- If the Alfa Romeo 4C bears more than a passing resemblance to the Lotus Elise and Exige, that's no accident, given the involvement of designer Lorenzo Ramaciotti.
- At Pininfarina, Ramaciotti led the creation of a pair of 1992 concepts called Ethos, which later inspired both the Lotus Elise and the Renault Sport Spider.
- As with the Ethos, simplicity is the key to the highly driver-focused Alfa 4C.
GENEVA — If you think that the Alfa Romeo 4C bears more than a passing resemblance to the Lotus Elise and Exige, well, that's no accident. But not because they share any parts.
The 4C is partly a pet project of Fiat Group design boss Lorenzo Ramaciotti, a former design chief of coachbuilder Pininfarina. When he was there, Ramaciotti led the creation of a pair of 1992 concepts called Ethos, both of them small, lightweight, midengine sports cars that used a separate aluminum structure to which composite panels were attached.
The Ethos concepts inspired both the Lotus Elise and the Renault Sport Spider. And now, as overall head of Alfa Romeo's design, Ramaciotti has been able to push the 4C project into production.
But the concept has been updated. The 4C is built around a carbon-fiber tub rather than an aluminum chassis, and instead of the experimental Orbital two-stroke engine that propelled the Ethos, the 4C runs with a stock 1,750cc direct-injection gasoline engine.
But it's still light, Alfa claiming a (frankly improbable) 1,875-pound curb weight and a price of $55,000-$62,000 that doesn't seem much more believable given the car's construction and use of expensive materials.
As with the Ethos, simplicity is the key to this highly driver-focused car in which Ramaciotti considers the passenger to effectively be "an optional extra." Small, lightweight sports cars could be the way to go as gasoline prices rocket, and it's ironic that Alfa Romeo is stepping into the space that Lotus is partly vacating as it shifts upmarket.
Inside Line says: Great to see Alfa producing a new sports car, and the revival of an intelligent concept. — Richard Bremner, Correspondent
Add A Comment »
jbauhaus says:
01:29 PM, 03/03/2011
Scaglione,
While I agree that Alfa needs a small, front-engined RWD roadster and/or coupe (that should be around $25k-$30k), I think that this would be a great addition to their lineup. Also I totally disagree with you; the Alfa 4C is a gorgeous design.
scaglione says:
12:02 PM, 03/03/2011
Alfa: Please, do not build this car. Instead, build a front-engined RWD Alfa with a carbon fibre chassis and a 4-cylinder gasoline engine with a transaxle and pushrod suspension featuring dual wishbones at all four wheels. The car should be available in coupe and roadster form from launch. Please, consign the Alfa 4C to the dustbin of history along with the Pandion and your growing list of unsatisfying concept cars.
scaglione says:
11:58 AM, 03/03/2011
Thank you, Edmunds Inside Line, for exposing the archaic genealogy of the depressing Alfa 4C. Alfa Romeo has produced some of the most stunning concept and production cars in automotive history, but the keenly anticipated Alfa 4C is a huge and depressing disappointment. Not only does it echo the shapes of the Lotus Elise, Exige and Evora - it was heralded as inspired by the immortal Alfa 33 Stradale (a strong contender for the title of most beautiful car ever designed) and the 8C (a good if predictable design). The Alfa 4C is regrettably not in the same league, and its shape is ungainly. Over the years, many of the world's greatest designers have developed some immortal designs for Alfa: Zagato; Touring; Bertone and Pininfarina. But in recent years, several of the Alfa concepts have been dreadful including the latest effort by Bertone, the Pandion. The Alfa 4C is bland, boring, derivative and a huge disappointment to Alfisti the world over.