re: 156 comments

[Dana Loomis <dloomis@mindspring.com>]

I was intrigued by Bob Brady's comments on the 156.  At one point, Bob wrote:
>For me, the 156 was just one more step of refinement.  It is unquestionably 
>a beautiful design, but it seemed to be another increment away from the Alfa 
>Romeo sporting tradition.

This is a fair enough statement.  The design of the 156 has basically
nothing in common with previous Alfa Romeos, beyond the use of historical
"styling cues."  It implies no judgement of the 156's merit to say that
it's a product of a different company and a different era.

But he also wrote:
>After all the hype, I was expecting a 3series beater.  It wasn't.  Again, 
>maybe with the V6 and upmarket trim, it'd do okay.  At $10,000 USD less than 
>a 3 series, it may even prosper.

This almost seems to conflict the previous idea.  Maybe Mr. Brady is more
familiar with new BMWs than I am.  I know that the higher-performance
versions of the 3-series are capable cars which can be driven quickly
without a lot of difficulty.  But, while I respect that, I have no desire
to own one.   I don't know what it would take to "beat" a 3-series.  My
guess is that for most potential buyers in the US it would take a lower
price, a similar feeling of prestige and luxury, and similar or better
performance figures on paper, in about that order.  If that's true, a car
that's more refined than past Alfas is probably on target.  

Dana Loomis