Affordable Dream Car: The Alfa Romeo 4C 50th Anniversary Spider is Imperfect Brilliance 

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My neighbor bought one of these and used it as his daily driver. He is an orthodontist and has offices in Chicago and the suburbs that he commuted to. When people asked him why does he drive a car like that which should be a weekend toy and will probably appreciate in value he said it's just a car I could die tomorrow and I'm going to enjoy it driving it! He still owns it but now it's semi-retired and only driven on weekends and in good weather. It currently has 92,000 miles on it. When it was being used daily it was used in all weather including snow and did the mundane duties of a daily driver including going to the grocery store and picking up the dry cleaning.

I kind of hope that the 4c doesn't become a classic, simply because I really really want one and I'll never be able to afford one if it does 😅.

"Drop dead gorgeous!" is how one would describe this car. It is a breath of fresh air since the legendary Jaguar E-Type. What a design. And it's an Alfa.

Just to add a word on Alfa reliability. I’ve owned my 4C Coupe for 7.5 years and not one thing has gone wrong. Even the battery is still strong. That’s in almost 50,000km. I’ve also done a few suspension mods so she’s now solid at speed over uneven roads. I’ve just done 800km over the weekend. What a special thing it is to tour in. Yes, it is possible. It’s an amazing car. Enjoying your work, James. 👍

As an early owner of the 4C now for 8 years in USA spec. Full leather interior plus AC was mandatory in US spec cars. The cars always been amazing. The “wayward handling” of early cars was a combination of 3 things. Crappy extremely stiff sidewall Pirelli P zero tires and damn near every car being delivered with out of spec wheel alignment and an aggressive setup on a short wheelbase. 3 months into ownership I changed the tires to Michelin super sports 10mm wider in front and back and got an alignment and all of those complaints vanished, the tire is just as grippy as the pirelli and has better shock absorption. If the car is still too twitchy at that point, the Alfa works shims can make it less aggressive but I love it just after those 2 changes. Short-wheelbase cars with very fast lock to lock steering are very skittish when there’s alignment or tire issues. I own a 4C and an LC500, both cars are special for different reasons. But the 4C is in my heart as the car I can never give up. It’s” great but “ terrible as a daily driver/ car for commuting. It’s simply amazing in making your day feel special, I don’t think any other car within several multiples of it’s price point can make you feel as special as the 4C does. The transmission /engine combo is great, just always drive it in manual mode because the shift programming sucks in automatic. My only other complaint is the shift paddles which there are aftermarket options for. The steering (once the alignment/tire issue is fixed) is something super unique and amazing about this car, and the brakes both in performance and feel are on another level. This car teaches you weight balance; Trail braking while turning in to get more weight over the front end, something you can feel in the steering is so satisfying when done right and terrifying when you don’t 😂. It punishes bad driving techniques. Some people get unnerved when they feel the front end “go light” at speed, that’s just the car communicating with you how much front end grip you actually have and that you’ll understeer in that moment if you do. Zero Nannie’s or buffers to cover up all the mechanical activity going on around you and I love it.

I bought one, coming up on 2 years of ownership and still love it. Is it perfect, no but I still look back at it every time I park up and haven’t regretted a moments time with it.

Love mine and yes USA spec has leather wrapped steering wheel, dash & door cards. Took me a while to figure out why people in the UK bashed the interior so bad.

I have a 4c Spider. Had it for 4 years now. It has the Alfaworks steering geo and Stage 1 ECU (280bhp) upgrade. I absolutely love this car and these modifications really are worthwhile. Ok, it’s compromised with no storage space and an under par interior ( the Alpines is glorious) but the looks and driving experience more than make up for this. As a weekend tool it’s awesome. I have previously owned lots of previous Alfa’s including the glorious SZ, and this knocks spots off them. I have also owned a 355, the 4c is as quick, and a Cayman S, I just couldn’t learn to love it. Alfaworks look after it for me, it’s not expensive to run and extremely reliable. With the impending release of the already sold out 6c at the end of August ‘23, the lineup of 4, 6 &8c will all be future classics. The 8c already is, and how often do you see a 4c in the wild. The Lotus may be a more complete driver, and the Alpine shows what can be done with proper thought given to detail, but neither have the wow factor of the 4c for me.

When it came out I thought to myself I'll buy one after 10 years. Red one with the carbon headlights. Well, 10 years later I still can't afford it.

