Alfa Romeo's reintroduction to the mainstream American automotive market began with the 4C sports car, though only the Stelvio SUV and Giulia sedan would actually end up selling strongly. The handcrafted 4C was something of an enigma in today's automotive landscape before being canceled and now, Fiat-Chrysler has announced a limited production special to celebrate the lightweight sports car's design inspiration in the form of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider 33 Stradale Tributo, which harks back to the iconic 1967 Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale.
Only 33 Limited-Edition 4C Spiders For North America
The 4C hit the roads in 2014 as a lightweight, mid-engined, and relatively affordable sports car that prioritized handling over power. With carbon-fiber construction allowing for a curb weight as low as 1,973 pounds, the 4C's tiny, turbocharged 1.7-liter inline-four producing only 237 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque proved sufficient. Unfortunately, the lack of a manual transmission to appeal to enthusiasts and a serious inability to offer daily driveability seemed to doom the 4C from the start.
Alfa Romeo Celebrates The 4C’s Past
With the 4C on the way out, Alfa Romeo plans on celebrating the model's somewhat surprising seven-year run, as well as the original 1967 33 Stradale with a limited run of only 33 examples that will include Rosso Villa d'Este tri-coat paint, five-hole alloy wheels finished in gray-gold, and a black-and-tobacco interior. The carbon-fiber monocoque chassis, meanwhile, will be finished in red.
Red Carbon-Fiber Chassis
The image above shows that red carbon where it's exposed in the cockpit, as well as one of the plentiful badges denoting the new limited-edition as such. Other goodies set to justify the $79,995 starting price include an Akrapovic dual-mode exhaust, race-tuned suspension, a carbon-fiber halo, and rearview mirror caps painted with the Italian flag. A piano-black front air intake and rear diffuser will also be available as options.
All those designs details may help to remind buyers of the 33 Stradale that was the road-going version of the 24 Hours of Daytona-winning Alfa Romeo Tipo 33, of which only 18 were ever built.
Sources: media.fcanorthamerica.com and topspeed.com.