Future Alfas

[Will Owen <nashwill912@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

David Serafini wrote:

> Also of note: the new spider GTA is scheduled to get the 4.2L Ferrari V8
> (@425hp) and 4wd.
> This strikes me as making it very similar to the Maser spider, and I don't
> understand why they want to do that.

I was not privy to the decision-making process, but my guess is their
reasoning was along the same lines as Ford's decision to sell the
all-but-identical Aston-Martin and Jaguar XK at hyper-astronomical and
merely-astronomical prices respectively: because they CAN, and because
it's a good way to sell more cars. "Badge engineering" it's called in
the UK, and most of the multi-marque conglomerates have been doing it as
a matter of course for the last 50-some years. At its least inventive
and most boring it amounts to changing logos and trim, but now that so
much real engineering can be done on the fly it's fairly easy to tailor
not only appearance but dynamic characteristics to each market segment. 

Of course things we may value are both lost and gained in such
processes; Alfas long ago lost their hand-assembled personalities, a
thing that some of us mourn and others might celebrate. Several of us
have made it clear that as far as they're concerned there are no more
Alfas, only rolling appliances (however good they may be) bearing a name
to which they are entitled by law alone. Others among us don't frankly
give a damn...which proves that while our cars may be badge-engineered,
we aren't.

Will Owen
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