The Aventador SVJ and the Chiron Sport rule the supercar segment of the Chicago Auto Show. They are the boldest cars to see, but not the only interesting ones.
We’ll turn our eyes to this little guy – 2019 Alfa Romeo 4C Spider Italia Special Edition.
This convertible is small and made for having fun. It’s powered by a 4-cylinder engine. And while it doesn’t pack an absurd amount of power, the fact it weighs barely a ton makes it surprisingly quick and nimble.
Alfa Romeo built just 15 limited edition 4C Spider Italia units to sell in the US.
The Italia is a cosmetic update. The car is painted in the special Misano Blue Metallic, with the front intake and rear diffuser in Piano Black. There are numerous emblems and logos throughout, as well as the Italian flag. The package comes at $5,000 surcharge over the 4C Spider base price of $67,500.
This sports car marks Alfa Romeo’s return on the U.S market. The manufacturer has waned in popularity and sales for years, but they are not out of the game yet. The 4C is a testament that Alfa Romeo can still produce a good sports car.
The company decided on an unusual approach. The 4C is all about the sensation of driving. It’s not the fastest car on the road. But Alfa Romeo placed their bet on weight and handling.
The 4C is driven by an all aluminum, turbocharged, 1.7-liter, inline 4. The engine generates 237 horsepower and 258 lb/ft of torque. That’s not bad for a four-cylinder, but still offers just 1/4th of the power of modern supercars. However, the car’s light, nimble chassis handles just like a sports car should.
The chassis features a carbon fiber tub and aluminum subframes front and back. The purist design removes all non-essential features in an effort to reduce weight, and perhaps cost. The whole car weights around 2,000 lbs for the Euro-spec and just over 2,300 for the US spec.
The US-specced Spider, which is the heaviest version, achieves a power ratio of 9.05 lbs/hp This goes down to 7.64 lbs/hp for the Euro-specced coupe.
With power flowing to the rear wheels and a balanced 40/60 weight split, you can separate the back end easily. It’s not a drift car, but you can throw it around the corners with ease.
The 4C is built to re-ignite your passion for sports driving. The manual steering rack forces you to hold the wheel tight and pay attention.
In Race mode, the dual clutch transmission switches to manual and you need to operate the paddles. There is “Launch control” and the odometer changes color when you reach the optimal RPM to shift up.
These features allows the Alfa Romeo 4C to punch way above its weight. The Spider accelerates up to 62mph as quick as 4.5 seconds and reaches a top speed of 160 mph.
The bodywork is great. The car is beautiful and looks properly sporty. But on the inside, there is little to look at. The interior is ascetic and unimpressive. Comfort is stripped down. Only the essential features are present to make the car usable. Arguably, luxury is not the focus point.
The car is designed for sports driving, however, it’s not really good for anything else. You probably won’t enjoy it in daily traffic, or take it on long trips. And, typical for Alfa Romeo, the 4C Spider comes with a number of imperfections and quality issues.
For all its good qualities, the car’s price is the biggest limiting factor. The 4C Spider will cost you $67,500 and another $5,000 if you want the Italia package.
That price may be well spent if you accept the car’s quirky nature and limited functionality. But, you can buy a Porsche for less than $70,000 and a Lotus Elise for considerably less.
