The Alfa 4C: the best sportscar under £40,000?

See our latest video where we take an in-depth look at the beautiful Alfa Romeo 4c.

If you look up carbon fibre bodied sports cars - you’ll find household names like Ferrari, Lamborghini and McLaren dominate the list. Yet in the midst of all the supercars and hypercars, there is a little car from from Turin holding its own in the list, and that car is the Alfa Romeo 4C.

Stunning, isn’t it? Alfa Romeo have a track record of making truly beautiful cars and the 4C is further testament to that. In a colour as stunning as our Tricoat Competizione Red example, you’d be forgiven for staring at its high cheekbones and wide hips for hours, but you would be missing out only valuable time to drive this lightweight Italian masterpiece.

If looks could kill

The beauty doesn't just end with the bodywork though, opening the door will reveal why the 4C is so special. Alfa Romeo decided to make the entire monocoque chassis out of carbon fibre, that super special material reserved for only the most expensive supercars and race cars. The floor and sills are left exposed so that you are always reminded of the car’s exotic construction. The cabin has been designed with one focus - light weight. You will find one useable cup holder, a leather pouch big enough for your driving licence, a simple Alpine Stereo headunit and a rather trick TFT display providing you with all your driving information. It is basic, but beautiful.

Raw and uncompromised

With a turn of the key the car barks into life before settling to idle very quickly, another good trait of using a 1.8l 4 cylinder turbo engine that powers the little Alfa. Once on the move, the unassisted steering begins to lighten up and feed you all the information you need to know about the road beneath you through your hands and lets you know exactly where the front end is. The trick double wishbone front end and uniquely designed Macpherson suspension setup in the rear come together with the carbon chassis to create one of the most fun and enthralling driving experiences money can buy, with an uncompromising view on comfort. The 4C is not one for long distance driving and with a boot big enough for a small box of cereal, you won't be contemplating the thought anytime soon. You will, however, want to drive it round your favourite stretch of road at any opportunity you can get, it is that good.

Value for money

When they were new, a coupe with all options ticked like our example would set you back a lofty £62,000. Today, you will find examples like ours from just £35,000. How does that stack up against the competition? Well, a comparable Lotus Elise 250 Cup can be found for £45k, whilst an Alpine A110 Pure is around £43k. Of course, neither have the carbon fibre construction or supercar looks, despite being great cars in their own right.

Verdict

The Alfa Romeo 4C, the long-awaited return of Alfa to the sports car market, was met with criticism at launch, in part due to the price of the cars and the limited production allocations. It now presents itself as an excellent opportunity to own a truly exotic sports car for the price of a run of the mill family car. Yes, there is a lack of storage and yes, it’s not especially refined, but in return there is simply nothing at this price point that delivers as much emotion, engagement, or admiring glances. The icing on the cake is relatively cheap fuel and servicing costs, not that this will be top of your concerns after that first enthralling drive.