This guy does the best reviews overall.. No gimmicks and not typical RU-vidr fake laughs and giggles.. Says negatives.. And love the reg-reviews of older cars

I love my 2015 4C Spider Track Exhaust and Track Suspension! I bought it for peanuts here in the US used with 46K miles during covid. It was a glorious looking vehicle and very different than anything I'd ever owned. Truth be told it required some serious "Camp David Accord" negotiations with my wife Christy 😁The testdrive was amazing. It had a problem with the clutch right off the get go. The dealership cleared the codes and pledged to take care of any issue if it occurrd again. And occur it did. Right on the 4 hour drive home. Turned out to be a clutch pak needing replacement 😢 The independent dealership took care of it completely and as a bonus the Alfa dealer where it was serviced agreed to install the timing belt and water pump for no labor charge if I delivered them the OEM parts with the car. What a deal! Over the past few years I installed a few upgrades to include the Alfa blocks and dialed it in with the 2020 Lotus Evora alignment specs. That really changed the hedge attack personality! Its such a gem to drive and track now. I also yanked the seats out and installed my own custom lumbar pads and a heat element kit. This really made a difference on my 53 year old back. Very warm and cozy now. Thank you Jay for taking the time to review the 4C again. I love watching your videos! They are informative and enjoyable. You have really been a blessing especially when we were being locked down seven ways to Sunday during covid. Keep up the good work pal!

JayEmm your videos are so good and entertaining- congrats on your success, and thanks for the hard work and great, funky content!

I just recently stumbeled across your channel and I got instandly hooked. Funny, interesting and very well written. Absolute fantastic videos thank you

You’re my favourite car RU-vidr. No BS, nonsense or fanfare. Genuine petrol head discussion and I love it. Every new upload is an instant click. Congrats on 300K. Hope your get your hands on an LFA someday (unless you already have?) Keep it up James!

I'm 9 months into 4C ownership. It's fitted with the race pack and I use it as my daily driver. No other car that I have owned comes close to the enjoyment of this car. I'm more used to big comfy V8's so was a bit of a shock experiencing the 4C for the first time. I'd now find it hard going back to a 'normal' car. Those that track exceptionally good handling cars would say the 4C doesn't compare but for me, who uses it as a daily, the handling for exceeds anything I've previously owned. The attention it gets (all positive) is off the charts, the mpg is amazing for the performance, parts are relatively cheap, sounds amazing from inside the cabin and....the looks!....it is a fantastic looking car! Can't see me seeling/changing this car for a very very long time.

The 4C is in the top 10 of my "If I could have any car I wanted" list. It's not at the top of that list but it is the only one that I might actually be able to get one day.

Well done James, 300k and another super watchable vid. You are a talent!

James, I have a 2015 (USA). I agree with your review. It’s quirky and fun, BUT I’m glad I have other cars to enjoy too. Of all my cars, this one gets the most attention.

I love the 4C. Yes it is the sports exhaust on there. Can see it on the tailpipe. Not the sportiest exhaust you could get though. That would be the titanium Akrapovic with centre pipes. Nice video.

Spooky. I was just looking up your previous 4C videos last night, and another came out!

I loved this Alfa from the moment i first saw it on TG . Utterly beautiful . ❤

To steal a phrase from Clarkson’s Alfa Romeo Disco Volante piece, “As a tool for making you feel special, nothing comes close”… I drove one of these (rosso competizione coupe) for two years and did 15,000miles in it - never once did it not feel like an event getting in and driving it…

Congrats on 300K!

Will never be able to own one but really cool to see someone drive one. Nice vid.

7:57 - Well the HVAC control actually dates back to the 1995 Punto (Tipo 176). A bit different symbols, identical switches.

4C is already an instant classic. It is Beautiful, steering can be fixed easily (all 4C owner have done), i have a coupe’ and just 3 k are on the road now. It is the sole car on his category with carbon fibre chassis. Mine has 335 hp and 973 kg with full tanks (i have done some upgrades😎). And the Car is mega really mega. Price is growing up and will be much more when all the whashing machine will be around us. 🍀👍💪

Can someone define a perfect "CAR" , whenever Alfa Romeo is mentioned the descriptive imperfect rears it head and the goes to reinforce this negative image of the brand, the 4C is a modern technical automotive achievement, beautiful, lightweight, agile, and punches well above it's price point. Only the Alpine is in the same ball-park and that does not have a carbon fiber monocoque.😊

My first look at JayEmm. Fantastic presentation. Clear, precise, sound quality on audio well engineered. Good editing. JM witty and well versed on the subject. Best of all, he’s credible and likable! I’m binge watch more.💪

Beautiful looking car. This was a serious consideration for my next weekend car. I’m going the F-Type route, but this was enticing as well

A mate got one the waiting list, took bleedin' ages. He loved and hated in equal measure that blinking thing. Hey ho, he's still got it today.

