Alfa Romeo 1966 to 1994 Spider Faq page 17

of what has been written about the latest chapter in the history of Alfa Romeo is viewed through
a very special set of colored glasses.
The US market was never as important to Alfa as the ones in Europe. While it was regularly
outselling Porsche in Germany, Alfa was almost willfully ignoring both marketing and dealer
quality in the United States. Indeed, it can be argued that the only real reason Alfa stayed in the
United States so long was to give its executives an excuse to visit the country using government
funds. The Italian government is rumored to have subsidized Alfa"s presence in this country to
the tune of $1000 per car sold right up to the last vehicle made by Alfa as a government owned
institution. When, in the early to mid 1980s, Alfa became desperate for new markets and
expanded sales, its neglected US dealership network became an albatross around the company"s
neck (because of our penchant for lawsuits, it is nearly impossible for car companies of any
country to rid themselves of incompetent dealers in the United States). Excellent, high-quality
sedans redesigned extensively for the US market (the Milano and 164) were sabotaged by
incompetent and indifferent dealers.
The final takeover by FIAT has been seen as nothing short of apocalyptic by Alfisti in many parts
of the world. Cast as the archetypal villain in a David versus Goliath confrontation, many Alfisti
now mention the name FIAT in the same way that Americans tend to say the name "Saddam
Hussein„. Rubbish. There is no guarantee that Ford (the primary competitor for FIAT in the final
buyout) would have been any kinder to Alfa"s employees, nor might they have kept the
company"s product line any more distinctive (would Alfisti have really wanted to see a Mazda-
engined, Ford Capri-based spider successor?). Ferrari may be what the average American thinks
of when someone says "classic Italian car„, but to many Italians it was, is, and always will be
Alfa Romeo. During the buyout FIAT had to reassure the Italian people publicly many times that
they would keep the marque alive, and not merely add another badge to its vault (American
journalists gave the distinct impression at least some Italians, and not just the ones that worked at
Alfa, would have rioted otherwise).
Today Alfa"s product line is revitalized. Newer, better cars are coming out with reassuring
regularity, consistently rated in the European automotive press as distinctly better automobiles
than similar offerings from their parent company, indeed often rated best in their class over all
competitors.
It is quite striking how the British automotive press, to pick a European example, treat FIAT"s
takeover with a complete lack of drama. Their impressions seem to indicate that Alfa is doing
just fine thank you. This optimism was once shared by US Alfisti just after the takeover, and one
wonders how much of the criticism is due primarily to sour grapes over the pullout rather than to
any fault in the new product line.
Has the company lost some identity since the takeover? Of course it has. But this is just a
reflection of the realities of automotive manufacturing in this era of electronics, emissions, and
economy. It can be said quite confidently that there are no truly independent automobile
manufacturers today. It is a shame that we in America must view the new Spider from the
proverbial sidelines, but this is changing.
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