The GTVeloce.com-munity

Why Alfa? Why not!

Alfas have style, they are Italian (hey, it helps) and of all of the more 'affordable' cars most closely resemble road-going racing cars. Well, older Alfas do, anyway. Even the sedans! I admit there have been divergences here and there, but essentially an Alfa tended more towards brio than boring.

Is that important? Well, sure! But lately the differences have evaporated somewhat. What was neat and cool in 1975 is just like everyone else in 2004. Look at twin cams. Back in the 60s, 70s, and even the early 80s there were few 'mainstream' choices if you wanted a bit of racetrack cred. Alfa was one such choice. Sedans, wagons and coupes at affordable, not exotic prices. With twin cam engines, inboard disc brakes (indeed, disc brakes), deDion tubes, rear mounted gearboxes, you name it. They came at a price, usually paid in rust and some extra mechanical care, but they were waaay closer to Porsche than, say, Toyota.

Now look. Everyone has twin cams. And multiple valves. Everyone offers exactly the same thing. It may be given a different name, or it will be "one more" of something (as in a '5-link' suspension, way better than a 4 link, surely, or even better still if called a 'control blade'), but essentially the mass marketers have simply matched each other. They may beg to differ but we only have to look at the cars. They may differentiate by price or by size, or individual specification at particular price points, but essentially they all go, stop and handle the same. Sure, some have all-wheel drive and various driver aids, or a firmer set of springs and dampers, but they can all do that if they want, it's just a matter of buying in the parts and building them in. There's no soul here, it's just marketing.

Well, there is some soul - the older, prouder brands (like Jag, Alfa) have built up race cred and heart and soul over decades, the only problem is that the practical consequences are too easily replicated. You can make a Toyota (or a Hyundai, for that matter) lap a race track as quickly as an Alfa, if you spec it with the right bits.

Now still I'd rather drive the Alfa, but if it costs me substantially more for that residual cachet I'm going to think twice. I'm going to ask, "well, what extra do I get, beyond the image and past glories?". Increasingly, that's all you do get. You don't get the inboard brakes, the deDion tube or the 'ready to race' differentiators that used to come with a Jag or an Alfa. You can pretend a bit easier with a rorty Alfa, but in the end, it's just like all the others.

The Alfa GTAs may be in a different league, but I doubt it. Smallish hatches and sedans with big motors... a nice idea but not a new one. And again, easily copied. Perhaps a Ford-owned Jaguar is an improvement, I don't know. I do know that there's less a gap between Ford and Jag now than there was in the 1960s. I'm not sure if I want to buy a Jag with that much Ford DNA... or an Alfa full of FIAT DNA, if it comes to that!

So what is the difference between car brands now? You tell me!