I have no.39 and the Alfaworks geo transforms the car! As does their stage 1 ecu which sorts out the power delivery and takes it to 280hp. To date it's been the most enjoyable car I've owned and, this will upset a few, it's been the most reliable car I've run over 4 years!

The used value of these in Australia never went below retail by more than 5% and now they are well over at around 30-40% above the original price. A good, fun investment!

As good as the review of the Alfa is, the introduction is priceless. George Carlin and many other comedians, alive and dead are grinning ear to ear. Thanks for making my day!

Looks just about right now! Same with the Evora/Emira that they didn't do it like this originally! Thanks J! 🙏🙏

A 4C with 'Alfa Works' makeover is on my bucket list...

I love this car, I got a red 4C spider . Cheap to maintain and run.

I own a launch edition. It’s absolutely stunning, reliable and very exciting. It’s had a stage 1 tune and a cold air intake and is around 315bhp. It’s always admired and I’m always asked if people can take a photo. When I took it to a caffeine and machine meet I was the only 4c and yet there was roughy a million Porsches 😂 dare to be different

Always enjoy your videos; whichever the car.

Lovely looking, cheers guys 👍

I just finished uploading my first drive of an alfa romeo (diesel, Stelvio) and that was life changing. I can only imagine how this would look and feel like in real life. Awesome review as always good sir 😊

I’m a racer, and I’ve worked in automotive all of my life. The only area I actually agree with you on is re: the looks. I have the use of one at the moment, and it’s a very special car, I adore it. Super-light, efficient, reliable, very well built - it’s a 246 Dino for the modern generation. I wouldn’t take a car like this to a ‘dealer’ - though you could - it’s completely missing the point. It’s for specialists. Who cares about the boot space. I’m just glad Alfa Romeo made it ❤

Great review! I have No10 of the Anniversary edition, also in madreperla white and it’s a night and day difference to the Spider I took out at launch, now that it’s running with Alfaworks geo, tune and on Michelin tyres. Fabulous, engaging drive, sounds great with its Quicksilver exhaust and always receives positive attention due to its achingly good looks. Future classic for sure!

Gorgeous GreatButt 😂😅😂 I love the look 👀 and I would drive one. Especially knowing the suspension can be sorted very easily. 🎉

Congratulations on the 300 k. Your videos and content are maturing nicely. 😊 Well be calling you Shmeayemm before you know it.

Have always had an interest in these, coupe version, and after watching many reviews, yours being the most informational and non biased reviews in my book, i finally decided to take the plunge! Bought my one owner mandraperla, Akropovic, carbon fiber roof, and black leather spec and after having bought it online and over the phone, had it shipped 3000 miles, i still can't wipe the smile from my face! Thank you for your take on one of my favorites! Ps...found out a week after ownership, my girl has the eurocompulsion stage 2 tune! Supposedly bringing it up to 312bhp...thought it see ed way peppier than the example i test drove a couple months prior.....either way.....yummy!

I rented one of these for a weekend for my 1 year anniversary and it brought such a smile to my face. I don't think I'd want to own one unless I had quite an extensive collection already, but the thing was a riot. Like a happy little bumblebee. My biggest gripe was actually the seats. Quite uncomfortable and also not terribly supportive. I am not a racing driver so didn't have the limit handling complaints of the hotshoes, but below the limit it was quite a lot of fun. The steering as you'd imagine though doesn't make parking maneuvers super easy.

Owned a US 4C Coupé car for 3 years with the same exhaust (there is no silencer); it's exactly as described here. It makes dirty, naughty sounds all the time, and the whole experience is as visceral and raw as you can hope for in a modern car. The transmission is as responsive as you'll ever need it to be on public roads, with the DNA selector on Dynamic mode. With how slow it is, Normal mode is just there for boring long distance drives if one would ever do such a thing with this car. I don't see the 4C as a competitor to the Elise and Exige--it's a much more spacious car than those, and if you have a taller frame like myself the Lotus won't be very useable. My hot take is that the direct comparisons don't really matter when you drive it because the 4C is such an occasion, even holding its own against the better-known "exotic cars." Understandably, having the full leather interior option makes a significant difference in the ambience. 4Cs are not as affordable as they were at the bottom of the depreciation curve, but 100% recommended if you can afford one. I noted that the suspension was very nervous on straight roads, but in my experience fresh tyres fix some of that and of course, the Alfaworks parts will make it even better.

