BMW F80 M3 Takes on Alfa Romeo 4C in Comparison Test

Now, taking a peek over the sales charts, the M3 will win, hands down. That’s because the Germans don’t limit the production, as it happens in Italy, where the Alfa is being made. The 4C, being a special model, will only be manufactured in a small amount every year. How small? 3,500 units. That translates into roughly 300 per month.

That’s one of the reasons why you probably won’t have the chance to see or race the 4C too often. However, when such a moment arises, you better be up for the task, like the guys from Car South Africa that took the two out for a straight up comparison.

We admit, it’s a rather weird match-up, considering that one is a sedan and one a sportscar but when you get the 4C on the set, you’ll compare it to just about anything and we understand that.

Looking over the specs, the fight seems lost from the get go. The Alfa Romeo was built to offer the driver sensations he never knew existed, without going overboard with the power or the pricing. That said, the 4C was developed from the ground up to be as light as possible.

The end result is a car that weighs just 895 kg (1,973 lbs). For that package, a 4-cylinder 1.7-liter engine was considered enough, making 240 HP and 350 Nm (255 lb-ft) and allowing the car to reach 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 4.5 seconds, going up to a top speed of 257 km/h (160 mph).

Could the M3 keep up considering it has two extra seats and two extra doors that add up to a grand total weight of 1,560 kg (3,439 lbs)? You might be thinking negative thought right about now but you’re forgetting about the engine. Under its bonnet ‘beats’ a 3-liter inline 6-cylinder biturbo plant making 431 HP and 550 Nm (406 lb-ft) of torque.

Coupled to a 7-speed DCT gearbox as the one in the video has, you get to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.1 seconds, faster than the Alfa. That’s in theory, in real life, things might be a little different. Let’s see what happens when they go at it side by side.