Bring the Affordable GT Back

The idea of Fiat and Alfa Romeo coming into the US puts a big smile on my face. I love Italian cars... Alfa Romeo, Maserati and of course Lamborghini and Ferrari. Not for their badges but for their looks. The Italians know how to place a curve and a crease in precisely the right places. I especially love two door GT cars. GT- Grand Tourers or Gran Tourismo. Italians seem to know how to do these right. GT's are built to eat up large stretches of road at high speeds in great comfort while fully capable to take on the curves with finesse. Think Aston Martin Vantage and DB9, Ferrari Modena and Scaglietti, and Alfa 8C and Brera, Audi A5/S5, Nissan GT-R and Infiniti G37 to name just a few. 
 

Back in '97 I got my hands on a '93 VW Corrado VR6. German car, Italian designed and built at the highly regarded Karmann coachworks in Germany. I didn't know it at the time but it was a GT. Sure, there was no badging that said "GT". Still, it was a GT. It was a sports car and yet it wasn’t. It was built more for driving long lengths at high speed but had the GT ability of taking on the curves without a fuss. 

The Corrado is the reason I am where I am. I was always a car lover but this car made me a passionate enthusiast. It led me to detailing which eventually led me to einszett and eventually introducing it into the North America market. Yes, one car is responsible for it all.

 

The Corrado is a perfect example of an affordable GT that combined timeless design, excellent power to weight ratio, practicality (I could throw a couple of mountain bikes in the back thanks to the lift back design) and affordability into one package. 

Now let me clarify "affordability" because this is the reason for this post in the first place. In the last few years, the term affordability has seemed to change. Many of you would say that the Audi A5 is an affordable GT. Sure that's affordable compared to an Aston Martin Vantage. At $50K plus, I don't really consider that affordable especially since I'm not considering lease terms. Finance it and you’re talking $1000/month with good credit terms. That’s the mortgage of your average house in over 90% of the country! It may have been considered affordable in years past when everybody’s idea of affordable was skewed, but not these days. I'm talking about a range of $20-$30K. This is a price range that requires a monthly payment of $300-$500 per month. So within this price range, what options do we have here in North America? Thinking... thinking... still thinking.... yeah, I got nothin'. 

Here’s where I think the entry of Fiat and Alfa Romeo into the US market is worth getting excited about. Alfa Romeo has the Brera and the GT. Two examples of affordable GTs, especially the Brera which reminds me of the Corrado as far as weight, power, design and pricing. I do prefer the sharp edges of the Corrado compared to the curvaceous (understatement) rear of the Brera but it's close enough. It’s still a very sexy car and has been acknowledged for it with an award.

 

If Fiat and Alfa do come here, it just might encourage other makers to create the affordable GT again. Who knows, maybe we'll even see VW resurrect the Corrado or a create a successor. With the more favorable Euro/USD currency exchange rate, it is possible.

In recent years, car makers were running mad trying to one-up each other in the horsepower wars since customers were more than happy to upgrade their car every 2-3 years. Well, those days are over and everyone is holding on to their cars longer. The good news about this economy is that it's causing everyone to take a deep breath and re-think their objectives. Car makers are going to have to create more value in their products. No longer can they rely on customers buying multiple cars to fulfill different moods. Instead one car will have to satisfy most moods.

In my case, I would love to have a car that takes me to the local store with comfort and ease but if I feel like taking the long way home it’ll satisfy my quick fix for a little fun. And maybe on the weekend I’ll want to take the road up to Monterrey enjoying every twist and turn Highway 1 has to offer. It should have a timeless look because I don’t want it to look aged in a few years once the new model replacement arrives. After all, when you really fall in love with a car, you’re less likely to trade it in so quickly. Bottom line, I’m looking for a keeper. All the best! Michael http://www.1z-usa.com/