Approaching in the oncoming lane, the mid-engined Alfa Romeo 4C looks every bit as exotic as a Ferrari. It has, after all, about the same width-to-height proportions as a 458 Italia. It is impossibly wide, incredulously low, and breathtakingly beautiful. And then it flies past with triple-digit decibels of anger exploding from its tailpipes, punctuated by the whip-crack misfire induced as its computers orchestrate a 130-millisecond gearchange. The noise is pure Ferrari, in loudness, fury, intensity, and timbre. No surprise, since the Alfa Romeo 4C has no muffler. No muffler at all. No resonator, nothing: a turbo, a catalytic converter, and that's it. In this basic form, it also has no power steering, no side or knee airbags, no carpeting to speak of, a miniscule 10.6-gallon fuel tank, and limited seat adjustibility. It's not a car in the transportation sense of the word, you don't buy this to get from one place to another. The 4C connects you to the road in a way other modern cars don’t. You feel every bump in the asphalt. Each shift of your hands yields mechanical, perceptible results. The car feels coiled, always ready to strike and happy to oblige. Available for long term rental.