Re: Rebadged Chevy's (and Phill's Imagination.)

["Daniel R. Przybylski" <danp@domain.elided>]

>Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2000 23:11:28 +0200
>From: "Phill Erasmus" <erasmusp@domain.elided>
>Subject: Re: Rebadged Chevy's
>
>"Daniel R. Przybylski" <danp@domain.elided> wrote:---
>
>>Would that be worse than the rebadged Fiats that they are selling now?
>>At least Camaros and Corvettes have rear wheel drive.
>
>And you (Daniel) would also add that these RWD Camaros and Corvettes gives a
>superior handling package to the Alfas? 

No. You just pulled that our of your ass in order to rationalize your post.

Hmmm, let's think of what other sports cars have adopted FWD: Porsche?
Ferrari? Lamborghini? Jaguar? Viper? Corvette? Camaro/TransAm? Maserati? Oh,
and lets not even mention Formula racing, Indy, CART, NASCAR... I guess Mazda
is into FWD... Oh wait, they're two main sports cars, the Miata and recently
defunct RX-7 were RWD. (I wonder why they'd take a big step back like that?)

Thank goodness Alfa has seen the light. After all, I'm sure that FWD would
have taken over the entire Alfa line even if Fiat hadn't intervened. (Unlike
Ford and Jaguar.)

My point was that it ain't the badge, it's the car. Alfa and the badge may
have left, but BMW for example still makes berlinas like Alfa *used to*, and
they've even re-started making spiders and GTs. When Americans think of Alfas,
that is typically what we're used to.

Wake up guys, the *types* of cars we supposedly love have always been here,
and if you're like Phill who would prefer FWD (not that there's anything wrong
with that), then every one from Japan to Detroit to Germany makes sporty
and/or convertible versions of their base models (SVO, High Output, Sport.)
That's an American tradition. Z-28 was just an option code for the high
performance package for a Camaro which itself was just a small car to compete
with the Mustang and other foreign imports. If it weren't for this
manufacturing/marketing technique, everything would be priced like a Ferrari,
Viper, Porsche. (Hell, *all* cars were, before Ford.)

There's no shortage of speed in the States, just crosses and serpents.

> Or could there be another reason why you would pick the RWD Camaro or Corvette above > the Alfa?

Here's that over active imagination again, when did I say I would choose a
Chevy of any kind?

> Ye, right.......! Give me a tight handling FWD Alfa *anytime* above a loose reared
> Camaro or Corvette! Please remember that you know very little about these new
145/146/156/166/GTV and Spiders.....

Hey, I had a Fiat 128 once! Give me some credit. But perhaps you're right, and
I guess that the guys at Ferrari, Porsche, etc. don't know much either... 

Now that you mention it, let me think: 145 or Corvette.... Hmmm, 145. Because
it must be a superior handling car. The fact it's cheaper and certainly more
practical (particularly as we in the SF Bay Area have seen gas prices rise in
price 50% the last couple of months) is just something I'll have to deal with.

> Special prayer: May we PLEASE NOT see a rebadged Fiat/Alfa Romeo - No matter what the > American Alfisti say!!!!

Yes and may the good ol' US of A never succumb to the ever present communist
threat of the Soviet Union. - Yeah, Phill, let's just keep prayin'.

One thing I can say Phill is that you truly are a Fiat enthusiast. You remind
me of so many American Fiat owners (especially prevalent in the membership of
Fiat America) and Alfisti as well who are so full of delusions as to what
these old cars are and what types of cars that Fiat is selling now.

And how dare you say that I'm not an enthusiast. In spite of both marques
leaving the country, I still own a pair of both. (And I'm sure that most of
the constituents of the list are already replying to say, "So what, I have
even more.") And I recently bought three Fiats from a donation house because
they couldn't sell them. They simply would have been crushed otherwise. I've
got a potential buyer for one in LA. I've spent time to look over this car,
take pictures (thanks Warren) and post them for the guy. And I won't get a
grand for the car, but maybe another old 124 sedan won't bite the dust.
(http://www.sonic.net/boticelli/danp/Fiat124/) And take it from me, their
ain't no money in Fiats (much less Alfettas) in the States. You buy those
things because you love them. (By the way, one is a '60 NSU 1100. Now there's
a screamer!)

I've said it before on the silly list, and I'll say it again. I simply have no
delusions about these cars or why I drive them. But don't say I'm not an
enthusiast simply because I can face the fact that Alfa (much less Lancia) has
lost a lot of performance tradition (maybe for worse, maybe for better!) under
the control of Fiat, while other European marques have not. In fact, VW and
Audi have blossomed. Turbo charged New Beetles and TTs have replaced the old
Beetles and the Fox. And Peich is trying to make a mid engined W-12, inspired
by an Alfa Romeo/Italdesign prototype which Alfa (or maybe it was Fiat) didn't
consider for production.

As far as Alfa Romeo's, Fiat's and or Lancia's return to the states: I CAN'T
WAIT! But when I consider that Alfa 145, I'm going consider it against cars
like the Honda Civic or Dodge Neon. Not anything by Ferrari, BMW, Jag or
Porsche much less a Corvette. I'll try to consider one of those cars later,
but first, I think I'll consider buying a house.

Keep praying, Phill.

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