Alfa Design Criteria

[Mickael Cox]

Personally, i would love to see alfa do a cheap(ish), simple drop-top a la the mx-5; rear drive, lightweight. Something with some real character in which a new generation could get into contact with the true alfa spirit

[Djadam]

Very simple request actually.

make the timing belts last longer then 3 years.
when changing the rear globes on the 147..make them easy to access and not have to use a 10 mm socket set to change a globe....
make the rotors a little harder so you dont have to do pads and rotors at the same time costing $1000 +

A little smell of petrol doesnt hurt in the cabin does it...but dont over do it...
Keep the Alfa roar inside and out.

thats about it.

[MD]

i would love to see alfa do a cheap(ish), simple drop-top a la the mx-5

Mickael

How about a twin spark Alfa X1-9 ?
The perfect Fiat crossbreed.

[Tim Jobson]

MD,

Your "What is it that I want from my new Alfa? Well here's my wish list:-:" is so spot on, and it must contain styling that matches the character of the car!!........BRAVO!

Tim

[MD]

Thanks Tim,

You know in some fields of endeavour, market reseachers would give their left credential for this information.To know exactly what the customer wants is worth gold. Let's hope the Fiat radar is switched on...

[Sheldon McIntosh]

You know in some fields of endeavour, market reseachers would give their left credential for this information.To know exactly what the customer wants is worth gold. Let's hope the Fiat radar is switched on...

You're kidding aren't you?  I don't think Alfa would lose too much sleep over what we think, as most people here would buy an Alfa anyway, the only question would be which model and in which colour?  And none of us are getting any younger last I checked. 

No, they need to appeal to a younger generation, or at least first-time Alfa buyers, if they want to grow sales, hence the Mito.  What that customer wants is the image.  Alfa still have that, the trick is keeping it once people actually experience the cars.  And as Biggus says, get them buying an Alfa more than once.  BMW are the masters at this.  Well they were anyway...

Sorry for going off the subject a little.

Oh yeah, and MD - your "Wish List".  Sounds like a Lotus to me (not that there's anything wrong with that).

[MD]

Sheldon,

I wouldn't say that I cannot relate to your logic as it makes sense from a certain point of view and as this is a discussion topic I guess diverging viewpoints is the name of the game.

You are spot on when you say that my sports car prescription is Lotus based. It is also BWM based as they offer similar options and it is this latter arch rival that is winning the game which irritates me the most because its exactly where Alfa needs to be. Boots and all. Commodores are sold on the basis of Bathurst not on the basis that the same car is a yellow taxi and mum's shopping basket. Alfa is motorsport. The image must be maintained afresh. Living on history is to die like Jaguar and become irrelevant.

The older generation? Well, the last time I went to the track, the majority of Alfa competitors certainly are over the 50's  and these guys have a couple of decades left at least of motoring enthusiasm . They certainly KNOW what to expect from a good Alfa. They also have the morgage paid off with disposable cash to buy another Alfa if they feel compelled to (or enticed) to do. Are they going to beat the feet to the Mito showroom to buy something that's a Harry Potter novel centrefold, I don't think so.

Alfa/Fiat is missing out on return custom and the follow on custom from that because these guys have sons and daughters that are influenced by what their parents drive and why. Nobody can afford to be that dismissive of of sales potential and I certainly don't see BMW doing it. I have never seen an 18year old behind the wheel of a  Lotus that wasn't stolen.

[Sheldon McIntosh]

You are spot on when you say that my sports car prescription is Lotus based. It is also BWM based as......

How so?  When did BMW last offer a lightweight car unemcumbered by unneccesary electronics?  That said, most of the M stuff is pretty bloody good, even if too heavy.

Commodores are sold on the basis of Bathurst not on the basis that the same car is a yellow taxi and mum's shopping basket.

I disagree.  99% of Commodores are sold because they're a) Australian, b)Pretty good cars, c)Cheap for what they are.  Not necessarily in that order, but possibly.

Alfa is motorsport. The image must be maintained afresh. Living on history is to die like Jaguar and become irrelevant.

It's been a while since Alfa was motorsport, but I agree that it would be great if they tried to re-ignite that image.  How exactly have Jaguar died?  I've just watched the latest Top Gear, and the XFR was regarded as at least as good as an M5, and the new XJ looks pretty stunning too.  I will admit that their philosphy was slightly wayward a few years ago, but they are certainly not dead.  And I also point you to another of your quotes...

Alfa shouldn't be afraid of looking back to go forward.

The older generation? Well, the last time I went to the track, the majority of Alfa competitors certainly are over the 50's  and these guys have a couple of decades left at least of motoring enthusiasm . They certainly KNOW what to expect from a good Alfa. They also have the morgage paid off with disposable cash to buy another Alfa if they feel compelled to (or enticed) to do. Are they going to beat the feet to the Mito showroom to buy something that's a Harry Potter novel centrefold, I don't think so.

One of the issues here is, how many of the Alfas at the track are standard cars?  We all know that Alfas are great, and sporty, cars.  But I think part of it is that we can feel their potential, hence we spend time enhancing them toward our ideal car, making the sporty bits even more sporty.  This is all good, but we are a minority amongst Alfa owners, let alone the other idiots.  That said, I honestly think Alfas are one of the best standard (old) cars to put on the track, along with Porsches.

Alfa/Fiat is missing out on return custom and the follow on custom from that because these guys have sons and daughters that are influenced by what their parents drive and why. Nobody can afford to be that dismissive of of sales potential and I certainly don't see BMW doing it. I have never seen an 18year old behind the wheel of a  Lotus that wasn't stolen.

Exactly my point in the previous post.  If the son or daughter is impressed by the parents 159, what are they going to buy to compete with their mates, especially the trendy mates with Mini Coopers or Fiat 500s?  MiTo.

Don't get me wrong mate, I agree with your wish-list for a new Alfa, but I just don't see it coming anytime soon.  I wish I could, and I hope I haven't taken this thread too far off-topic.

For what it's worth, here's my POV.  I always had a deep respect for Alfa Romeos because they seemed to be cars that put driving enjoyment, and style, above all else.  My 90 was the first Alfa I ever drove, and that was only 5 years ago.  I didn't think it would happen, but I've become one of those people that don't think "what car should I buy next?, but rather "which Alfa should I get next?".  As a side note, I'm not sure this would have happened had I not joined the club.

After doing some work on my 90s, and some track days, that view was confirmed.  It used to drive me crazy trying to work with the flimsy interior parts, and the annoying and complicated electrics.  But then I started to work on the oily bits, and then I realised what the car was about.  They didn't scrimp on the important stuff, and although it may be difficult to work on sometimes (I'm thinking transaxle here), it's that way so that it feels just that little bit better when you go round a corner.  And then there's the engines.......

Cheers, sorry for the long post, and again, hope I haven't taken it off-topic

[MD]

Sheldon

Appreciate your effort to put your microscope on everything. Given that our respective positions range from, totally agree with you to totally disagree with you makes me think it somehow represents the general point of view out there anyhow. I also think I have said all I need to say and I appreciate the opportunity to have done so.

I just want to say this much in conclusion. The next road going new Alfa I am going to buy will weigh 1 000kg or less with a front 2 litre engine making 100hp/L fitted with a torque tube and transaxle . Until it's here, I am not buying one. Could be a wait...

Cheers

MD