porsche Cayman S’s 7min 55sec – though in truth, the 4C competes more directly with the base, 275hp Cayman, which has not logged an official ‘Ring time yet. The 4C’s time is sufficient to land it the record for cars producing less than 250hp.

The 4C is now rolling into Alfa Romeo showrooms in Europe; pricing in its homeland starts at 53,000 euros. The car arrives in the US – via Maserati dealerships – roundabout the middle of 2014, likely priced close to $55,000.

And the Video

4C on the Ring

Linky no worky.

sorry about that.. works now

Not a fan of the looks.

Took me four minutes to see him fingering the shifters behind the wheel. Couldn't figure out how an automatic was doing predictive downshifts lol.

meh, a camero is faster.

Cool. I think it's pretty.

Ugly, but it is a bellwether car.

Not Ugly.

The people saying it is ugly need to get their eyes checked cause it is clearly the best looking car for under $100k.

In reply to 93EXCivic:

You are wrong my vision is better than 20/20 and it is ugly.

It's a good looking car in that picture, and a glorious looking car in person.

The list of better looking cars under 100k is so long I couldn't even compile them.That is such a ridiculous statement.

The camaro can do it in 7 minutes and 38 seconds.... Now fight!

I think it looks great except for the weird spider eye headlights.

It's awkward in profile.

Ugly in back.

I actually like this view of it. And it's very fast around the ring. Although from the onboard camera it didn't give the impression of being very fun to drive. That guy was very jerky with his inputs which makes me think the steering feel he was getting back wasn't very good.

jdbuilder wrote: The camaro can do it in 7 minutes and 38 seconds.... Now fight!

the Alfa has half the HP and is close to a ton less in weight...

Personally I like the looks of the 4C. I am not sure what people are seeing to call it ugly.

I saw the 4C on a turntable at an Alfa display and it looked pretty sweet from most any angle. A little pudgy, maybe, and the headlights are indeed weird - but a lot cooler than most other cars on the road.

93EXCivic wrote: The people saying it is ugly need to get their eyes checked cause it is clearly the best looking car for under $100k.

I don't think it's ugly (though it looks a lot better if you put your finger over the "beak" and look at the rest of the car), but I can think of a few dozen cars under $100k that are better looking.

jdbuilder wrote: The camaro can do it in 7 minutes and 38 seconds.... Now fight!

Not to mention this is the European model with no AC and fixed passenger seats. I have heard everything from 250-500 lbs in total weight with just the federalization and putting the stuff that you actually need in a 60K US$ car.

This thing is going to die a huge death here in the states.

I do worry that it will be about as successful as the Lotus Evora.The dealer in Houston still has brand new 2011's.

mazdeuce wrote: I do worry that it will be about as successful as the Lotus Evora.The dealer in Houston still has brand new 2011's.

There's nothing to be worried about- as far as I can tell, not many cars that Alfa sells new are that appealing to the American public. If they manage to beat their historical high in sales for a year, it would be amazing.

That would be 10k.

A $55k small 2 seat car as the only car they sell will be appealing, but ony a handful of people will get one. The 8C was a great looking car, but outside of that, it was not as good as the Maserati that it was based off of.

We've been hearing "two years out" since 1995, when they took a break from selling cars in the US. And the cars I've driven in Europe lead a lot to be desired for. My guess is that Alfa will have one good year, and when that pent up demand is filled, well.....

I would like to be more positive, but there are no real indicators that an Alfisti should be.

I wish I had the money. I would go put down a deposit if I did.

I don't see why it will be a failure. It is an awesome looking car made by one of the great car makers. It is light and quick and all the reviews have said it is great to drive.

In reply to 93EXCivic:

Do you feel the same way about current Lotii?

It's Fiat now. has been since the late 80's. Quite sad.

The Porsche Boxster seems to do ok. Y'all could be a little more negative about what should be a great car.

In reply to mad_machine:

Still getting:

"This video has been removed by the user"