I would struggle with choosing between the Elise and the Alpine, but if i'm buying a car for more than weekend fun, i think i'll go with the Alpine. I love everything, besides the drivetrain, about that car.

Yes, we in the US got better interior parts. The Alfa 4C is gorgeous, reliable, and built in Maranello. A stage 2 ECU puts these in the mid 3s 0-60. Won’t be long and they will be out of reach. It will never be duplicated.

Loved the look of the 4c for many years, having owned many a variant of Alfa Romeo over the years it definately a car on my radar IF I ever sold my Maserati Granturismo, that or a Guilla QV. In fact the car before the GT was a Alfa Giulietta Cloverleaf which was rempapped and did go very well indeed. Great video as ever Mr Emm. Runs to autotrader to check out prices of 4C's :-)

Great review.

The same problem with the dealerships in Germany too. After many bad stories and experiences with Alfa Dealerships… I think that the dealerships are the biggest problem for Alfa since 2005 … they don’t make new customers. No matter if they sell good , cheap or beautiful cars the customer service is bad.

Timing could not have been any more coincidental. Just come back from the Alfa Romeo Owners Club National Alfa day event where a friend was persuading me to buy one. Imagine the irony to get home and see this video!!!

in the mid 2000s, a lotus exige was 60-70k. Now, if you can find an untracked, unwrecked, unmodified version..... You'll spend 200k and they made 11,000 of them.... plus 36000 Elises that shared the same platform. They made 9000 4Cs.... only about 2500 of which were Spiders. Take a guess at what they'll be worth in 10 years.

At the time I first test drove a 4C, I had just gotten my MR2 Spyder rescue project to a drivable state. After seeing the rubbed-off labels on the switches and breaking nearly all my bones going over a rail crossing right outside the dealership lot, I was very happy to return to my MR2. I can see a 4C as fun, exciting car for a few glorious minutes, but I can't possibly imagine the pain of actually living with one.

Nice sound👌🏻

Great comments on the 4C. Really appreciate your insights. I know you have a slight interest in Vantages 2006 onwards. Love to know your comments on 7speed manuals, especially as only 350 produced.

The 4c literally just popped into my head yesterday for this very reason.

Saw one of these on the Nurburgring last week. It looked very quick.

It's an epic sports car and with the minor modification to the front caster, the handling is less track oriented. (Without the mod, it's like driving a 911 GT3 or GT3RS on the road.) Reliable too, I know of a few at 80,000 miles and more with nothing more than routine maintenance.

One of the best sounding 4 cylinder engines along with the Abarth 500 1.4 they sound amazing for a 4 pot

Did own the 8C and the 4C. The 8C had a flat battery every two weeks, the 4C was twitchy like hell and sometimes frightened the s... out of me. Definitely no daily drivers but great fun toys.

congrats on 300K

I just did a write-up of the 4C on my Instagram. I'm excited to see how these cars depreciate in the market as the years go one. In my opinion, they're fantastic. But they need two things. The first being a check over of the alignment, and the second being a SCARA73 aftermarket steering wheel and paddles. I HATE that wheel so much, but the SCARA unit solves that (but does delete your airbag).

Jay I had the same experience when i tried to test drive a 4c. They told me that I can test drive it when I buy one. I went to lotus and they let me take it for a 30 min drive and that's how I ended up buying my lotus.

Lovely car, good to see that you now rather like it. Perhaps you will do the same with a later Giulietta, they are really good cars. I’ve had a 150bhp Multi-air for nearly 5 years from new and with the only expenses being tyres and annual service it has been very reliable and is fun to drive especially when you shove it into Dynamic for safe overtaking. Go on James, swallow your pride and learn to love the Giulietta as well !

I was a car journalist when this came out. Most colleagues had already driven the coupé when the Spider was introduced, so I was asked to go to the press launch of that. I remember how everybody was complaining that the suspension was too stiff and too wayward to make this a nice car, and then with the Spider the Italians introduced an optional Race chassis. I drove all three chassis options (normal, Sport and Race) and, surprisingly (but oh so typically Alfa Romeo), the Race Chassis was by no slim margin the most comfortable one, and the one I would advise to get if you're thinking about getting a 4C. Then again, I can attest to how terrible the dealer network is (and I'm in Belgium, so the issue is not limited to the UK) and I think you'll probably get better service by choosing a Lotus or - much overlooked - a Vauxhall Speedster.

