chapter
17
This page is dedicated to the memory of Pat Braden who died on August 25, 2002.
Chapter 18
Roads not taken
Alfa needed to cut its work force. Hruska's cuts failed to stem the
hemorrhage of funds, and laying people off was something no politician
would venture. As a result, Alfa looked as if it might continue on its path
unhindered. A shortage of funds restricted the development of new
vehicles, however, and those which did appear began to seem out of step
with current automotive technology.
Although it had developed a very interesting turbocharged racer, the
GTA-SA, Alfa failed to take advantage of the US market's appetite for
turbocharged cars. Several aftermarket units appeared for Alfa, and they
gave the kind of performance increase which very well might have
revitalized the image of the car. While turbocharged Alfas finally
appeared in Europe, none came to the US.
After the turbo enthusiasm had cooled, multi-valve engines became the
rage. The Japanese manufacturers were quick to adopt the technology
which dates back to the Grand Prix Peugeot of 1912. Again, Alfa had a
multi-valve head in development, but failed to pursue it for the American
market.
Alfa was certainly not bereft of technological innovations. The V6 engine
was light, innovative and reliable, if one ignores the early head gasket
and belt detensioner problems. The modular engine, which varied the
number of working cylinders, looked promising for a while but failed to
be licensed by another manufacturer. A laminar-flow head, which added
one-way reed valves to the intake port, gave a significant performance
improvement by eliminating reversion, but failed to see production. The
variable intake camshaft proved to be the only significant innovation
Alfas offered.
In an era of active suspensions and computer controls for traction, Alfa
fails to make even the starting gate. In a broader scope, its products
began to seem less exotic than merely strange. The styling and
ergonomics of the Milano sedan left enthusiasts around the world shaking
their heads.
Advances in automotive technology came rapidly in the 1980s, borrowing
heavily from aerospace and computer technologies. Low grades of fuel
have kept compression ratios low. Maximum engine speeds, while
moving past the 6000-rpm mark for the sportier cars, have not really
taken advantage of the overhead camshafts and multiple valves which
now grace even the most pedestrian passenger car engines. While few
passenger cars utilize rugged new man-made materials such as kevlar,
common plastics fill the interior of cars and are now widely accepted
instead of fabric, wood or leather.
Stickier tires and more sophisticated suspensions permit cars to generate
more than 1g on the skidpad, while anti-lock brakes and air bags have
become almost universal. Emission control laws virtually compel the use
of computers, and integrated systems, controlling both engine and
transmission, are common. Traction control systems introduced by
Mercedes and Lexus even apply the brakes and/or throttle back the
engine on loss of traction.
For a while, cars spoke to their owners, reminding them that the door
was ajar or the lights were on, but these systems were rejected as
wretched excesses. Still, the level of automotive power or computer
assists shows no tendency to decline. Voice recognition systems seem
next, making power windows and door locks absolutely prehistoric. All
these systems are the automotive equivalent of the infrared remote
control couch potatoes use for their TV and VCR: they add nothing to
the total experience, only make it easier to endure.
At the other end of the scale, the Miata discovered a niche for a
"no-frills" sport car. It is, however, feature-laden compared to the
austerity of the Giulietta and Giulia. The Miata is an engaging car which,
given a lot more time and money, probably should have been an Alfa.
Finally, it became clear that something had to be done about Alfa. A
quiet inquiry was made to BMW if they would be interested in
purchasing the company. Having already captured the major part of
Alfa's sedan market, BMW had no need of Alfa's production capacity.
Ford stepped up as a buyer. For a brief time, it seemed a good match.
Ford needed exposure in Italy and might infuse enough money into the
company to revitalize it. But Fiat, which had so many years ago gone on
record for Alfa's closure, was unwilling to see a marketing giant such
as Ford gain position in its home market.
Fiat's position was very much in line with the protectionism which has
characterized the Italian auto market. Japanese companies have
effectively been kept out of Italy, though the Common Market may undo
much of that effort in the near future. While the Japanese have been
quick to adopt new trinkets to their cars, the Italians have generally
ignored their brand of consumer appeal. That has proved detrimental to
the Italian auto industry, just as it has been to the Americans. It's hard
to compete when you're not watching the competition, and the price of
an Alfa is hard to justify when you're comparing features with
similarly-priced Japanese products.
The arrangement with Fiat was much more politics than business, and no
one at the time gave Alfa a hope of surviving as an identity within Fiat.
Fiat's feckless track record in the US, both with its own products and
the Lancia, gave Alfisti nightmares.
One of the first acts after the Fiat takeover was the cancellation of the
Milano sedan. Fiat management had discovered that the sedan was being
sold for less than the cost of its manufacture. Now, the product line for
Alfa would be mediated somewhere between the niches occupied by
Lancia and Fiat, since they were all one company. Publicly, Fiat reserved
stately sedans for Lancia and sporting ones for Alfa. While that does not
explain the Lancia Delta Integrale, it seems to provide some breathing
room for Alfa.
Many years ago, I proposed that history would blur the distinctions
between the Giulia and Giulietta and make all the 4-cylinder cars a single
identity, differing only in horsepower and displacement. In the same
spirit, I propose that Fiat's takeover of Alfa will be seen as the end of
the marque, and the Milano, with all its shortcomings, as the last "real"
Alfa. That is a very solemn note on which to end, for it writes fin to a
very long and glorious story. But, as we have learned with Packard,
Bentley and even MG, the term "badge engineering" defines a strict line
between what is real and what is only pretend.
KTUD Alfa Romeo main page!
Copyright March, 1996
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