Need a new summer sports car? It's never too soon for an Alfa Spider
By Matt Bird / Monday, February 21, 2022 / Loading comments
It seems like only yesterday that the world eagerly anticipated Alfa’s new rear-wheel drive sports car, when it was actually way back in 2014. The excitement was easy to understand: the car was going to have a carbon tub, a sub-1,000kg kerbweight, a dual-clutch gearbox and the kind of design only Alfa could deliver. Finally, the firm’s many followers were to get the evocative sports car they had desired for so long.
As it transpired, the 4C was some way short of the mark, for a variety of reasons. It was very hard not to like it, because it was an impossibly stylish and very ambitious Alfa Romeo, but elements of the drive bordered on the unforgivable. Which was a shame.
Then along came a Spider, arguably an even better-looking Alfa 4C, and without quite such a weight of expectation on it given the reality of driving the Coupe. But, in fact, it proved to be a better driver’s car than the hardtop. Changes to the chassis, steering and weight distribution made the Spider a much calmer, less frenetic sports car, albeit one still blessed with the inherent agility that comes with such low mass. On circuit, one review said the Spider was “a real pleasure”, praising the brakes and chassis balance in slippery conditions. The car was still some way from perfect – for which the laggy, droney engine was mostly responsible – but there was no doubt it was a better 4C.
Now, a few years after production wound up and with Alfa seemingly committed to the same unimaginative future as everybody else, the appeal of a used 4C isn’t hard to see. We’re all inclined to look more generously on a car as an occasional roadster than an everyday Boxster rival, and it would be naïve to assume that Alfa badge doesn’t still hold some sway. It seems likely, too, that the aftermarket scene could help resolve any lingering issues to deliver the 4C Spider you really want. And that should have been made in the first place.
This one is even more notable than most. Not only has it covered just 500 miles since being one of the last cars registered in 2019, but it was also specced to over £70,000 when new. Pretty much everything that could have been optioned on – racing exhaust, carbon mirror covers, the paint, the upgraded leather, the 19-inch wheels and so on – was added by the original owner. Right down to the model-appropriate personalised plate, it would seem that this Spider was bought by the most dedicated of Alfa fans. Exactly the kind of person you’d want to own the car before you, basically.
Furthermore, in a world of frankly unbelievable used car prices, that this Spider is available for more than £15k off its new RRP just 500 miles later looks more than tempting. Obviously, nobody needs reminding that £55,000 buys plenty of other nearly new sports cars, from Porsche to Lotus and many more, but for sense of occasion the 4C really knows no equal. With so few made and therefore buying opportunities limited, this looks like one not to miss. And it’ll be sunny again soon, promise.
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