Re: Miata/Alfa Spider

[GLewis4457@domain.elided]

In a message dated 10/12/2002 1:09:26 AM Central Daylight Time, 
owner-alfa-digest@domain.elided writes:

> By the way, even though I've not driven a recent Miata, the original 
> one was certainly no real competition for an Alfa Spider in my eyes. 
> Like most Japanese cars, it was designed by the numbers by engineers 
> who take the train to work,

One of the major car mags, in the mid 90's, did a comparison of 5 (if my 
fading memory still serves me) current "sportscars" which included the Miata 
and the then current Spider.  By just about every measure imagineable the 
Alfa came in dead last...its age was definately showing and suffering by 
comparison.

It was widely reported at the time that Mazda bought several Lotus Elans, 
shiped them to Japan, and disassembled and reverse engineered, and these were 
the basis for the original Miata.  Whatever they did they kicked Alfa butt in 
the market place.  It was much closer to a real drivers car than the aging 
Alfa.

Besides keeping the old alfa spi9der well beyond its useful life, I also 
believe that FIAT wasted alot of money and resources in their abortive Indy 
500 effort....especially after the failure of Porsche.  That was not their 
real market niche and if the money had gone into a new product, improved 
reliability and build qualitym, with a marketing effort in the right places 
they may have been able to stay the course, or even prospered.  Just alot of 
bad decisions and lack of knowledge of the North American market.

Jerry in Houston
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