I was at one of the earliest events when the car was launched and remember the great anticipation everybody had….then someone started it up and….it sounded like a Pre War Austin Seven Nippy Sports…a sort of flatulent clattery perping sound….the enthusiasm melted and many walked away. It will ne a collectors item very soon! 😬😬🙂

It’s a great little car but it’s a long time away, if it’s ever going to be a future collectible

Proud owner, the car is amazing.

I got one. 2017 4C Spider. I love it.

Great video. Do Alfa Works keep a database of the 4cs they have worked their magic on?

I think Jay is the guy at a party you do not know, you start up a conversation and 5 minutes in you say to yourself "lets get outa here". Jay cheer up, just a smidge.

I had a 4C as a daily driver. On October 5th of this year a semi merged into my lane and bumped me across 3 highway lanes into the center divider. Surprisingly no other car ran into me but my car was totaled. I miss it everyday. I LOVED to drive it any chance I had. I am still dealing with the Semi's car insurance to get the issue with my 4C resolved. RIP 396 of 500 LE.

nice vid. true in the us the 4c where heavier, health and safety stuff (extra airbags etc)

No mention of scuttle shake/rigidity of chassis. Assume the carbon tub sorted it? Another great video. Thanks JM.

It’s funny that you fit this car

Last time I looked prices were still very strong, not that there is a cat in hells chance of me ever owning one but that doesn't stop me looking 😂

May I make a suggestion? The mic placed near the exhaust tip doesn’t sound anything like the real exhaust. The sound from in cabin and drive by shots gives us a much more realistic idea of what the car will sound like in real life. It tends to make the exhaust of all cars sound much worse than it really is.

Sort of reminds me of a LOTUS to which I,d rather have for half the money !!👍👍👍👍👍Great content...

Great review. Is the car so tight or are you so big?

These headlights make a massive difference, it's a lot better looking and actually seems like the original 4C concept

Bought a brand new 156 twin spark when they came out. The list of faults was two A4 pages long, including terrible paint, grease marks on headlining and lights staying on and doors not locking. Had a maddive flat spot on acceleration too.

Great car, great review. I always thought the MC20 was supposed to have been a Ferrari (Dino), with the Roma originally a Maserati? Check the Alfieri and you'll see why

Interesting video James. The tide has changed substancially over the last few years. The fish are swimming in all different illogical directions. There is probably more life in other cars now. Just like the the 4C with the Fiat Barchetta heating controls. As for my choice of the cars mentioned? Well, I am 6'5" and slim. The Lotus is out then. A caterham long would do. What could I fit into? My Barchetta fits. Just. That is my tarmac terrier of choice for now. Scoff ye not until you have driven mine. All could become clear.......... Bw and many thanks J. Mike.

I think you could have any of those 3 and it wouldn't matter. They are all interesting cars

brother-ln-law has one, I have driven it. They are a nice car to drive. And they look stunning. Here in Oz the asking price has gone up considerably. If you got one about 3 year ago you could now get about 50% more. I would go for the Elise without the blower and not the K-series engine.

Definitely better with the glass headlights

Which would I own? As an Alfisti it would have to be a 4C! I believe photographs dont show just how great they look!

I don't own a 4C, but i do own a 159 TBi, and let me tell you that little engine punches way above it's weight. Very good engine although it can be at times sensible but has good tuning potential.

I've had several cars, that tried to kill me. I miss all of them.

Love your reviews. Not really relevant for Canadians but who cares...fun to watch!

I had my name down for one of these. Just before I was to put down a deposit, Porsche announced the 981 Boxster Spyder. My deposit went to Porsche :)

Went a fiat/alfa dealership few years back and was quoted £165 for a thermostat housing. Went up the road and got a thermostat for less than a tenner.

My choice would be the Alpine, i much prefer its looks too. Wish it was available in North America!

I had a 156, and loved it, yes it broke down only 9k miles on took it back to get a GT instead, lost a terrible load of money, went to Volvo, got a C30 se, and more money for the 156.And, still have Volvos from then 2007, ahem, and have never broken down.

We love you.

I think you’ve slightly missed the point - I have had the use of a 2016 for the past ten months, I adore it. Alfa Romeo had to use parts from the bin to build the cabin - because ALL THE MONEY went into the tub, you cannot do a carbon tub for £60k - it’s a bargain. Recasting the block in aluminium … ? 💰 I’m a racer, I look at things differently. For me it’s stunning, brilliant to drive. Oh, and yes: Alfaworks are excellent 👌

In Canada I’ve only seen fully leathered interiors including leather door panels and full carbon halo, never new they came with plastic Interiors