Alfa Romeo 4C SpiderThe 4C improves, and the Spider is a good conversion, but it remains dynamically troubled and absurdly expensive It isn’t saying how, but Alfa Romeo has been improving its mid-engined, carbon-tubbed 4C sports car. Take the steering. In earlier 4Cs, its weight would vary as you swivelled it, a disconcerting sensation in any car let alone a rapid sportster with a low centre-of-gravity and fat wads of grip.And we’ve now sampled a smoother riding 4C too, the smaller-wheeled, higher-sidewalled standard version, which also does without a rear anti-roll bar, managing a usefully better job of absorbing sharp-edged bumps.The right-hand drive version of the 4C has also emerged, and unlike many past Alfas, the conversion leaves a pretty decent driving position unspoiled. These discoveries arrive with the launch of the Spider version of the 4C, whose removable roof adds another dimension.However, the 4C Coupe came a resounding last in our 2014 Best Driver’s Car test, its dartingly inconsistent steering, wayward directional stability, uncertain brakes and torrent of industrial strength din turning every drive into a battle, even if it was grippily brisk.So the arrival of the 4C Spider, whose main area of modification obviously majors on the roof, promises little dynamic improvement. Still, the conversion adds only 15.5kg, the fabric roll-up top supported with carbonfibre windscreen surround reinforcement, a modified rollover hoop and an engine bay strut brace.The Spider also gets air-conditioning, parking sensors, a leather-skinned dashboard and heftier, less ugly headlights, adding 45kg to its weight and an absurd £14,500 to its price, taking it beyond Porsche Boxster GTS money.
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