The Alfa Romeo 4C isn’t just a little mid-engine sports car. It’s Alfa Romeo’s return to the U.S. after more than 20 years away, and it’s also one of the very best things you can drive. As is befitting of a special car, it’s full of lots of special little details. Let’s take a look!
That nose! That badge! How delightful.
Let me just say that as an American, it’s absolutely wonderful to be behind the wheel of a brand new Alfa Romeo, and not the abysmal front-wheel drive hatchback kind the rest of the world has had to put up with for the last two decades. “Osama bin Laden is dead, Alfa Romeo is alive, Half-Life 3 confirmed,” Vice President Joe Biden once said. I think. I’m too lazy to Google the actual quote.
Nice lettering in the headlamps, which thankfully aren’t as hideous as the European version.
Ducts!
Here’s your interior. It’s a tight fit, but not really as bad as some say it is. I’m 5’11” and I wouldn’t want to be much taller than I am in it.
Windows, mirror adjuster, drive mode selector, and emergency lights. The gear selector is the quadrant of buttons above that.
Logos everywhere.
Seats!
I don’t know what you can put in that pocket, but it’s something. No glove compartment, no center console. Those things are overrated.
Check out the carbon fiber in the tub. You can see the bolts and everything. It always reminds you what a stripped-out, pure sports car it is.
Those are your pedals. See the hinges? Of course you do. It feels like you’re in a race car sometimes.
You can even see the VIN etched into the tub on a metal plate.
I loved the leather door pulls.
The black leather with the red stitching is actually pretty nice.
Rear visibility: none.
Here’s your glorious engine bay/cargo hold, all covered by the same hood. It’s not horrible in terms of cargo space. You could fit a couple of grocery bags in there.
It’s held up by an actual rod, no struts.
Nice details on the crankcase cover.
It sure is a sexy machine, but how does it drive? Tune in tomorrow to find out. (TL;DR version: real good.)
Photos credit Kurt Bradley, Patrick George for Jalopnik
Contact the author at patrick@jalopnik.com.