USA - Playboy Mag announces Alfa Romeo 4C its Car of the Year for Sports & Convertible cars

With its race-inspired  performance and  advanced technologies wrapped by seductive curves that can only be handcrafted in Italy,  Playboy  magazine  named  the  all-new  Alfa  Romeo  4C “2015 Car of the Year – Sports Cars and Convertibles.” 

The annual award From Playboy represents a hand-picked list of their favorite vehicles in 2015.

“The gorgeous Italian exchange student you loved in high school isn’t coming back, but the stunning Alfa Romeo 4C is now here after years of being away,” said William K. Gock – Automotive Writer, Playboy. “This lightweight carbon-fiber-framed pistol uses flowing body curves, highly stylized alloy wheels and a monstrous engine roar to announce Alfa’s grand return. Behind the wheel it’s obvious the 4C is a machine built for high-speed cornering, not casual trips to the corner store, which is more than enough to earn our esteem.”

As part of the “2015 Car of the Year” selection process, William K. Gock spent time test-driving countless cars for Playboy and worked with the publication’s editors on the final list of winners.

“Playboy’s best sports car award speaks to the all-new Alfa Romeo 4C’s seductive styling, race-inspired performance and how hot it is in the marketplace,” said Reid Bigland, Head of Alfa Romeo North America. “With its sexy, head-turning mid-engine Italian design, each 4C represents more than 100-years of Alfa Romeo racing knowhow and Formula 1 inspired technologies – a combination we’re excited to offer North American enthusiasts and at a fraction of the price of other carbon fiber chassis supercars.”

Detroit gets to launch the all new Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, YES PLEASE, I want.......

• Production version of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider unveiled in Detroit at the 2015 NAIAS
• Unique carbon fibre windscreen frame and available carbon fibre “halo” highlight 4C Spider’s ultralight carbon fibre and aluminium construction
• All-new Akrapovic dual-mode exhaust system,  new alloy wheel designs and a new colour also debut
• On sale in Europe this summer, with pricing and UK specification to be announced closer to launch

The production version of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider has been unveiled at the 2015 North American International Auto Show, combining scintillating performance with open-top thrills and the unmistakable soundtrack of an Italian, performance-tuned engine and exhaust.

Like its Coupé sibling, the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider is built around an exotic, ultra-lightweight monocoque chassis, comprised entirely of unilateral, “pre-preg”, carbon fibre layers that delivers material performance that is three-times stronger and seven-times lighter than steel. Because of its inherent rigidity, Alfa Romeo engineers were able to minimise structural differences between the 4C Spider and 4C Coupé: 

The 4C Spider features a unilateral carbon fibre windscreen frame that is adhered and bolted to the monocoque chassis; a specially-contoured aluminium rollover bar (underneath the “halo”) which provides mounting points for the new rear deck-lid; unique upper body brackets and a high-strength steel engine compartment cross beam to maximise torsional rigidity.

As with the Coupé, the bodywork is made entirely from SMC (sheet moulded compound), a low-density, high-strength composite material that is 20 percent lighter and dimensionally more rigid than steel, and even the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider’s windscreen and side windows have been optimised for lightness, using 10 percent thinner glass to reduce weight by up to 15 percent. While European specifications for the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider have yet to be announced, the weight difference between the Coupé and Spider versions of the U.S.-market models is just 10kg.

The Alfa Romeo 4C Spider shares much of its exterior design with its award-winning Coupé sibling – the changes are focussed purely on the metamorphosis from fixed- to open-top. The Coupé’s glazed engine cover and flowing coupé shape gives way to a more traditional spider form, with pronounced buttresses and a body-coloured engine deck-lid with three functional heat extractors and an aerodynamically tuned spoiler. 

The rollover structure is housed in a black (or optional carbon fibre) “halo”, creating visual harmony with the carbon fibre windscreen frame, where the attachment points for the removable, stowable cloth roof (or optional carbon fibre hardtop) can also be found.

Other new features to debut on the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider Concept include an all-new, titanium exhaust system, mounted centrally with switchable modes which can be altered depending on the driving environment and driver’s mood. 

