2015 Alfa Romeo 4c Launch Edition on 2040-cars

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Alfa Romeo 4C priced at $53,900* in US, gains 342 pounds vs Euro version

We're out in California driving the Alfa Romeo 4C as we write this – which is the good news. The bad news is that we can't offer up any driving impressions of the car for another few days. On the other hand, we can provide a few interesting non-driving-based tidbits from the launch program, with which to further enlighten you about Alfa's upcoming "compact supercar" (that descriptor comes direct from Alfa CEO Harald Wester, for what it's worth). So, for starters, the price. When Matt Davis drove the European-spec 4C in the fall of last year, he guestimated that the starting price for the US would hover around $55,000. As it turns out, that was a pretty good guess. Eventually, the starting bill on a 4C will be $53,900, plus a significant $1,295 for destination, netting out to $55,195 out the door. That price might sound inline with what you'd expect for an Italian quasi-supercar, but it's not likely what you'll actually pay if you buy one. We're told that $62k to $65k will be the sweet spot for 4C sales in the US. What's more, if you simply have to have a 2015 model, you'll have to pony up a healthy $69,695 (that's including destination), for one of just 500 examples of the launch edition that will be sold here this year. In addition to a serialized plaque that will certify your historic purchase, the launch edition cars get the larger optional wheels in a dark-finish, the sport suspension, sport exhaust, and some other bits and bobs. Finally, while we're happy to report that the curb weight of the feather-light 4C will stay below the magical 2,500-pound mark (2,495 lbs., wet), it has still gained some 342 pounds versus the European-spec car. The added weight is down to a beefier carbon-fiber tub and additional US safety equipment. It's also fair to mention that the ultra-light European model was arrived upon thanks to a homologation rule with the EU, that (among other things) will limit 4C sales on the continent to just 1,000 units per year. We'd expect that to evolve as the model stays on sale. Stay tuned for our full review of the car, thick carbon-fiber and all, early next week.

Argentinians find stash of never-registered, brand-new 30-year-old Italian cars

While much of the world is sheltering in place, several new, never-registered Italian and French cars exited a 27-year confinement in Argentina. They were left for dead in an abandoned dealership that sold Alfa Romeo, Fiat, and Peugeot models in a city named Avellaneda near Buenos Aires, the country's capital. Details surrounding the dealership are murky. Argentina's Autoblog (no relation to us) reported it closed at some point during the 1990s after the owner and his son died in violent circumstances. Automotive archaeology tells your author it likely shut its doors in 1993, because that's the only year in which the first-generation Fiat Ducato launched in 1981 and the post-facelift Fiat Tipo, axed in 1995, overlapped. Both are clearly visible in the photos. What's certain is that someone finally inherited the property in 2020 and wanted the cars gone as quickly as possible in order to sell it. The anonymous owner asked Kaskote Calcos, a local body shop that also runs a used-car lot, to haul them away via Instagram. We're guessing the firm didn't need to be asked twice.           View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by Axel By Kaskote (@kaskotecalcos) on Mar 24, 2020 at 1:57pm PDT Many of the cars hidden in the dealership were made by Fiat; the photos show several examples of the Tipo, an Uno, a Tempra, and the aforementioned Ducato. An Alfa Romeo 33 wagon and a Peugeot 405 were also stashed in the trove. Most were stored indoors so they weren't damaged by sunlight or humidity, and images of the cars taken after they were pressure-washed confirm they're in like-new condition inside and out. We're told some even started, though for the love of valves and pistons we hope they got a new timing belt before being fired up.  Kaskote Calcos hasn't revealed what it will do with the cars. None are particularly sought-after, they're economy cars that were mass-produced and mass-destroyed, and their current values reflect that. You can get a post-facelift Uno for the price of a few Peroni pints in Italy. The fact that they're new, never-registered examples will undoubtedly increase their appeal, even if registering them could require slashing through jungles of red tape. As a side note, finding a 405 beached in a Fiat dealership isn't as random as it might sound.

Alfa Romeo to offer 4C buyers choice of headlights [w/poll]

Typically an automobile will lose some of its more radical design elements on the road from concept to production, but Alfa Romeo has done things a little differently with the 4C... at least, that is, when it came to its headlights. When the sports car concept first debuted at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, it had an intriguing, glowing headlight design that seemed more stylish than functional. The headlight design stayed the same when Alfa repainted the concept from matte red to liquid silver for the Frankfurt Motor Show later that year, but when the 4C debuted in production form two years after concept's first showing, its headlights weren't any less strange. If anything, they were even more so, taking on a form that only a fly's optometrist could love. Things took a more conventional (and eye-pleasing) turn earlier this month when Alfa revealed the 4C Spider concept with not only a different roofline but also a new set of headlights. Those units are expected to make their way to production when the 4C Spider is finalized, but word has it that the roadster won't be the only one to get them. According to Autocar, the Italian automaker will offer new buyers of the 4C coupe the option to fit the Spider's headlamps instead of the strange-looking units on the hardtop model. The Spider, meanwhile, will only get the more conventional units. We've reached out to Alfa Romeo for confirmation, and have yet to hear back as we go to publish, but either way, the 4C remains – for the time being – a piece of forbidden fruit that we only wish we could get in the States as Alfa continues to plot its eventual return to the North American market. Featured Gallery Alfa Romeo 4C Spider Design Preview Related Gallery 2014 Alfa Romeo 4C View 60 Photos News Source: Autocar Alfa Romeo Convertible Coupe Performance alfa romeo 4c alfa 4c alfa romeo 4c spider