I hate to seem like a pessimist, but I fear that if GM ends up owning Alfa
Romeo (via Fiat), its the end of the marque as we know it. Alfas will become
more like Opels: no character, and based on Opel's chassis, will no longer
have that special Italian car 'feel' that we Alfisti like so much; that
combination of handling, ride, and feedback to the driver that seemingly
exists in every Italian car from the lowest Fiat 500 to the most expensive
Ferrari. Just my opinion, you understand.
George Graves
Too late! its already happened. To me the final nail in the coffin was
Fiat's decision on using the revered GTA name for a warmed-up,
gadget-infested 156. Ok, so everyone including the people on this digest
are intrigued at present but think what would be more appropriate as the
bearer of the GTA name - the 156 GTA or the Brera? I have absolutely no
doubt that if a new GTA is to be a world-beating hot number as the Giulia
Sprint GTA and the 1300 GTA Jr were, then the only car that Alfa has
produced worthy of the name is the Brera ... "decent horsepower in modern
terms, great chassis platform, a drivetrain that will take all the power
you can throw at it, and best of all, no some overweight warmed-up commuter
car aimed at the sort of people who drive BMW and Mercedes.