Old model in new jacket had special detail
The Alfa Romeo 90 had a very striking interior detail. It had a removable glove compartment. With that, the then newly created yup had to be tempted to buy Alfa’s new top model.
I see little use in carrying the contents of my glove compartment with me. I mean, how many times a day does a person need an ice scraper or a parking disc, so why would you want a portable glove box?
Another headache file
Grugliasco, summer 1978. With a sigh, Marcello Gandini leafs through the secret file Progretto 162. It is the order for the new top model of Alfa Romeo. Something that should make a designer happy, but for Marcello it’s more of a headache. The problem is the – yet another – crisis at Alfa. There is no red cent; except for the sheet metal, the new Alfa must be based on the Alfetta. Alfa Romeo had amassed his last lire and transferred them to his boss Bertone’s bank account, saying ‘Good luck with it’. Marcello has no choice but to open up the bag of tricks to the maximum and drag old Alfetta into the new decade by his hair.
Yups running from meeting to meeting
Turin, autumn 1984. Excited businessmen run from meeting to meeting with their attaché cases. The yup is born and with it a complete lifestyle of Armani suits, stock portfolios and money. Lots of money. Those who don’t, pretend. Fake it till you make it.
A few kilometers away, Alfa Romeo presents its new top model: the 90. Gandini has hoisted the Alfetta in a smart tailor-made suit: the square 90 is completely up to date. But the place where it really happens is the interior. The window controls are in the roof. The handbrake comes straight from an airplane. The dashboard consists of a row of LEDs − completely illegible, but it looks good and that’s what matters. However, the most important part of the Alfa 90 is in front of the passenger: a removable attaché case, which fits exactly in a recess in the dashboard. It’s not just a briefcase, but a copy of Valextra, a very expensive brand where Grace Kelly and Gianni Agnelli walk through the door. It is a pricey option, even on the most expensive 90 it is not standard. If you don’t order it, you’ll be looking at a huge crater in your dashboard.
The Alfa 90 is a 12 year old car in a brand new look. Nothing anymore. But who still thinks of that when you aim your Alfa Romeo-by-Valextra briefcase at the bar with a graceful wave during the vrimibo? Fake it till you make it!
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl