@PSk, I agree that Aston Martin’s previous foray into F1 was a disaster. I also agree that their road car pedigree is one of luxury/performance GT’s. However, F1 viewership is massively on the rise whereas Sedan Racing appeals to a much, much smaller market. For promotional purposes, F1 is where it is at!
Will Stroll’s efforts actually pay off in terms of sales/profits for Aston Martin’s road cars? Again time will tell, but I wouldn’t bet against his marketing prowess.
I also believe that Alfa Romeo’s brand recognition would benefit from a similar approach. Their success in F1 dates back to the early 50’s and is essentially lost on most car enthusiasts in this day and age. Their relatively small, short-term investment in sponsoring a mid-field/back-end team was inevitably going to accomplish little for the brand. One can virtually guarantee that Audi’s investment in the same team will be exponentially greater and aimed ultimately towards on-track success.
Formula 1 has never been more popular, especially in the US - a market in which Alfa Romeo has either been absent, or only marginally committed to over the last several decades. While trite, there is some truth to the notion that you have to spend money to make money. Achieving even modest success in F1 would have been costly for Alfa Romeo, but one must assume that Mercedes, Aston Martin, Alpine and now Audi can justify it on the basis of a cost-benefit analysis.
What if, like Aston Martin with their limited number of new DB5’s, Alfa Romeo were to produce a very limited, hand built production run of a remake of the gorgeous 33 Stradale? Italy still has the coachbuilders capable of such a project and it would likely get some serious attention in the motoring press as well as at car shows. Priced in the millions, could the project pay for itself just as Aston Martin’s project did? If nothing else, it would generate some excitement for the brand that is now lacking.
What about a retro-look GTAm, complete with the flares of the original racing versions? Porsche was saved by the introduction of their 550 Spyder influenced Boxster in 1997 - and their initial promotional videos successfully played up that heritage. The Guilia, nice car that it is, just doesn’t pull at the heart strings, let alone connect with the history of the marque.
Anyway, just my imagination getting away with me…..
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. Wife would think it's just a boring car, but I would be a happily little chappy. If Alfa Romeo want to go racing, they should be entering saloon car race series and competing against BMW, and then every time they win as I got into my modern Guilia I would give it a pat, pump my chest out and look down at every BMW I see in the traffic jam
