Overview & Reviews

The Alfa Romeo story is one of both greatness and mediocrity. Though well known to Americans decades ago for its sporty and stylish cars, declining sales eventually led the company to stop importing cars to the United States. Now, however, Alfa Romeo is set to return stateside for 2014.

Alfa Romeo's history actually started with some French lineage, having initially been founded by French entrepreneur Alexandre Darracq who used Italian investors for capital and based the company in Milan, Italy. Initially debuting as Societa Anonima Italiana Darracq, the company struggled through its first few years. By 1910 a new company debuted under the new name ALFA, which stood for Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili. These early Alfas quickly earned a reputation for leading-edge engineering and design, key attributes confirmed by many motor racing victories.

Neapolitan Nicola Romeo took over the company in 1915 and his name was subsequently added to the carmaker's brand. Throughout the 1920s, '30s and '40s, Alfa Romeo produced a number of desirable racing, sports and grand touring automobiles. Enzo Ferrari was a racecar driver for Alfa during the '20s before switching to managing Alfa's race team. He left the company in 1937 and ultimately founded his own sports car company in the mid-'40s. As far as Alfa, the company nearly went broke and was taken over by the government in the early 1930s.

Highlights of that era include the P3, the 8C 2300 and the various 6C models throughout those years. Apart from a production interruption in the mid-'40s due to World War II, this pace continued through the 1950s and '60s, with highlights from these decades being the Giulietta, Giulia and Spider Duetto. The latter, a two-seat roadster that continued into the '90s with minimal changes, gained fame in the states via The Graduate movie that bowed in 1967 and starred a young Dustin Hoffman who drove the sleek sports car. Some two decades later, a less expensive, de-contented version of the Spider called the Graduate was sold alongside the Spider.

The 1970s, '80s and '90s, however were not nearly as glorious in the U.S. Although Alfa Romeo was still turning out stylish sports and grand touring cars such as the Spider, spirited GTV (and later GTV6) sport coupe and luxurious 164 sedan, questionable quality control and iffy reliability doomed sales for the company here. Fiat took over the company in 1986 but that didn't help much. Consequently, Alfa Romeo withdrew from the U.S. market in 1995, though the company was certainly still alive and mostly well in Europe.

Things have improved greatly since then, and a fortified Alfa Romeo briefly reappeared in the states in 2008. That year, 84 examples of its limited-production (just 500 total), Maserati V8-powered 8C sports car were made available. As quickly as it had returned, it disappeared again. However, Alfa is set to return to the states for 2014, this time with more than 84 cars to sell to U.S. fans. This more tangible comeback will happen in grand fashion, as it will herald the arrival of the new 2014 Alfa Romeo 4C, a small, midengine sports car. Incredibly light curb weight (about 2,000 pounds), combined with a feisty, 240-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder engine and a well-balanced chassis all but guarantee thrilling performance. Production of the $70,000-plus road burner will initially be limited to just 1,200 for the U.S. market.

User Reviews:

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  If you like 80s exotics, this car is for you. - 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C
  By bob - December 14 - 11:05 am

  Its been said before -- this car is not for everyone. But, if you love driving a light, tight, awesome looking, sensory overkill fast sports car, this is your vehicle. The 4c is unlike anything else on the road today -- and thank heavens for it. Now, if you want comfort, quiet, listening to your tunes while drinking a latte, and wanting to be unseen when puttering around town, then this is not your car. Enjoy your Lexus. Pros: Just a blast to drive. Its "honest" which in itself is unique today. Nothing is covered up or added simply to fool anyone. Its the real deal, not fake. Its exciting, refreshing and unlike any other car made today. Its obviously hand built and fit and finish is better than most exotics. The beautiful carbon fibre interior will make your eyes water every time you look inside. The noise from the turbo charger waste gates will make you laugh out loud. It sounds a like 80s rally cars and seems to go like one as well. Performance is more than fine for city streets. You can floor it and run it through the gears without being tossed in jail. The F1 style gearbox works remarkably well -- better than a Ferrari F430. Whats also surprised me is how reliable it has been. In a year of ownership, not one thing has gone wrong. To say I was expecting something different is an understatement. And the car is just beautiful, along with being completely unique. If you want people to look at you, buy this car. Between the noise and the looks youll be a rock star on the boulevard. Service is also very reasonable. Yearly service on the car is only $240. Try that in a Ferrari or Lamborghini. Cons: Ok, its noisy, And the wide body and doors do make it difficult to park in a normal parking space. And its a pain to get in and out of. And its a bit difficult to see out the back of. And the trunk is ridiculously small. And the trunk latch is in a silly place. And the seats are tight. And the seats dont move a lot. And the seat belt warning buzzer is annoying. And it has no GPS. And the seat belts rub against your neck. And theres no glove box. And theres these silly wires coming out from under the dash to charge your phone. And the cup holders dont hold larger drinks. And it has some turbo lag. And if you want to put things in the trunk, you have to put them on the ground first because you need both hands to open and latch the rear lid. And it has no power steering so parking can require some actual muscle use. And if youre over 6 foot 3 youre going to say its too small. And if youre too wide the seats are going to be uncomfortable. And it doesnt come with a manual gearbox. And theres no climate control. And the Parrot radio is a complete joke. So if the Cons have turned you off by now, then you know this car is not for you. But if you love the idea of driving an 80s exotic with all of its drama, feel, personality and looks BUT with AC and brakes that actually work in a car that doesnt fall apart before your eyes and is reasonably affordable to own, then this car is for you. I personally love it. You can thrash it unlike you can other more expensive sports cars and it only costs about the same as the 10,000 Corvette C7s you see everyday. Thank heavens for Alfa Romeo. Someone was nutty enough to make a car a real drivers car today that doesnt seem like every other car you drive. I dont think we will ever see anything like it again that us normal folk can afford. Its a modern classic with a classic personality. Now, how cool is that?