The perils of being a premium car marque (Jaguar, Maserati and Alfa Romeo) | Ti podcast 230

Dan Prosser and Andrew Frankel explore the struggles at Jaguar, Maserati and Alfa Romeo. The similarities between the three car makers are striking - all have great racing heritage, all have produced some of the most beautiful performance and luxury cars ever produced, all have enviable brand power and, having all pursued the premium mass market game, each one has suffered dire financial troubles in recent times.
So where did they go wrong?
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#maserati #jaguar #carpodcast
This is episode 230 of The Intercooler podcast, available wherever you get your podcasts.

[@inthefieldunderthesky]

The memory of the Mark X Jaguar (school friend's father's car) from the late 60s is vivid

[@usualdog]

Alfa's demise has been exacerbated by the UK dealer network which has been unfit for purpose for decades. The 156 was a great car that attracted a lot of new buyers to the brand, but the shoddy dealer experience sent them straight back to BMW or Audi when it was time to change.

[@dominicanwar363]

None of your headline companies make cars that last any longer (in any real metric) than the warranty.

[@09juliancarr]

So, the way to fix Jaguar and Maserati (since Alfa is on it’s way) is to provide ABSOLUTE luxury and reliability. People who have RR Spectres are saying that it’s the best car (not the best electric) they own and they are racking up mileage (which means they are being used). Beautiful styling, Lexus customer service and make sure replacement stock is in play so sown time is a minimum. Limit production, so that your numbers add up and be patient building the brand back up. Imagine it will take 20 years - it might be less as they have great brand equity

[@frednerk8366]

No matter how good to drive, people didn't want the likes of an AlfaSud or a Lancia to dissolve after a couple of years. Great engines, terrible corrosion problems.

[@PointNemo9]

So what cars were good at that time?

[@johnnyboy1586]

Salt on the roads in winter doesn't help

[@benzinapaul7416]

Don't forget when comparing prices of Maseratis and Alfas to Jaguars and other British brands - up to the mid 1970s imported cars were taxed heavily in the UK. The same applied in reverse in the Italian market. Alfa also won the World Sports Car Championship in the 1970s with the 33 and also had huge successes in saloon car racing in the 1990s with the 155 and 156. Maserati also had success with the MC12 in sports car racing in the 2000s, albeit an Enzo in disguise.

[@14Unow]

In living memory, Jaguar is far more successful. Speaking to my dad yesterday, and he's 89, he will extol the virtues of the Xk120, C and D Types, and Mark 2 Jag with louvred bonnet he once owned.

[@morgankunyu]

Reliability or the lack there of has been the only reason from considering Jags, Ranger Rovers, and etc..

[@prakashnarismulu3332]

Could Stirling Moss have been world champion if he stayed with Maserati ?

[@davidturgeon2087]

Complete nonsense about the 4C's steering. Yes, the 4C came from the factory with zero steering caster and a consequent lack of straight-line stability. However, Alfaworks, the U.K. Alfa specialist, sells replacement alignment blocks that add in some steering caster and the straight-ahead stability that comes with it. But, contrary to expectations, the additional caster the Alfaworks blocks provides does NOT make the steering appreciably heavier at slow speeds, so that theory is not borne out by reality. As the 4C designers have stated, the 4C's "lively", no caster steering was a conscious design decision made in favour of a quick turn-in, and was not made to correct "heavy steering" from the unassisted rack when set up with a more normal increased caster angle.
It's surprising no mention was made of Alfa's more recent periodic dominance of the German and European touring car series with their 155 and 156 race cars. The videos of many of those races are still up for viewing, and they make for some of the best touring car racing action. The stories of the cars' development and Alfa's race winning strategies are legendary.
Also surprising is that no mention was made of Alfa's modern Giulia and Stelvio models, other than the Q.V. editions. These are surely two of the best driving options in their respective segments, and deserved better marketing and an improved dealer network to achieve sales numbers to equal their driving abilities. Hopefully, Alfa will keep their platform around so they can continue to build superior ICE models if and when the EV market collapses from lack of buyer interest.