Re: Alfa SUV's, Am I still an Alfista? and the demise of the fl at four...

[Jonathan Wolff <jon@domain.elided>]

"Ian Preece" <ian_preece@domain.elided> wrote:

> The success of the 156 and GTV/Spyder has had a curious effect on me.
> Suddenly, Alfa's are being bought by people who potentially know nothing
> about their pedigree
[...]
> Many
> magazines carry road test putting the BMW and the 156 together, with
> headlines such as, 'Has BMW met its match', you know the kind of thing, To
> be contemplated in the same company, I worry that Alfa itself will be
> producing a clich=E9, taken at face value it has to, to compete on equal
> terms, but  in doing so it may actually devalue itself....

I have to agree.  It's a sad fact that a large proportion of the 'new Alfa'
(156, GTV, Spider) drivers I see are blocking the middle lane with
cellphones plastered to their ears.  And of the others, very few wave - in
fact they probably wonder why I'm waving at them because they don't
recognise a 164 as being an Alfa Romeo.  Not so the drivers of any other
model - almost without exception I get at least a smile.

On the other hand, it's heart warming that motoring journalists are still
falling over themselves to do group tests with the 156 in, and are still
raving about them.  For the right reasons too - because they are beautiful,
stylish, fun to drive.  I think their incredible popularity with the general
public is largely down to them being a status symbol - but one that shows
that people want to be thought of as having some flair and taste rather than
just having money, which I think is what the BMW thing is all about (no
offense intended to people who own a BMW but not because it's a status
symbol).

Jonathan.

- -- 
Jonathan Wolff <jon@domain.elided>
Programmer
Argonaut Software Ltd.

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