2017 Alfa Romeo 4C Coupé

A rear-wheel drive, mid-engined sportscar based around a lightweight carbonfibre chassis? That'll be a McLaren or a Lamborghini, right? Not in this case. Alfa Romeo has long been a brand of unfulfilled promise. With the 4C, it got itself right back on track and its construction really does put it among some very rarefied machinery indeed. Back in 2013, it had been 30 years since we'd seen a real Alfa Romeo sports car for real people, but then came the 4C. Immediately there was a lineage to the 4C’s bigger sibling, the 8C Competizione (2007-2010), with its carbonfibre bodyshell, this now modern-classic supercar regularly demands £250,000-plus; furthermore, the 8C was produced for Alfa Romeo by Maserati, the very people who lovingly took on the task of hand-assembling the 4C, its populist successor. That fact is significant and will continue to be, as history judges the Alfa Romeo 4C. Make no mistake, the 4C is a proper, bespoke, and gorgeous driving machine.

For now, perhaps, it is content with being a lightweight, mid-engined, rear-wheel drive sportscar (that just happens to hand-built and composite bodied), which makes the most of a relatively small engine with its lack of mass and impeccable handling - in short, the type of Alfa Romeo they used to build and that almost anyone could aspire to own.

The light rigid chassis, the wide track and a low centre of gravity aided by a McLaren-style electronic Q2 differential (that utilises the brakes to do the work of an LSD) all add up to impressive road-holding and cornering traction, however, it wasn't particularly happy on British roads. In retrospect, Alfa Romeo and indeed every other manufacturer who wants to offer their products in the UK, should have developed the car on the UK's finest lumpy lanes, on the grounds that if it worked here, it would have worked anywhere. In the end, the driving improvement duties were happily taken on by equally clever folk in the aftermarket. Chassis 'fixes' from a plethora of specialists quickly resolved any bumpy B-road misgivings and give the 4C the handling ammunition it needs to take on and likely beat all-comers on all roads.

Enter the car presented here, a 4C developed by a real enthusiast with a truly impressive specification. Our vendor happily relinquished his 4C (already supplied with the Race Pack) to the best-in-the-business, Alfa Workshop of Royston, Hertfordshire who have lavished all their expertise, plus servicing dedication (regularly serviced, with cambelts on due-dates) on this car. Along with a full geometry set-up, Alfa Workshop also fitted an upgraded front anti-roll bar, plus an additional rear anti-roll bar and electric power-assisted steering – a real gamechanger for the driving experience - according to Alfa Workshop, who solely supply and fit this £6,000 EPAS upgrade, this is one of only three UK 4Cs to have benefitted from this improvement. It's also enhanced by the addition of a full KW coil-over kit, a mild ECU remap (280bhp), Helmholtz exhaust resonator, tailpipe, and carbon fibre tip, multiple KOSHI carbon-fibre parts (costing £8,000, includes interior, engine bay, rear diffuser), Tillett B5 carbon-fibre race seats (costing £2,000), plus lightweight magnesium Titan alloy wheels (costing £5,000, specially imported from the US, fitted with performance tyres that have covered less than 1,000 miles; the four original upgraded style of wheel accompany the car with tyres that have covered just 7,000 miles). The car also benefits from the application of PPF and is accompanied by a branded, fitted indoor car cover.

Other upgrades include faux-suede headlining and sun visors, together with upgraded heater and ventilator controls, again, specially sourced from the US. All original components/parts will accompany the car, however, the cherished registration, 'S88 CCL' will not.

The little Alfa has covered just 8,412 miles from new and, having benefitted from input from some very knowledgeable 4C people, it's almost certainly the best handling, most accomplished and totally 'sorted' example available.

(Please not that the registration 'S88 CCL' will not come with the car, it will revert back to 'RX17 NUY'.)