Car Design Fetish

I think I speak for Alfa Romeo enthusiasts everywhere when I say that this marque belongs in Formula One Grand Prix racing.  Now. Yes, I know.  I’m dreaming.  But at least allow me to present my case…

A new F1 season is upon us, and believe it or not, we’ll have 24 cars on the grid (26 if USF1 manages to work a miracle).  Add to this the return of one Michael Schumacher, and the 60th Grand Prix season is looking pretty promising.  We even have Lotus back (well, sort of).  All this spontaneous nostalgia got me thinking:  Wouldn’t it be great if Alfa were part of the F1 circus again?  Consider the following:

The first World Driving Champions, Giuseppe Farina and Juan Manuel Fangio, drove Alfa Romeos.  And even before that, Alfa had conquered legendary races like the Targa Florio and the Mille Miglia.  Frankly speaking, Alfa Romeo has a richer racing heritage than all of the current F1 constructors put together – if you don’t count Ferrari.  On that score alone, they belong in F1.  Now, I know that they made a less-than-successful comeback between 1979 and 1985.  To be fair, there were several flashes of brilliance thanks to drivers Andrea de Cesaris and Bruno Giacomelli.  The sport was going through a turbulent period back then, which certainly didn’t help Alfa’s cause.  There was also an ill-fated foray in Indy Cars, which culminated in a disappointing season with Danny Sullivan and U.E. “Pat” Patrick.  Don’t forget that Honda had a similar experience with their engines, but they eventually got it right…

The obvious barrier to Alfa rejoining F1 is Ferrari.  Indeed, why would Fiat want to run two F1 teams at once?  That’s not a very good use of resources.  They’re also a bit busy resurrecting Chrysler;  you may have heard about that.  So this little pipe dream of mine will likely remain just that — a pipe dream.  But speaking as a designer, I think the Alfa brand has come such a long way in such a short period of time.  When I visited the Paris show, I was captivated by their display.  The gloss red walls.  The coffee bar.  The beautiful women.  The passionate product line up.  The cross and snake are back — better than ever.  The only piece that’s missing, besides an American presence, is a Grand Prix effort.  God knows it probably won’t happen.  But hey — we didn’t think we’d be seeing Schumi again, did we?