Re: 1982 GTV6's in the USA, and that "special" color combination

[Nicky Avery <nicky@domain.elided>]

John Hertzman wrote:

> Nicky Avery suggests, re GTV6 colors, "I though they made a conscious
> choice not to have many color combos to support on small sales volume."
>
> I don't have numbers for cars imported (as opposed to cars
> manufactured) but the V6 version of the 75, which included all
> Milanos, numbered 9,526 cars while the GTV6 numbered 22,381. 75s (all
> years, all versions) were built in sixteen colors, of which at least
> seven were imported here as Milanos in 1987-88; GTV6s were built in at
> least fifteen colors, with three colors at a time being brought here
> in the early years, up to six in 1985.
The reason I gave may be quite wrong, John, but in 1981 Alfa hadn't sold
more than a couple of hundred GTV6s here (and, of course, no Milanos)
so, hugely encouraged for '82, they brought out the blue leather.

> I can't quite see "not to have many color combos to support on small
> sales volume." Support how? Supporting a paint color consists of
> giving each paint manufacturer a slip of paper with a formula, and
> printing a label to stick in the trunk, but they had already done that
> for world sales.
I think it's not a few paint formulas which govern but the need to carry
high-value interior parts in multiple colors. I am not sure they ever
offered more than 2 at any time (black and blue superseded by black and
tan). Seen that way around, by limiting the number of upholstery colors,
the number of paint colors had to be limited (blue with brown, gold or
burgundy?).

> I don't have a better answer, perhaps because there may not have been
> a good one. I suspect that some odd marketing decisions Alfa made are
> attributable to nothing more or less logical than doing something
> other than that which didn't work the last time. Who thought of that
> blue leather?
Someone in the ordering dept. slipped in an extra zero on the PO for
blue leather?

> The last prior coupes and sedans came here with your choice of dark
> brown, cream, or maroon leather, or brown, grey, or beige velour, and
> hadn't sold very well. Eureka! Blue leather. It isn't a very good
> answer, but if they had had a better answer they might have sold more
> cars and survived in a difficult but viable market. Could it be that
> somebody was asking the wrong question, or that there really weren't
> any good answers?
... they consulted their dealers?

> I'm glad they were here at all, and lasted as long as they did.
>
> John H.
Amen

Nicky
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