With a lightweight body including a carbon-fibre monocoque, rear wheel drive, a mid-engined layout as well as a thrilling and decently powerful four-cylinder engine, the Alfa Romeo 4C has all the credentials for an epic sports car. However, the only thing holding it back from true greatness is a manual transmission. And while many fans would love it, Alfa Romeo has confirmed that no manual option will be made.
Fiat’s R&D chief Harald Wester said, that “it [a manual transmission] messes up the entire architecture, and it would ruin the monocoque.” Consequently, the current dual-clutch automatic was used due to packaging and strategic reasons.
While this is a sour pill to swallow, one must not forget what already makes the Alfa Romeo 4C an exceptional car. In Europe, it weighs just 895 kg dry and despite a host of new features in the U.S. car, it still weighs only 1050 kg there.
Under the hood, it is powered by an impressive 1.75-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine. This powertrain delivers 237 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque with power being sent to the rear wheels via a dual-clutch paddle-shift transmission. As a result, the Italian sports car can hit 100 km/h in the mid-4 second range before reaching a top speed of 258 km/h!
[Via Car and Driver]
No manual transmission? I don’t get it, that’s what driving a sports car is about.