HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM
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DECEMBER2015
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ILLUSTRATIONBYBARRYBRUNER
53
hemi culture
THEPRESIDIO
The4Cwasdesigned tobeheardas
well as seen. Its air-hungry turbo-
charger and racingexhaust emit a
tantalizinghiss andburbleaswe set
off throughSanFrancisco’sPresidio
toward theGoldenGateBridge. Tweak
the throttle just abit, and it howls.
GOLDENGATEBRIDGE
Passersby gawk at the4C’s sil-
houette, a shape inspiredbyAlfa
Romeo’s 196733 Stradale, which
many autohistorians consider the
most beautiful car evermade.
HIGHWAY101
Despite its small size, the4C feels
safe and secure amid thehigh-speed
road trip
Spiritof ’67
Roaring fromSanFrancisco to the redwoods in the
AlfaRomeo4CCoupe
BYNICKCZAP
PRICE$64,045
traffic onHighway101. Built on a
carbon-fiber chassis, the car is solid
and extremely light, whichmakes for
effortless passing and excellent fuel
economy (34mpg, highway).
POINTREYES
Ona rural roadheading towardPoint
Reyes, I’m tornbetween theviewahead
and theone in the rear-viewmirror.
Beneathaglass canopy, the4C’sall-
aluminum1.75-liter enginepivotson
itsmountsunder torque, a sight almost
as compellingas thehillsof coastal
MarinCounty.
MOUNTTAMALPAIS
Carving up the redwood-shrouded
roads ofMount Tam, I feel every
bump and groove through the
leather-wrappedwheel. There’s no
hydraulic assist or drive-by-wire
here: Manual rack-and-pinion steering
creates a driving experience that’s
both tactile andprecise.
HIGHWAY1
On the smoother asphalt of
Highway1heading back to
San Francisco, I sample the 4C’s
drivingmodes. All-Weather keeps
a computer-aidedhandle on things
when conditions are slick. Natural
is for everyday use. Dynamic bumps
up the power anddials back the
stability control. Racemode? It’s
probablybest to save that one
for the track.
