"Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever" (superchan7)
06/30/2018 at 12:05 • Filed to: Alfa Romeo, 4C, California
9
24|
"Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever" (superchan7)
06/30/2018 at 12:05 • Filed to: Alfa Romeo, 4C, California | 9
| 24 |
I’m a superficial hypocrite. I keep saying that I will write about its performance and its character, but I keep going back to pictures and how it looks like NSFW on wheels. Fortunately, unlike my wife this car can’t talk back. Yet.
Today I’ll share the unusual things that I’ve found so far on the 4C—some of them I’m sure you have seen or heard of already, but that doesn’t make it any less unusual or special. This car is stuffed full of weirdness but I love it all.
Starting with the outside:
One styling detail that European cars consistently do well is the logo placement. European cars always have a raised nub or recessed body panel to “greet” the brand logo. It’s expensive, but does a lot to make a car look upscale. Alfa takes it to another level—there’s a special extension from the body just to frame it.
We all know the rear luggage boot is tiny, on the order of 3.5 cu ft. Here are all of the materials that came with the car when it was new. In the Spider version, this would be known as the roof storage bin because it wouldn’t be able to fit anything else.
Due to the shape of modern car windscreens, single wipers have become quite uncommon. Like most Italian sports cars, the 4C makes no attempt to hide it, but at least it sits lower than the F355's wipers.
Like many of its big brother supercars, the fuel filler neck sits high above the vehicle’s lower structure.
Surprisingly, the 4C has got FCA’s convenient capless filler, originally a Chrysler innovation. And check out the neat AR emblem all over the black surround. I thought this car was all about cost-cutting?
Many are critical of the prop rod as a cheap mechanism for the rear lid. Some dismiss it as a measure of weight savings. I view it as one less thing to break. Another strange thing is that the lid is quite heavy; you may not be able to get it open while holding a bunch of other stuff. The last thing is the oddly industrial-looking set of brackets holding the chicken wire vents to the rear lid—that’s just overkill.
Being a car of carbon tub construction, the roof structure is also unlike most cars. Both coupe and Spider share a similar roll bar, seen here bolted to the tub and supporting both the roof and the rear lid hinges. Note the shameless trimming quality of that insulation pad.
There is no front boot. The radiators sit here, but they were too cheap to include a luggage bin, hinges, latches and weather sealing. Tools are required to remove this large panel.
This lower scoop is only present on the left side of the car. It’s a duct to cool the transmission, and is standard on all US cars but apparently an option in Europe.
The wheels are another styling highlight, but the strange thing is Alfa chose a tire size that nobody makes. So for now I’m stuck with buying the special “AR” version of these Pirelli P-Zero tires. They’re okay, I guess.
This is the only visual difference between US cars and non-US cars. US DOT 5 mph bumperette covers are NOT removable unlike Porsche’s. They are moulded into the plastic fascia.
We know that cars are forced to parts-share with their corporate cousins (even Ferraris have had plenty of Fiat switchgear), but I was surprised to find this halogen turn signal repeater to be the exact same part from my wife’s former Fiat 500L. I’m sure other cars use it as well, and I will take the opportunity to rant again about how dangerous it is that the US still does not mandate side signal repeaters.
Some reviewers like SavageGeese have touched on this, but most people miss it. It’s a common complaint that the 4C uses a rear strut suspension instead of wishbones or multi-links, but check out these mean-looking control arms. They nearly reach the centre of the car, just like race cars. Definitely designed to improve geometry through the suspension travel. The fronts are wishbones but cannot be viewed as easily.
This chicken-wire panel must be removed with a screwdriver to access the wiper fluid filler neck.
Having a plastic (OK, they call it “sheet moulding compound” which is basically a type of FRP) body means that you can have very unusual, deeply sculpted shapes.
Try stamping a steel panel into this shape.
Moving to the inside, but before we get in, this is the ONLY way to open the rear lid. No remote, no button under the lid itself. The driver door must be open, which is not really that annoying but takes getting used to.
The CFRP tub is the highlight of the interior, as we all know. It makes me want a CF bathtub.
A consequence of this type of structure is that the side sills are very high compared to normal cars. My wife hasn’t ridden in this car yet, but I’ll pick a day when she has a short skirt and heels on. Will report back if I survive.
Lots of people complain about the obstructed gauge view. This is about how much gets blocked for me—not too bad. Also, in Dynamic mode, the whole gauge turns yellow to advise an upshift.
The digital instrument pod is nice, but they forgot to change the Euro style odometer reading. Comma for decimal, #nobigdeal
This is the most obvious cost-cutting measure in the entire car. Rather than design a custom climate control panel, they threw in this parts-bin leftover that will bang against your left shin.
!!!CAPTION ERROR: MAY BE MULTI-LINE OR CONTAIN LINK!!!
The steering wheel is one of the most surprising parts of the interior. It has a very racy flat bottom, not like those halfsie ones that most “sports steering wheels” have. I’ve shown my hand here because it offers a very comfortable cruising position for both hands. Or, it would have been comfortable if the car didn’t wander so much on straight roads!!
Similar to my wife’s former Fiat, the owner’s documents come in this neat little not-quite-leather pouch.
I found this stuck inside the inner cover. It took forever to pry out; the inner pouch had melted onto this plastic card. It took me several minutes to figure out that it rotates open and is actually a USB drive containing promotional videos.
This embroidered pouch contains some emergency tools. The outside is perfectly normal.
We have a tire inflator, tow hooks and fluid funnels. OK, that looks normal, but.......
Turn it over and there’s a hose to refill your wiper fluid!
