The Alfa Romeo 4C isn’t the hardest sports car to find, and it’s not the most expensive, so why is it that no one seems to be wanting these cars? Alfa Romeo as a brand is incredibly underrated, and it seems like most people pass them over for other brands every day. We should have known the Alfa Romeo 4C wouldn’t be a smash hit in the United States after taking cues from some other comparable sports cars, but they aren’t a total failure either.

It calls for some sacrifices

The Alfa Romeo 4C isn’t a good option for a daily driver for the same reasons a Lotus Elise isn’t. They are so low to the ground most drivers and passengers find themselves awkwardly crawling into the car – one time I did have to see an unfortunately tall passenger have to remove the car’s ragtop in order to step out of the car.

There also isn’t a lot of space inside the car’s cabin. It’s relatively cramped, and you will definitely be sharing your personal space if you chose to have someone ride along.

Then, of course, there is also the rather odd styling. The 4C does have the iconic Alfa Romeo grille shape, but the front end is often described to have bug-like characteristics. This isn’t a bad thing, as the car does have a very distinct look, fun body lines, and smooth contours, but it doesn’t have the aggressive styling we’ve become accustomed to with new sports cars.

Why it doesn’t sell well

The Alfa Romeo 4C is definitely a cool car, but there are a few major factors working against it. The first one is that it has to face up against some harsh competition. In the United States, American muscle cars seem to dominate the sports car market. Mustangs, Corvettes, and Mopars seem to

One major downside of the Alfa Romeo 4C is that even though the car handles very well, it takes corners like a champion and is light and small enough to navigate traffic like in a video game, it is only offered as an automatic.

This isn’t a problem for some drivers, but the typical purchasers of smaller sports cars tend to prefer manual transmissions. As a self-proclaimed Lotus fanatic I would have happily adopted an Alfa Romeo 4C into my garage, but the lack of a manual transmission option has steered me away thus far.

The Lotus Elise is the Alfa Romeo 4C’s biggest competition, but they are no longer being imported to the United States due to failure to meet ever-changing NHTSA safety requirements. The Lotus Elise is a great collector car that is loved by many, but they struggle with the same problems as the 4C.

Overall the Alfa Romeo 4C is still a unique and fun sportscar even if most people wouldn’t recognize one on the street. If you are willing to sacrifice space and comfort and have the patience for hearing the question “what is it?” dozens of times over, this might be the sports car you’ve been looking for.