- Alfa Romeo 4C Spider “avant-prémiere” previews new soft-top scheduled to enter production in 2015
- True to the philosophy of the Alfa Romeo 4C, the Spider Design Preview remains an ultra-lightweight, high-performance driving machine
- Extensive use of carbon fibre and SMC*, as well as a lightweight canvas hood, ensures the Spider retains the Alfa Romeo 4C focus and purity
- Stunning evolutionary design sees the addition of new headlamps, new wheels and an advanced new central exhaust system by Akropovic®
The stunning Alfa Romeo 4C Spider Design Preview makes its world début at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show, previewing a new model scheduled to go into production in early 2015. Designed by the Alfa Romeo Style Centre, the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider Design Preview takes full advantage of the ultra-rigid construction and distinctive design of the coupé to produce a Spider in the truest sense of the Alfa Romeo tradition – a car that brings the driving experience into even sharper focus by allowing the sounds and sensations of performance to fill the cabin and stir the driver’s soul still further.
Structural reinforcement required by safety regulations for open-top vehicles means that the Spider inevitably weighs slightly more than the Alfa Romeo 4C coupé, but thanks to the use of carbon fibre for the rollover bars, spoilers and windscreen frame, as well as the adoption of a lightweight canvas soft top and the replacement of the glass rear screen with a continuation of the SMC* bodywork, the 4C’s structural rigidity, mechanical purity and low weight philosophy are not compromised. As a result, the additional weight of the open-top transformation has been limited to approximately 60kg.
The purposeful stance and stunning form of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider has been evolved to ensure the highest levels of aerodynamic efficiency and downforce, resulting in impressive high-speed stability, while at the same time minimising the open-top air turbulence in the passenger compartment.
Apart from allowing the driver to connect even more closely with their surroundings, bestowing the Spider treatment on the Alfa Romeo 4C also allows the world to get a better view of what is a truly special and unique interior. Carbon fibre dominates the cabin, but not as a decorative afterthought – the monocoque of the 4C Spider Design Preview is constructed entirely from this distinctive material and is clearly visible in the centre console, door sills and rear bulkhead, for example.
The Alfa Romeo 4C Spider Design Preview also debuts a new dual-stage central exhaust system with titanium and carbon tailpipes by Akrapovic®, a company which produces competition exhaust systems for numerous motorcycle classes including Moto GP, Superbike, Supersport, Motocross and Enduro. A key feature of the new exhaust is an electrically-operated valve system which can improve performance and enhance the exhaust note at the push of a wirelessly-linked button.
Powered by Alfa Romeo’s new four-cylinder, all-aluminium, 1750 Turbo Petrol engine, which drives the rear wheels via a six-speed, dual dry-clutch Alfa TCT transmission, the 4C Spider’s performance is all but identical to that of the hardtop Alfa Romeo 4C: 0 to 62mph takes just 4.5 seconds and top speed is in excess of 155mph. In addition, the outstanding deceleration and lateral acceleration performance, and the balanced 40:60 front-to-rear weight distribution, remain unaffected by the evolution from coupé to Spider.
Complementing its show-stopping presence, new carbon fibre clamshell headlights have been fitted to the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider Design Preview, as have new alloy wheels which have been milled from solid aluminium blocks and shod with bespoke Pirelli tyres. Finished in three-layer gloss white, which helps emphasise the car’s beautifully sculpted shape and masterfully resolved surfaces, the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider Design Preview is undoubtedly the highlight of the 2014 Geneva Motor Show.
MORE ACCOLADES FOR THE ALFA ROMEO 4C
- The Alfa Romeo 4C collects more critical acclaim as it goes on sale in more markets across the globe
- The lightweight supercar collects five significant awards in recent weeks – three in the U.S. and two in Ireland
- The Alfa Romeo 4C stands out not only for its handling and performance, but also for its design, exotic appeal and value – just £45,000 OTR in the UK
As the Alfa Romeo 4C arrives in more markets, it is quickly adding more accolades to the long list of those it has already picked up since its European rollout. As the first cars arrive in dealerships in the U.S. the new Alfa Romeo 4C has been named “Best Performance and Luxury Car to Buy” by Motor Authority and has picked up the “Sports Car” award in the Popular Mechanics 2014 Car Awards. It was also named a 2015 AUTOMOBILE “All-Star”, an accolade that reflects what the magazine’s enthusiast readers most want to drive.
Meanwhile the Alfa Romeo 4C has been named “Performance Car of the Year” and “Continental Irish Sports / Performance Car of the Year” by the two motoring writers’ associations in Ireland, the APMP (Association of Professional Motoring Press) and IMWA (Irish Motoring Writers’ Association) respectively.
According to Motor Authority editor Nelson Ireson, “The Alfa Romeo 4C is beautiful, exotic and incredibly fun to drive. It’s also tremendous value, offering a carbon fibre monocoque chassis and turbocharged mid-engine layout around the price of much more ordinary sports cars, including some of those it beat out for the award this year, like the Ford Mustang, as well as more luxurious or practical alternatives like the Porsche Macan and Mercedes-Benz GLA45 AMG.”
“The Alfa Romeo 4C reminds you what it means to drive with joy, with purpose,” commented Mike Floyd, editor-in-chief, AUTOMOBILE. “The 4C is an unapologetic sports car and a spectacular looking one at that – that’s why it’s a 2015 AUTOMOBILE All-Star.”
The Popular Mechanics editors noted, “on a twisty road, you think you are driving something that costs three times as much,” describing the 4C as “mid-engined Italian driving nirvana.”
APMP Chairperson Michael Sherdian described the Alfa Romeo 4C as “outrageous fun to drive. With supercar looks at a fraction of the cost, Alfa Romeo has a true star with its pocket-rocket 4C.”
IMWA Chairperson Austin Shinnors commented, “The Alfa Romeo 4C is a very worthy winner of the Continental Irish Sports / Performance Car of the Year 2015. An exciting car aesthetically and dynamically – it is a real thoroughbred Italian sports car in every way.”
Inspired by the 1967 Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale, the Alfa Romeo 4C evokes the spirit of its processors by making advanced, race car-inspired technologies attainable. Designed and engineered in Italy and built at the Maserati plant in Modena, the mid-engined supercar employs a carbon-fibre monocoque to increase chassis rigidity and reduce weight to just 895kg resulting in astonishing handling characteristics capable of generating up to 1.1g of lateral acceleration and more than 1.2g of deceleration force. By combining an all-aluminium, 240hp 1750 Turbo Petrol engine with the latest-generation “Alfa TCT” dry twin clutch transmission, the Alfa Romeo 4C can not only accelerate to 62 MPH in just 4.5 seconds and top 160MPH, it still returns 41.5 MPG and its CO2 emissions are just 157g/km.
