The Thinker's Garage Pondering Automotive History, Design and Culture
Posts Tagged ‘Alfa Romeo’
Pegaso – Remembering the ‘Spanish Ferrari’
In comparison with its near neighbours Germany, France and Italy, Spain’s list of car manufacturers has always been relatively short, with luxury and sports car offerings particularly uncommon. So perhaps it’s by default that Pegaso arguably remains Spain’s most famous and influential sports car maker to date. But to assert that this status was gained […]
Beyond Premium – The Resurgence of the Automotive Atelier
In the early days of the automobile, when car ownership was still preserve of the very wealthy, the car purchasing process was very different from today. With the ‘body on frame’ construction technique being the accepted car manufacturing method at the time, buyers had two major decisions – who should build the chassis and mechanical […]
Looking to the future for Fiat Chrysler
On Tuesday, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), held a 12 hour long investor conference outlining plans for the future directions of the brands in the company’s portfolio. Led by Sergio Marchionne and featuring presentations from key personnel at the top of each nameplate, the conference promised increased sales, reduced debt and billions of dollars in new […]
Looking back at the Alfa Romeo 156
“The Alfa Romeo 156 – my very first significant project – will always take a special place in my heart. Every time I see one, I realise it’s a masterpiece that doesn’t age” – Walter de’ Silva, 2012 When we look back upon the turn of the millennium and early 21st century, it is doubtless […]
Best wishes to Bertone
With a no-show at the recent Geneva motor show, news of employees having not worked for weeks and media reports about the commencement of bankruptcy proceedings, it seems like we might tragically be nearing the end of the road for one of the most famous influential design houses, Bertone. Bertone has been a family based […]
The development of Alfa’s 916 GTV & Spider
The Alfa Romeo 916 Series GTV and Spider encapsulated Alfa Romeo’s 1990s renaissance. To many people, the design of these twins took classic cues and core values from Alfa Romeo coupes past and brought them squarely and emphatically back into avant-garde relevance. From the quad projector headlamps which recalled the classic 105 and 116 series […]
Gallery – Ercole Spada
When people talk of the great Italian car designers of the 20th century, there are a number of names that repeatedly come up – Giugiaro, Gandini, Bertone, Pininfarina. Ercole Spada is often overlooked by these lists. His influence on the last 50 years of car design, however, is undeniable. He took his first design job […]
Alfa Romeo’s 4C – Why the Alfisti are excited
A lot of buzz has surrounded the launch of Alfa Romeo’s new 4C sports car, particularly among Alfa Romeo’s diehard fans, known as the Alfisti. On the face of it, Alfa returning to rear wheel drive and finally building an uncompromising and focused sports car are cause enough for celebration, but there is a deeper reason for the excitement because it […]