the future

[Nizam Zambri <nizam@domain.elided>]

Phill, and to those who think that every Alfa owner in the USA are purists; stop
that.  What does that mean anyway?

Alfa, like every company, is bound to change.  I'm open to changes of execution.
FWD vs RWD vs AWD really does not matter as long as the badge on the front says
"Alfa Romeo" and the design and engineering SPIRIT of the car is still Alfa
Romeo, i.e. high-performance engine and chasis, clothed in unique and timeless
sheetmetal.

I hope, as richard welty pointed out, that Alfa does not suffer from GM's
meddling in its spirit;  I do fear if GM may have too much say in how Alfa
executes its line of automobiles but it doesn't sound like they would in what
we've read so far.

However, if all GM does is make Alfa put on softer springs and smaller sway bars
I don't mind at all.  Most (lay)people like that; it will only increase overall
sales and acceptance (this is good for Alfa).  On top of that, it opens up a
market of Alfa aftermarket performance tuners which SPUR the market.  One of the
reasons Honda's and Acura's are so popular amongst the younger crowd is not
because they are "performance" cars by absolute standards, but rather, they can
be >modified< to be a "performance" car (HA HA).  It's the stigma ... whether or
not they succeed is another matter altogether.  The point is, Honda sells units
because of market perception; reliability, value and performance.  Alfa needs to
do similarly to stay in the game.

I'm going to put my money where my mouth/fingers are.  That, ultimately, is
going to help Alfa stay in the US market.  Now who had the sign up sheet for
that AWD twin-turbo 24-valve 2.5V6 156 GTA?  Pass it on back, I need to change
the "quantity" part.

Non purist Alfa maniac,
Nizam

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End of alfa-digest V7 #1450
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