Closer to a Lotus for sure. But not the same.
Some important differences:
- The 4C has a single rear boot that is approximately the size of a crushed matchbox.
- It has a highly-strung 4 pot turbo which whistles, spits and pops at you like a demented Sex Pistols fan, and I would conservatively estimate that it is doing this at a distance of approximately 8 inches from my head.
- I can just about make out that there is music playing from the stereo if I turn it up to 28 (the maximum volume setting is 30). This is a reflection both of the cabin noise and also of the crappyness of the Parrot ICE. I don't think I would be any less satisfied if Alfa had installed a real parrot.
- The gearbox paddles are attached to the wheel. This seems an innocuous statement at first sight, I'm sure, but try changing gear on a roundabout with such a configuration. You are just as likely to change down as you are up. It's complete guesswork. I bet every Lotus allows full lock without having to cross hands - the 4C doesn't, not even close.
- Last, but definitely not least, the 4C will not change into 3rd at low revs. It beeps at you instead. This is a feature of the car. Whoever thought it up has never, ever, ever driven in a city. Or a town. Or anywhere in fact where you have to drive at 15-20mph.
Despite all the above, this is one **** of a car to enjoy on country lanes and weaving roads. It takes some time to master the foibles of the turbo mapping, but once you understand how to dial the power in, you can enjoy the car's monstrous point-to-point potential.