Re: Alfa 166 Sighting in NY & other Rumors

["David L Mericle" <DAVEMERICLE@domain.elided>]

Hi Folks,

There's been a bit of speculation about the existence of a Tipo 166 in New
York City recently...

Fiat North America Headquarters, based in New York on Park Avenue, maintains
a fleet of the companies products-exempt from EPA/DOT/NHTSA USA regulations
due to the companies' "manufacturer" status.

There are presently three 166's at Fiat Headquarters in New York; one for
the US company President (which he does drive daily), one for Agnelli when
he visits (he choose the 166 over a number of other company
products-Lancias, Maseratis, Ferrari's and even Flea-ahts-and yes, he does
visit from time to time and drive the car (it's gold in color)), and one for
the rest of the staff for photo shoots, press sorties, etc...

There has also been rampant speculation about Alfas supposed comeback to the
US shores, to which I can only offer the following:

Maserati is due to come back in about a year's time, and the staff at the NY
office have been given the status of mushrooms-they are kept in the dark and
fed mis-information. In other words, Fiat sub-division Ferrari is completely
in charge of all aspects of Maserati's return, so expect no advertising
(after all Ferrari doesn't need any) for the new Maser, and expect the price
point to be huge. Maserati is not Alfa, and Fiat is counting on selling only
very small numbers of the new Masers to a well-heeled US clientele (read:
the current Ferrari buyer). Even so, Fiat NY themselves have little or no
control over the newest return of one of their Marques to US shores...

As for Alfa, despite recent incredible successes in the marketplace (like
the Alfa lineup re-launch in Oz (Australia)), company insiders both in Stati
Uniti and Italia insist vehemently that the Marque will not return here.
Reasons vary according to the company individual asked-with perhaps the most
salient being; "American Alfisti are Cheap Bastards, and never buy a new
Alfa when given the chance" to "Americans (not the average American Alfisti)
as a whole don't understand the magic of the Marque-and we can't afford to
spend the time or money to educate them when the rest of the Fiat empire is
currently doing well and expanding worldwide". While this isn't the whole
story by a long shot, it is fairly telling in that the people inside the
company have a very poor attitude about the American car buying public-which
in all honesty is based on stunningly hideous low sales of Alfas here in the
beginning to mid 90s...

Please remember, these are not my words, so flame company execs in the third
person accordingly...but before "going off" I suggest everyone search their
heart and their pocketbook and consider whether they would go out tomorrow
and plunk down or finance a minimum of $30,000 US for an Alfa 156 (the
twinspark 2.0 liter with very few bells and whistles would come in at this
number by the time it made it to these shores). No excuses now, how many of
us would do so? I would, but I have been lucky enough to have had various
156's for weeks at a time and am already "pre-sold" on the car in any
version-it is simply the best thing the company has engineered/designed
since the glory days of the 60s and the wonderful model choices of that era
(Giulia Supers, Sprint GTs, Osso di Seppias, TZs, 4Rs, etc etc etc...).

In fact, even if everyone on this list-those slowly but surely restoring an
Alfa on a budget, those keeping a currently running Alfa alive on a budget,
or those eyeing the used Alfa marketplace for the car they've always dreamed
of owning and are now in a position to do so-bought a new 156 it would still
be far below the minimum number of units needed to make the Marque
profitable here.

Shortsighted or not, Fiat is not willing to commit tremendous money to an
all-out media blitz to "enlighten" the general American car buying public
about the wonders of the new Alfas, and even if every committed Alfisti went
out and bought a new Alfa they would be hard pressed to turn a profit after
those first year "new re-launch" sales. And this is despite the
rags-to-riches success story of one of their competitors-Audi. Maybe company
insiders have done a little market data research and realized that they're
"damned if they do and damned if they don't", so they'd rather just not deal
with the situation at all-and remained "damned"...

Sorry for the rant, and I'll see y'all in Monterey...

BTW: So when and where are the Alfa Digest members going to meet at Concorso
Italiano? At the Alfa Ricambi booth at 11:00 am?

Happy Motoring!!
Dave Mericle-European Car Magazine

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