Alpha Romero - Epilogue (maybe, probably not) of a Mid-engine Disciple

[chan]

Until recently, my road to mid-engine sports cars had been somewhat narrowly defined. I wanted an engine behind me (987.1, 2010), and I wanted to eventually own a Ferrari (F355, 2014).

With the childhood itch scratched, what was I doing to do after the Ferrari? I knew that it would be financially unhealthy to fund an engine-out service every 5 years, so that ruled out keeping the F355 for life. But being a new parent and just getting started on the car's long restoration process, I put off answering the question.

My planned restoration ended with a 2-stage paint correction and ceramic coating completed about two years in. At this point I felt that I had truly ticked the "childhood dream" box. I had an F355, fixed all of its problems and got it back to looking like a brand new car. So, the question naturally came back to me: I've done it. I'm free. What next?

On one of our group drives, I met a new friend who brought his Alfa Romeo 4C, and the more I saw his car the more I found it interesting:

• Italian, never short on "personality" and weird quirks
• Mid-engine, my favourite configuration
• Looks like nothing else on the road
• Doesn't sound Ferrari-glorious but makes a dirty, obnoxious cacophony of noise
• CF structure is super geeky and incredibly rigid
• Both lightweight and somewhat roomy, like a Lotus Exige that I actually fit in
• Owning an Alfa = instant enthusiast cred
• Lightning reflexes and a sensory overload of driving feedback
• I can afford one

Having decided on my next car, I felt comfortable letting go of the Ferrari. While it was listed for sale on BaT, I actually found a yellow 4C on the local Turo listings and rented it. Meanwhile, I began negotiating with a dealer in Kansas which had the only white-on-red car I could find. A PPI returned nothing--the car was pristine despite the low resolution of the sale pics.

So, after another 2 years of enjoying my restored F355, it went away to an East Coast buyer and I went an agonising 1.5 days without a sports car.

The next day, a transporter dropped this beauty off nowhere near my house because the driver couldn't understand his GPS nav.

This is the second car I've bought sight-unseen, the other being my CPO Jag which @ITA97 kindly inspected for me.

I have a shortlist for what's next, but until I save up enough money this 4C is plenty of crazy fun. It's going to need new tires soon and since the P Zeros get mixed reviews, I'm planning to try the Bridgestone Potenza S-007A. On TireRack it's the only other tire made in the 4C's sizes.

So that completes my series of "introductory posts." Thanks for reading!

[2Poor_sh2Furious]

What's your potential budget like? Same as the 4c was?

[TexturedSoyProtein]

S-007 looks interesting. Seems like the closest Michelin competitor along with the Conti EC Sport.

[Snakesm13]

@chan Alway love looking at your car but... that McDonald’s Viper tho!

[Highlander]

@chan get one of these.

[chan]

@highlander Hahaha. Drove one, that thing has way too much power and not enough brakes. A Gen2 Viper would be a much better candidate.

[chan]

@poor_sh Will be much more splurgey, hence the need to save up...

Aiming for a Challenge Stradale or a Scud. Not there yet, hopefully I get there sometime before retirement.

[chan]

@texturedsoyprotein Yeah, and honestly I'm a fan of the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S. They just don't make them in the 4C's set sizes.

Had Super Sports (the predecessor) on both my Cayman and my F355, superb all-around tire for sports cars.

[2Poor_sh2Furious]

@chan 992 GT3!

[rctothefuture]

Congrats! Always liked the 4C convertible, would love to sit in one and see if I fit.

[TexturedSoyProtein]

@chan If you have the 17"/18" wheels you can get RE-71s or Trofeo Rs. Who needs wet traction anyway?

[MidEngine]

No stick?

[chan]

@midengine The 4C does not have a manual option.

[chan]

@texturedsoyprotein Unfortunately I have the 18/19 setup that is on most cars. Although the wheels look great (my favourite OEM wheel design), it really limits tire choices. You can also size-up a little on width, and some people do that to unlock more tire choices.

[MidEngine]

@chan Probably why I've ignored it

[chan]

@rctothefuture Of course you'll fit, the Spider comes standard with unlimited headroom

[davesaddiction]

@chan Moved to Best of OPPO.

[chan]

@davesaddiction Ha, thanks for the bump!