The final laugh comes from the “Owner’s Manual,” which is marked model year 2015, and the “User Guide” which is marked 2016.
interstate366, now In The Industry
> Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
06/30/2018 at 12:15 |
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#TeamHoodProp
dogisbadob
> Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
06/30/2018 at 12:19 |
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DipodomysDeserti
> Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
06/30/2018 at 12:30 |
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Fortunately, unlike my wife this car can’t talk back
404 - User No Longer Available
> Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
06/30/2018 at 12:32 |
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That inflator kit looks exactly like the one in my Solstice...
Guess I can try a Fiat dealer if I can’t find the goop canister for mine, GM says it’s discontinued.
TheTurbochargedSquirrel
> Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
06/30/2018 at 12:36 |
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TIL that the 4C has more useful cupholders than my MINI.
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Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
> TheTurbochargedSquirrel
06/30/2018 at 13:21 |
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That’s terrible!!!
Nick Has an Exocet
> Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
06/30/2018 at 13:39 |
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Stop it, you’re making me want one. I have an insatiable hunger for owning crazy impractical cars.
This may seem odd, but how does it do with things like speed bumps or large pot holes? I would be worried about damaging something that’s CF.
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Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
> Nick Has an Exocet
06/30/2018 at 13:56 |
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Pot holes will damage your wheels before they damage anything structural—there are plastic underbody panels but if you bottom out hard enough to bend the central structure of any car, it’s probably totalled anyway.
Speed bumps are not any worse than any modern sports cars—take them very slowly. Take steep ramps at an angle. It’s not too bad and certainly not any worse than any of the
other sports
cars that
I have owned.
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Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
> DipodomysDeserti
06/30/2018 at 13:57 |
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Better watch my mouth around Italian cars. They do talk back, in the form of maintenance bills.
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Nick Has an Exocet
> Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
06/30/2018 at 14:09 |
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That’s good to hear. I was considering renting one on Turo for an upcoming trip but was worried about that since the place I’m going has some big potholes is about 1/4 of a mile up a compressed dirt road.
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DipodomysDeserti
> 404 - User No Longer Available
06/30/2018 at 14:14 |
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I tried to buy one for my Abarth at my FIAT dealer and thy couldn’t find it in their system.
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Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
> interstate366, now In The Industry
06/30/2018 at 14:39 |
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I feel safer under a prop rod than under gas struts.
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404 - User No Longer Available
> DipodomysDeserti
06/30/2018 at 15:42 |
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This looks like the same one, but I couldn’t find the part number.
Looks like it’s made by an European company called TEK, and that model used is the Automatic 45:
https://www.fixandgo.com/PDF/User-Guide-Fix&Go-AUTOMATIC-45.pdf
https://store.fixandgo.com/english/canister-automatic-45.html
Can’t seem to find a dealer in North America though.
AuthiCooper1300
> Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
06/30/2018 at 15:54 |
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I think it would be safe to assume that you are madly in love with your new car? Your enthusiasm is quite endearing!
This will be very interesting to follow. Allegedly, Alfa Romeos (even the silliest ones – say, a 33 or a 146) end up conquering your heart in deep but mysterious ways. Which doesn’t mean that they won’t infuriate you quite often - on the contrary. But, as a British journalist once wrote, “they make for rocky marriages, but divorces are uncommon”.
Regarding your toolkit: the first time I saw that kind of black screwdriver was among the paltry set of tools that came with a Panda, A.D. 1982.
The peculiar location of the engine lid release lever is probably a little homage to the bootlid release levers in the old Giulia G
T
/
G
T
V
s
and Spiders. It was exactly in the same position, with the difference that the lever had a built-in lock whose barrel matched the ones in the doors and glovebox lid locks.
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Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
> Nick Has an Exocet
06/30/2018 at 18:42 |
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Good luck—it shouldn’t be
more trouble than any other sports car.
punkgoose17
> Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
06/30/2018 at 21:43 |
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Your car seems wonderful. For susupension geometry matters more than wishbones it seems perfect.
LongbowMkII
> Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
06/30/2018 at 22:37 |
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If you have a Frunk are you even really living that MR lifestyle?
pip bip - choose Corrour
> Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
07/01/2018 at 06:31 |
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nice!
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Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
> punkgoose17
07/01/2018 at 13:19 |
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Correct me, but here’s my n00b understanding:
A strut-based suspension on a sports car will always ride harder than a wishbone or 5-link. Cornering forces align better with the axis of the rigid A-arms, but do
not align at all with the compression axis of a strut. So the wishbones do not need to be as stiffly sprung as the struts for similar handling. Depending on geometry, the strut relies almost entirely on spring rate to control body roll, forcing a straight trade between handling and ride quality.
On the other hand, I suspect the long control arms of the 4C’s rear strut are a middle ground solution forced by the mid-engine packaging. The space savings of a strut with some added benefits stolen from full 5-link designs.
PS9
> Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
07/02/2018 at 16:55 |
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You’re not fooling me with your owner’s manuals and your in depth review like this ain’t a placeholder until your 512TR is done getting that 30k engine rebuild. I KNOW THE TRUTH
/jk
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Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
> PS9
07/02/2018 at 17:49 |
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My gawd, if only I could.
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Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
> AuthiCooper1300
07/04/2018 at 03:48 |
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Yep, check my newer post for the actual driving ;)
Thanks for the bit on the screwdriver and the rear lid release!
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AuthiCooper1300
> Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
07/04/2018 at 12:42 |
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My pleasure.
Have a look below - picture shamelessly stolen from AlfaBB. Haven’t been there much lately, but it used to be a nice place. The amount of Alfa Romeo knowledge therein is extraordinary, at least (or perhaps above all) about the older machines.
O
b
v
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o
u
s
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y
a
n
R
H
D
c
a
r
.
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Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
> AuthiCooper1300
07/04/2018 at 12:47 |
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That icon on the lever
is still the same!!!