Arcade Game Fun In An Alfa…

Thanks to a well-timed brochure arrival and enticing voucher giveaway with every test drive, I’ve been seriously toying with getting to grips with a new Citroen C3 recently. However, being a child of the 80’s and a product of a youth spent hunting for princesses with Italian plumbers and defending the earth from alien attack…. this advert means I’m now severely tempted to call up a Kent Alfa Romeo dealer and take a spin in a MiTo instead / aswell…

Is it wrong that I’m so easily lead? Or am I actually the target-market for Alfa Romeo and their little MiTo and their ad agency knows exactly how to attract me; with a little slab of nostalgia for arcade games?

The Concept Is SO Awesome It Hurts

This amazing looking car is from this year’s Geneva Motor Show. It’s the Alfa Romeo-inspired Betone Pandion concept. Amazing, 12-foot long, doors that drape over the front wheel arches and are hinged to the very rear corners, glass where there should be metal, an amazing interior and shards of metal in place of the traditional rear bumper.

That’s before even mentioning the Alfa engine that hides beneath that amazingly sculpted bonnet, there’s a 4.7 litre V8 under there that could sling this thing wherever it wanted to go, fast.  Concept it may be, there’s no denying the power and style that comes attached to that badge and should anything even slightly resembling this make the showroom, you can bet I’ll be heading straight down to a Kent Alfa Romeo dealer and signing my life away for a set of keys to it!

Alfa Resort To The Traditional Methods

Anyone remember that Simpsons episode where Homer visits the motor show? Remember how everyone goes up to the model next to the car available as a prize and asks “do you come with the car?”

It’s got to have come from somewhere and if you attend any motor show you’ll see models and girls showing off cars on most of the stands but Alfa certainly took it to new heights in Moscow last year:

Not that I’m complaining.

Still, I’m more likely to see those girls dancing around my motor in the car park than I am the 8C Competizione, never got to see that Alfa Romeo in Kent.

Created By Robot Ninjas From The Future?

I’ve decided it’s time for a new car and am now at the book a test drive point. I don’t remember seeing this ad when it came out but found it while looking for more info on the Brera…

Tom Hanks Complains About His Alfa and Filming

I never thought I’d say this, but I think Tom Hanks should shut his gob.  Considering how many times I watched Big as a child I never thought I’d say this but I think the guys losing the plot.

While promoting his latest failure-of-a-film, old Tom was asked what happened to the love scenes in the film and his answer was:

“We were like, ‘Isn’t there a bigger car with a bigger backseat?’ But we were stuck with an Alfa Romeo so we didn’t have an opportunity to grab some smooching on the way to the Pantheon or the Piazza Del Poppolo. ”

Seriously? That’s your complaint about this film? Of all the things to find fault in, it’s the fact that you’re driving through Italy with a gorgeous woman and you’re “stuck” driving a nice (albeit product placement) shiny new model of one of the best Italian cars out there?

Quite frankly, Tom, I’d happily swap with you. Hell you can ditch Rome too, I’d be happy enough to drive a new Alfa Romeo around Kent with Audrey Tautou by my side.

There’s plenty more complaining in the interview too – how hard it is to run in one of the most architecurally stunning cities around, the fact that they had to stop filming at the Panthenon for – shock, horror – a wedding but my personal favourite is:  “when people are paying $10 to get their money’s worth, and you have them come out of the theater and say, ‘Hey, I have something to think about and talk about,’ that’s a good reaction. So watch the crowd at the theater. ”

I know what I was thinking when I saw the Da Vinci Code: ‘why does Tom Hanks keep signing up for such rubbish and can I get those two hours of my life back.’

It’s a hard life, being paid millions to go off filming in some of the most stunning locations in the world but I suppose someone’s got to do it. I just wish he wouldn’t make it sound like such a burden. What happened to ‘it was a blast, I got to tool around in a new Alfa with a beautiful woman, watch Ewan be a vicar and act old some old pony about a conspiracy’ ?

Alfa Drivers Start Young

Fumbling around sites showing me some creative adverts I found this one – it goes on the old ‘born to drive’ idea and maybe my favourite car ad (in print terms) yet.

Looking at it on screen will have to suffice though as I don’t think seeing Alfa Romeos new ad on a billboard in Kent or even a magazine in the UK is likely to happen. It was created by Sparkfury in Singapore and beats, hands down, most of the ads I’ve seen for the Alfas in a long time. 

What do you think, a winner?

Alfa’s Butch Mito

Found this image of Alfa’s GTA version of the Mito ahead of it’s launch at the Geneva Motor Show:

 

To be honest I’m not sure I like them. I really liked the new Mito because it had curves and lines that seemed unique amongst its competitors and gave it that Alfa style. Here I think they’ve gone a bit too far in trying to make an aggressive looking 1.8 litre 240hp hot-hatch and ruined what made it great. It’s like giving your new Labrador puppy a nice new set of tiger fangs.