In advance of the Alfa Romeo 4C going on sale in the US for the 2014 model year, it looks like engineers are getting some time with the coupe on American soil. This new set of spy photographs was captured on Michigan roads and it happens to give us our best look yet at the Alfa's interior.
The
driver may have been trying to block the lens of our intrepid shooter,
but we still come away from these spy shots with some interesting
information about the 4C.
The prototype utilizes a pushbutton transmission, with no gear lever at
all. A button labeled "A/M" would seem to indicate both an automatic
and a manual mode, which would lead us to believe that paddle shifters
are hiding behind the steering wheel. That same center console has a
large metal switch which looks like it could be used to toggle between
drive modes, too. The hazard-light button, window controls and side-view
mirror controls all get premium real estate on the center console, too.The gauge cluster in this 4C is completely digital, and seems very much like other reconfigurable units we've seen from Jaguar, Cadillac and others. As configured for these images, the display shows a prominent tachometer with a 6,500 rpm redline and a numeral readout for speed in the center. Again, we'd expect that all or part of this screen could be adjusted to suit an owner's preferences.
Finally, the in-cabin shots reveal a rather interesting mix of high and low-tech stuff. In addition to the modal ride control (probably) and fancy display, we spy what appears to be a pretty standard head unit for the media controls (likely no navigation in this example), a traditional key in the ignition, a standard manual hand brake, and a general theme of simplicity throughout. While we've no doubt that the Alfa sports car will offer more goodies than we're seeing in these photos, this test car does make us hopeful for a de-contented, basic version with, presumably, a more reasonable starting price.
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