Re: alfa-digest V8 #1138

[George Graves <gmgraves@domain.elided>]

You mean Michael Schumacher's car refuses to break. Rubin Barrachelo's 
seems to break often enough. But your point is well taken. Italians'  
reputation for building poor quality stuff has two, possibly three 
origins. Number 1 were the tiny Fiats sold here in the USA directly 
after WWII. With their poor quality Magnetti Marelli electrical system 
(Magnetti Marelli stuff was so bad, that Alfa went to Lucas in the mid 
to late '50's for improved (!) quality) and with their tiny motors 
which were unsuited for American driving conditions, the cars didn't 
fare very well. Number 2 was the 'socialist' steel Italy's government 
made the Italian car manufacturers use in the late 60's through the 
early '80's. Italian cars got the (deserved) reputation as rust 
buckets. And thirdly, the Manlicher-Carcano rifle with which JFK was 
shot was widely reported as being of very poor quality at the time, 
which didn't help much. On the other hand, I've a friend with a 
1981Fiat 131. Yeah, it has some rust. Yeah, its interior looks cheap.. 
But It's not. The car is beautifully screwed together. There isn't a 
rattle in it. It's also pretty quick and handles very well. My own Alfa 
GTV-6 is 16 years old (and no rust) and yet it too hasn't a rattle or a 
squeek in it anywhere. Everything about the car just oozes quality. The 
materials, from the thick carpeting, to the gauge of the body steel to 
the fit of the panels is first-rate. My GTV-6 looks like an expensive 
car -anywhere you look. Last year while in Italy, I visited the Uberti 
Arms manufacturing plant and watched Italian craftsmen put together 
replicas of American 19th century black powder guns, both revolvers and 
rifles. They were beautifully machined and carefully fit together. In 
other words, the Italian reputation for poor quality is largely 
unwarranted.



On Friday, September 20, 2002, at 03:30  AM, alfa-digest wrote:


> Date: Thu, 19 Sep 2002 21:49:46 -0600
> From: C M Smith <cmsmith@domain.elided>
> Subject: Rebirth of Italian Engineering
>
> Er, anyone who still thinks Italians build poor quality stuff 
> obviously has
> been paying no attention to F1 lately. Ferrari is now so dominant all 
> the
> crapola about the supposed advantages of the team management, driving
> skill, etc etc is thoroughly debunked. These Ferraris are flat out the
> meanest, baddest racing machines ever. They are faster, handle better, 
> and
> use less fuel than any of the others, by  along shot. Heck they even 
> use
> Bridgestone tires which on the next fastest cars using them are clearly
> junk.  And they refuse to break, the Ferraris, not the Bridgestones.
>
> Last America's Cup, the yacht that challenged the NZ boat was designed 
> and
> built by Italians (and sailed by Italians, albeit with a Brazilian
> tactician). Sure they lost 4 straight, but they whipped everybody else
> (Kiwis build fast sailboats and breed very, very fast sailors, it's 
> the water!)
>
> I tell you, if Alfa comes back to North America, it will be with great
> cars. Italians have historically been great engineers (the darned word 
> is
> Italian) and even better manufacturers. Come to think of it, they are 
> great
> naval architects, and practically invented modern trade  and business
> financing. Modern management methods originated in Italy.  There was 
> some
> dude named Machiavelli that re invented politics. Is there anything 
> they
> haven't done first and best?
>
> Cheers
>
>
> Michael Smith
> Calgary, Alberta,Canada
> 91 Alfa 164L
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