Alfa Romeo 4 C

[MD]

Hahaaa. Selective editing will get you anywhere. Good call to lighten things up.

Gotta say I am proud of you guys on this topic set. Everybody has had a crack at giving an opinion (good bad or ugly) including yours truly and despite opinions differing substantially on some aspects, nobody has resorted to getting personal and just stuck to debating the issues. Great sign of a great Forum.

[Victor Lee]

I really wish I had my camera at Phillip Island about 15 years ago when an un-named Club member towed his Alfetta GTV race car and trailer behind his ... Alfetta GTV road car!   

[hmd]

When can we start a 4C racing class 

[Evan Bottcher]

Cast your watering eyes below and puke away......

I was going to look for this photo.  From memory, didn't Alfa invite the journo's to Calder and there was a Sud hooked up to a caravan to prove that front wheel drive was awesome.  And someone rolled the Sud?

[MD]

Hahhaa. Now I know how the politicians feel getting misquoted. I believe I said ..

.....the first time I see an Alfa SUV pulling a caravan....

Thankfully I have sufficient time to wait and gather a few bags.

BTW Citroen found out how good a front wheel drive towing vehicle it is in the Australian outback bulldust highways. When it rains, the dust turns to slurry and it couldn't even manage a small incline to pull a caravan up. That's when you need a real 4WD workhorse to do such work.

Nobody is denying Alfa has the capabilites to build anything they want but I think to be aware of what the market enthusiasts want in a sports car brand is what is at issue here. A certain value for money exclusivity is a hard won image that Alfa has had lavished upon it from its enthusiasts. Sustaining this in a fickle market is the challenge.

Fiat the parent company does and has made all sorts of stuff from shipping engines, tractors, trucks,commercial vehicles and the exotic list goes on. It should market the SUV under its own banner and suffer no brand compromise whatsoever.

There is nothing to be gained by the motor sport enthusiast fraternity by Alfa entering into an SUV (utility) market.

[Brad M]

There is nothing to be gained by the motor sport enthusiast fraternity by Alfa entering into an SUV (utility) market.

Given the Porsche example, with their Cayenne being their top selling vehicle, I still don't understand your view.

I agree, if executed poorly a SUV won't help the existing stigma of Alfa's and their reliability.

[alfagtv58]

There is nothing to be gained by the motor sport enthusiast fraternity by Alfa entering into an SUV (utility) market.

Given the Porsche example, with their Cayenne being their top selling vehicle, I still don't understand your view.

I agree, if executed poorly a SUV won't help the existing stigma of Alfa's and their reliability.

You could say similar with Audi and the Q range.  While, broadly speaking, they are more in the prestige market than motorsport enthusiast, the 'Vorsprung durch Technique' tagline (advancement through technology) has very strong ties to motorsport with both the LMP1 and R8 LMS Ultra programs.

Less so for BMW and the X range, but still, sales of these vehicles prop up the lower volume sports cars that we are interested in.

[aggie57]

Side comment - the Alfetta chassis makes a great tow vehicle.  Speaking from personal experience, having used a GT to tow a 105 race car around Victoria many years ago.

Still, the 4C is no tow car is it and hopefully they don't include a tow bar in the accessories list

I can't wait for Victor to offer me a drive at Winton .

[Neil Choi]

Alfetta tow car?

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/melbourne-region/cars-vans-utes/alfa-romeo-alfetta-3-0-v6/1020930178

[Sheldon McIntosh]

Fiat the parent company does and has made all sorts of stuff from shipping engines, tractors, trucks,commercial vehicles and the exotic list goes on. It should market the SUV under its own banner and suffer no brand compromise whatsoever.

Now I know you're trolling MD, as I know you'd know better than that.  Alfa have also made marine engines, aero engines, tractors, trucks, buses, and all manner of commercial vehicles.   

A simple google search will produce examples of all the above.  This is also a useful forum on the bb...   http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/alfa-trucks-buses-rail-vehicles-marine-aviation-industrial-engines/

[Craig_m67]

Or closer to home.... the 156 1.9JTD Q4 Crosswagon or 159 Sportwagon 2.4JTD Q4

I wonder, does the 159 V6Q4 box and gubbins bolt onto the latest 2.4JTD 159 (ratios aside)?
The 156 1.9 and 2.4 g'boxes share the same bellhousings as the busso V6

[Beatle]

SNIP>  If not for the Cayenne the company would in fact have died and we would not now have the 911, the Cayman, the Boxster and the 918.  <SNIP

Is that really the case Aggie?   I was of the understanding that Porsche, and I think Suzuki (maybe also Mazda) were the only car companies which had never operated at a loss.  The Cayenne may have increased profitability, but I'm not sure Porsche needed 'saving'.

[Paul Gulliver]

Sud hooked up to a caravan

More likely they were just parked next to each other on the side of the road. 

[MD]

You have all been very gracious and my arse has been saved from a total singe yet again after my sticking the neck out as far as it will go contributions..

...so while I am ahead I am going to exit stage left and get a lift with Chucky..
http://gracegibson.com.au/?p=1083

[Beatle]

Paul, the van was hooked up to the Sud, and quite deliberately.  It was an Alfa stunt at Calder, with journo's invited to take the train for a drive.  It all ended badly with "the caravan being inverted".  The source doesn't mention if the Sud was also upside-down.