How many cars have been undone by the pronounced crown and unruly surface conditions of UK roads? Quite a few. The most common downfall is ride comfort - vehicles launched on virginal German asphalt that feels sublime regularly fall to pieces on our scabby blacktop.
The Alfa 4C's dimensions and suspension layout do lend themselves to disturbance by extreme road crown, but the ride comfort in Italy last year was good, so it remained to be seen if that behaviour actually revealed itself.
Would the UK be the 4C's undoing?
And what of the Cayman? Still the best pound-for-pound sports car on earth, or would the Alfa's unassisted steering actually expose the Cayman's electric rack? Would it make the Porsche seem to big and lazy?
We headed off in the lashing rain in search of some answers.