I was told in SA the full production car will be R75k less (5300pounds) than the LE..

Like Louis-Carl Vignon comments on the side.. Alfa dealerships need to change and deal with customers correctly.

Thanks for the article kaliber..

 

The article also answers the question of "why THOSE headlights?". It was intimated that there could be scope for change with later iterations.

 

Hope they change the headlights - otherwise I cant wait to drive one !

 

Carrara White only reserved for the Launch Edition, such a shame.

 

They need different colours 2 is not enough

 

Very interesting article. I don't see how they could change the headlights....and as I said before they are not bad at all with the carbon surround. All they can really do is change the colour of the surround or put a glass cover over them.

By the way 2 colours are only for the launch edition.

 

Interesting article on the 4C in the latest issue of Evo. States the base model price will be around £43,500 in the UK. So £8,500 less than the Launch Edition.
http://www.filedropper.com/evoalfa4c

Holy heck - that is a bargain
I may get two.

 

Clears up some things. Points to note:

Bonnet doesn't open, unless you get spanners out.
The US side reflectors are on all the cars, not just US.
Rear anti-roll standard on Launch Edition (that's the "sport suspension")
*No* power steering, which will make pootling around town interesting.
Easier to get into than an Elise.

 

*No* power steering, which will make pootling around town interesting.

Nah, it'll be fine. My 33 has no power steering, and it weighs more than the 4C and has the engine over the front wheels. An Alfetta GTV6 has no power steering and a Busso over the front wheels. I applaud the 4C's lack of power steering.:thumbs:
Shame about the headlights though.

 

Paraphrasing the article, the designers didnt really like the headlights either but they were cheaper to manufacture...

Theres an awful lot of compromise in the 4C to make it achieve the desirable pricepoint. That compromise will be on the stuff that doesnt matter though like switchgear and other bits and bobs shared with other fiat group marques.

Still, until there are some roadtest reviews in the public domain who knows if its a success or not.

It sounds good on paper but the proof is in the pudding, I have to wonder if the car turns out to be as dynamically flawed as other recent Alfa's that those who have bought them will defend them out of blind loyalty to Alfa Romeo.

 

eh? the whole POINT of an Alfa is that the dynamic "flaws" make it interesting to learn to love ;-)

after all, may I point at every single Porsche 911 and the adoration they garner from their drivers?

the Japanese have a word for the perfection that can only come from having a serene and melacholy 'flaw', that, by its existence makes something transcendently wonderful

'wabi-sabi' >> Wabi-sabi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

I cant really see how the car can be a failure. Its RWD Mid Engined and does 0-100/62 in 4.5 Secs
Thats faster than the standard 911 Porsche.

I havent heard of any RWD Mid Engined car being really bad have you ? The Elise, Boxster, MR2 the Fiat X19, Ferraris Lambos etc

At worst all it could be is as dumb and fast muscle car because its so quick, (not that its a muscle car) and I dont think that will ever happen.

 

Depends on what the target market is, the 911 is a fast sports car that is supple enough in driving dynamics to provide a comfortable option for every day driving. I drove a mates 89 Carrera 4 and couldn't believe how a car of that age felt so good, so uncompromised whether bumbling around town or making the most of the performance on country roads.

Will the 4C bridge the gap between usable everyday refinement and track day demon? I'm still unsure about who the target audience actually is and i've read most of the articles about the car and followed it from concept to production.

The car is quite niche, low production and definitely hard to compartmentalise, but if Alfa have managed to nail everyday dynamics it could be a winner.

 

Interesting to find a Brera owner moaning about Alfa dynamics
Much as I love the styling of the Brera that is definitely a case of style over substance!!

I'm as keen as anyone else to see if the 4C will stand up to everyday traffic jams. But since it has the same engine as my GQV, I am definitely optimistic. Plus my GQV goes back March 2015 - could be perfect timing!