ALFA ROMEO 4C SPIDER

Alfa Romeo’s beautiful 4C has lost its head, but will that make us lose ours?

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T4,90 sec 177 kw/350 N.m 257 km/h ALK among the Al sti in recent months has centred on the upcoming Giulia, especially in high-performance AWD Quadrifoglio guise. With all the excitement surrounding that car, however, it’s easy to forget the pukka sportscar within Alfa’s line-up – the beautiful 4C. We tested the Coupé variant more than two years ago and jumped at the chance to have another go in this rare but awed Italian. Could this topless version convince us that there was a role for it beyond being essentially a weekend fun car?

The 4C Spider, of course, shares its core DNA with the hard-top version. It utilises the same carbon- bre monocoque and also boasts 8,28 L/100 km 161 g/km a mid-engine/rear-wheel-drive layout. Aside from the removable fabric roof – its black hue providing a pleasant contrast to the Giallo Prototipo body colour – the headlamps are the most noticeable point of difference from the Coupé. Critics (us included) of its insect eye-like, compound headlamps will be happy to see that the Spider has adopted unadorned (xenon) units. The Spider is 50 kg heavier than its sibling, a penalty paid for the pleasure of open-top motoring despite the stiff underpinnings provided by the solid “tub”.

Removing the roof is a manual affair and, if you are tall enough and can reach across the car, a one-person job. You unlatch two spring-loaded clips above each window, undo two quickrelease screws on the edge of the windscreen frame and apply sunblock. Be warned, though: storing the roof in the already tiny boot severely compromises packing space.

Sliding in and out of a 4C is never an elegant move due to the wide side sills, but with the