Aussies get heavier Alfa 4C

ALFA Romeo’s gorgeous, lightweight 4C has finally hit our shores, but Aussie buyers are in for a shock – their cars will be 130kg heavier than 4Cs sold in Europe.

Trawling through the 4C’s Aussie spec sheet reveals a dry weight of 1025kg, a number well up on the 895kg Alfa has been championing in Europe. The official kerb weight for Australian-spec 4Cs, which includes fluids, is 1118kg.

Alfa Romeo Australia says our cars are the same specification as those sold in the US market, which gain an extra 130kg to meet stricter safety and design rules.

“The Australian vehicles include the same safety measures undertaken for the US market, which have resulted in a slightly heavier dry weight,” said Alfa Romeo spokesperson Lucy McLellan.

Click here to see official Aussie pricing.

The added heft comes from additional aluminium inserts in the 4C’s unique carbonfibre chassis, which is actually thicker than those in Europe to comply with Australia’s strict crash regulations.

It’s a nasty surprise for Aussie buyers, firstly because lightness is such a key factor in the 4C’s marketing, and also because in June last year Alfa denied local 4Cs will cop the weight gain.

No word yet on how the extra 130kg heft will affect performance – the official local launch of the 4C isn’t until mid-February – but Alfa insists local 4Cs will still match the car’s official European performance claims, which include a 0-100km/h sprint of 4.5sec.

“The information we have is that the car can absolutely achieve 0-100km/h in 4.5seconds,” McLellan said.