Developed by world-renowned exhaust specialists Akrapovic this beautifully crafted system consists of two centrally-mounted tailpipes and computer-optimised asymmetrical mufflers with a dual-mode exhaust valve system and link pipe with resonator to eliminate in-cabin droning. This optional system is finished with carbon fibre bezels on the exhaust tips. Like the 4C Coupe, the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider will also be available with the standard and the Racing exhaust system.

In U.S. versions, a new Alpine premium audio system is also offered, with multiple connectivity and media options, including hands-free Bluetooth calling, Bluetooth streaming, USB/iPod/CD/MP3 capabilities, HD radio and SiriusXM satellite radio.

In addition to the existing colours available on the Alfa Romeo 4C a new Giallo (yellow) paint scheme is also offered (with matching accent stitching for the seating, steering wheel and doors available), while a new Tobacco leather interior option is also planned for later in the year.

Four all-new wheel designs also debut, either in 17-inch (front)/18-inch (rear) or 18-inch (front)/19-inch (rear) sizes in Silver or Dark finishes.

Powered by the same, all-aluminium, 240hp, 258 lb.-ft., 1750 TBi engine as the Coupé, performance for the U.S. model is on a par with the hardtop model, with a top speed of 160 MPH and a 0-to-60 MPH time estimated at 4.1-seconds.  For the North American market, the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider is designed with stiffer springs, larger front- and rear-anti-roll bars, and re-tuned shock absorbers. The technical specification of European models will be announced closer to its launch later in the year.

The Alfa Romeo 4C Spider is the latest in a rich bloodline that includes some of the most desirable performance cars in automotive history: the aluminium-bodied 8C 2900 B Touring (1938); the 140mph 1900 C52 “Flying Saucer” (1952) and the car that inspired the 4C, the legendary 33 Stradale (1967) with its revolutionary magnesium-alloy and steel tubular chassis and ground-breaking styling.

The Alfa Romeo 4C Spider was designed by Alfa Romeo Centro Stile will be produced at the Maserati plant in Modena, Italy. It will go on sale in the UK in the summer, with prices and UK specifications announced closer to that time.

SOUTH AFRICA - AutoWeek magazine awards the Alfa 4C as its Drivers Car Of The Year 2015

South African newspaper AutoWeek has voted the Alfa Romeo 4C as its Drivers car of the year for 2015.

The 4C emerged victorious over a group of finalists including fourteen new performance-oriented cars launched in the past year and subjected to to an intensive three-day shootout on the road and around a secret test track to ascertain which of those was the most pleasing to drive.

AutoWeek’s Drivers car of the year split the fourteen finalists into three groups: hot hatchbacks, sedans and sportscars to determine a winner of each group; with each winner going through to the podium and the final shootout.

The podium saw the Volkswagen Golf R emerging as AutoWeek’s Drivers hatchback of the year, the BMW M3 selected as the AutoWeek Drivers sedan of the year and the Alfa Romeo 4C chosen as the AutoWeek Drivers sports car of the year.

A further shootout between the three saw the Alfa Romeo 4C emerge as the overall AutoWeek Drivers car of the year 2015.

“None of its rivals came close to 4C’s charm and allure, its cheeky, busy noise and a feeling you will only otherwise get inside a Ferrari 458,” AutoWeek editor Michele Lupini reported.

“But when you take it out on a racetrack and drive it to the absolute limit, there is nothing that comes near. The 4C was the only car that was still beckoning for more – taunting us to seek out the limits.

“This is Drivers car of the year, so a less than genteel entrance or exit to or from a slightly crab-like driving position, or a little extra leather lining make little difference; as much as a questionably sculpted centre console corner and a lack of ultimate build quality don’t really matter either.

“What does matter is how this Alfa Romeo talks to the driver, how you feel when driving it – especially at the limit and how it performs and behaves on the road,” Lupini concluded. “And this little Alfa does all that brilliantly.”

AutoWeek newspaper is on sale as usual throughout South Africa from Thursday 18 December and is also available as a digital issue