Alfa Romeo 4C launched in Australia priced from $89,000

The highly anticipated Alfa Romeo 4C has arrived in Australia, with first customer deliveries to commence in February.

The Italian marque’s halo sports car is offered in two variants, with price starting from $89,000 for the standard 4C Coupe, while the uniquely appointed 4C Launch Edition has a sticker of $109,000. The latter is limited to only 1,300 units worldwide, of which Australia has secured an initial allocation of 75 units.

“We are thrilled to be bringing this sensational new Alfa Romeo to Australia,” said FCA Australia President & CEO, Pat Dougherty.

“The 4C marks the dawn of an exciting new era for Alfa Romeo. This is a true Italian supercar offered at a price that is within reach of many Australians.”

“The 4C is the first of an outstanding fleet of Alfa Romeo products and all will share the 4C’s focus on style, performance and luxury”.

The Alfa Romeo 4C boasts a mid-engine setup with near-perfect weight distribution. Drawn on the brand’s proud racing heritage, the Alfa Romeo 4C aims to project the brand’s values for the future: Italian style, performance and engineering excellence, offering maximum driving satisfaction in total safety.

The “4C” name recalls Alfa Romeo’s great sporting tradition: the acronyms 8C and 6C in the 1930s and 1940s distinguished racing and road cars fitted with powerful eight and six cylinder engines. The Alfa Romeo 4C model’s designation continues this tradition with the latest all-aluminum 1.8-litre turbocharged direct injection four-cylinder engine.

The 1.8-litre turbo four pumps out 177kW at 6,000rpm and 350Nm at 2,200rpm. It features direct-injection, intercooler, dual (intake and exhaust) continuous variable-valve timing (VVT), a crankshaft with eight counterweights, and intake and exhaust systems optimized for Alfa Romeo 4C’s mid-engine layout.

A new generation turbocharger features a pulse-converter exhaust manifold to exploit pressure waves and boost torque at low-engine speeds. A waste gate valve adjusts turbo pressure and improves the engine’s efficiency. Advanced scavenging technology enables the Alfa Romeo 4C to maximize torque at low engine speeds and deliver more response to driver input by increasing combustion efficiency and turbine speed, all while eliminating turbo lag. As a result, torque delivery is instantaneous, with a peak of 350Nm; 80 percent of which is available at only 1,700rpm.

Paired with a paddle-shifting Alfa TCT twin-clutch transmission, which has been specifically tuned for the Alfa Romeo 4C, the sprint from 0 to 100km/h can be accomplished in just 4.5 seconds . With its uniquely calibrated software that adjusts with the Alfa DNA selector system, the Alfa TCT’s gearshifts are designed to become most aggressive in the Dynamic and Race modes. The Alfa TCT system also integrates a “launch control” mode.

The all-new Alfa Romeo 4C features the brand’s innovative Alfa DNA selector with “Race” mode – enabling the driver to optimize the right level of performance through four modes. With a touch of the Alfa DNA selector, the character of the Alfa Romeo 4C can be changed to (in order of increasing capability):

All-weather – designed to ensure maximum control under adverse weather conditions and enables gentler accelerator input and special engine and brake control logic to match road speed and prevent skidding.
Natural – enables grand touring comfort and smooth drivability for the Alfa TCT gearbox.
Dynamic – enables improved driving performance via a more aggressive powertrain calibration and less intrusive electronic stability control (ESC) setting.
Race – is the most extreme performance mode, putting the driver in total control of the car under race conditions. ESC and anti-slip regulation (ASR) are deactivated to allow the driver to control traction through the accelerator pedal.

Alfa Romeo says the very best technical and industrial expertise of the Alfa Romeo and Maserati brands were used to develop the 4C.

Teamwork between the two brands included the integration of the Alfa Romeo Style Center design with the well-known craftsmanship of the Maserati brand’s Modena production plant. In addition, the Alfa Romeo 4C was boosted by the technological contributions of renowned Italian suppliers.

“The all-new 4C represents the purest formation of the brand’s DNA with its supercar-levels of performance and innovation, all while focusing on making the driver an integral part and completion of the machine,” said Harald Wester, global CEO of Alfa Romeo.

“With its technological solutions derived directly from Formula 1, the Alfa Romeo 4C creates a fusion of body and machine, an extension of its driver’s soul that is ready, capable and willing to respond and deliver.”

Alfa Romeo 4C Launch Edition (limited to 75 units)

For true “Alfisti”, a special Alfa Romeo 4C Launch Edition has been introduced and adds the following features on top of the standard model:

• Rosso Alfa, or Madreperla White exterior paint
• Bi-LED carbon fibre headlamps
• Front fascia with side air intakes
• Carbon fibre rear spoiler and mirror caps
• Race suspension tuning with front- and rear-sway bars and shock absorbers
• Racing exhaust
• Staggered 18-inch (front) and 19-inch (rear) forged wheels painted in Matte Black
• Red lacquered brake calipers
• Sport seats with black microfibre
• Red or White interior accent stitching on the instrument panel steering wheel, floor mats and door handles
• Interior carbon fibre trim plates
• Carbon fibre cluster bezel
• Carbon fibre gear shift bezel
• Carbon fibre passenger side trim plate