Alfa Romeo 4C, Fiat 124 Spider are now available in the Philippines

Petromax Enterprise, the importer of Alfa Romeo and Abarth vehicles in the Philippines, brings in a new set of Italian sports cars into the country – the Alfa Romeo 4C and the Fiat 124 Spider. These two new performance cars offer options to those who want a little more thrill in their lives through highly-capable sports cars.

First up is the Alfa Romeo 4C. It’s a mid-engined lightweight rear-wheel-drive sports car. The 4C achieves its lightness by utilizing a carbon-fiber tub as its chassis. Thanks to this, it is able to keep its weight between 895 kg all the way to 1,050 kg.

Exterior features of the vehicle include a composite shell, Targa roof, rear parking sensors, an exhaust system with dual racing terminals, and bi-LED projector headlights. For handling, the vehicle gets double-wishbone suspension at the front and Macpherson suspension in the rear. The wheels have also been staggered with 17-inch wheels being placed at the front and 18-inch wheels at the back. 

Powering the Italian sports car is a 1.7-liter 4-cylinder turbocharged gasoline engine. The small mill produces 237 hp and 350 Nm of torque, sent exclusively to the rear wheels. The lightweight nature of the vehicle allows the 4C to hit 100 km/h in 4.1 seconds and achieve a top speed of 258 km/h. 

The 4C is equipped with a six-speed automatic Twin Clutch Transmission. Shifting gears can be done with either the paddle shifters or the gear shift itself. The vehicle also features a dynamic control selector that controls the behavior of the engine, transmission, and suspension.

On the inside, the sports car comes with a fully digital instrument panel with TFT technology. It also comes with a microfiber steering wheel, sports black leather seats with microfiber and red stitching. Safety features include ABS, EBD, Electronic Stability Control, and airbags for the driver and passenger. Petromax Enterprises employs a 2year or 50,000-km warranty, whichever comes first. 

The 124 Spider is a front-engine rear-wheel-drive roadster. If it looks familiar, it is a derivative of the Mazda MX-5. The vehicle is also manufactured alongside the Miata at the Mazda Hiroshima plant. Of note, the Fiat 124 Spider shares the platform, mechanicals, interior as well as the soft-top roof mechanism of the Miata. 

But the similarities stop there as the vehicle doesn’t share the same exterior styling with its Japanese counterpart. The exterior features unique styling in a more serious front fascia compared to the Miata. It features a two-layer black grille flanked by BI-LED projector headlights with DRLs. at the bottom of each are signal lights paired with foglights. It also has a differently tuned set of shocks as well as a slightly longer body and marginally better cargo capacity. 

Powering the roadster is a 1.4-liter MultiAir turbocharged in-line four gasoline engine. Despite its small displacement, it produces a healthy 140 hp and 240 Nm of torque for the local market version. Power is sent to the rear wheels via either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic transmission. The engine also lets the 124 Spider rocket to 100 km/h in 7.5 and maxes out the vehicle at 217 km/h. 

On the inside, the Fiat roadster has a Multi-information display, a radio with a 3-inch display, a BOSE sound system with 9 speakers as an optional package, cruise control, leather seats, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls.

For safety, the 124 Spider comes with front airbags for the passenger and driver as well as airbags located at the sides. It also comes with a standard suite of safety features such as ABS, EBD, Electronic Stability Control, and Active Bonnet protection. The local market version comes with a 2-year or 50,000-km whichever comes first. 

Pricing is currently on request as the vehicles can be customized to order but ballpark figures put the Fiat 124 Spider at around P2.9M. The Alfa Romeo 4C, on the other hand, comes in at around P7.5M.