To celebrate the re-emergence of Alfa Romeo in the USA market, during Monterey Car Week in August 2017, TEN: The Enthusiasts Network & Automobile Magazine hosted a VIP Alfa Romeo Party at Folktale Vineyards & Winery in Carmel, California.
As the Alfa Romeo team says, “the future belongs to those who have a great history“. Since launching in the early 1900’s, Alfa Romeo has long been regarded as one of the premier Italian luxury automobile brands. To mark the revival of this sexy European automobile brand coming back to the USA, this moment marks a significant turning point in the history of this century old company.
To highlight the evolution of the car’s designs throughout history, a variety of both new and classic Alfa Romeo automobiles including the sporty Alfa Romeo Giulia sedan and Stelvio SUV were highlighted alongside the legendary Alfa Romeo TZ2 and 4c Spider around the beautiful property.
With performance-enhancing technologies, a sleek stylish silhouette, and luxurious amenities, the new iterations of Alfa Romeo offer the timeless elegance and Italian sophistication combined with desirable modern enhancements.
As featured in a review of the Stelvio, Automobile editors say that “based on the Giulia platform, the Stelvio is a handsome, good-handling, quiet, comfortable sport-ute’, from the Trilobo to the taillights.” To drive U.S. sales of the new Alfa Romeo cars, “Alfa is still in the process of growing its dealer network; there are 168 in the U.S. right now, and the company expects the number to grow to 216 by year’s end.” [Source: Automobile.com]
To discuss how Alfa Romeo has been transformed over the past 100-plus years, Fiat Global Chief Designer Ralph Gilles (center) was joined on stage by TEN: The Enthusiast Network’s EVP & Chief Content Officer Angus Mackenzie (on left) and legendary motorsports celebrity Alain de Cadenet (on right).
Designing the Future of Alfa Romeo
Ralph Gilles shared his viewpoint on how the brand continues to evolve its designs by stating:
“Alfa Romeo is a unique brand that is storied and original. Enzo Ferrari raced Alfa Romeo before anyone knew what it was. That’s where Alfa Romeo comes from, and you can’t fake that. That’s something that is daunting for us as designers to take that forward, but it’s also such a turn-on. One of the things I get to do as head of design is I go around the world to all the universities to hire young designers – and that’s their favorite car to sketch. There’s something about that vehicle that binds us. There are very few brands in our times that connect culture. But cars bring people together and Alfa Romeo is one of those brands that connect the most. Something we want to do at FCA is just put more fuel to the fire and the new Alfas do that.”
During the celebration, guests were enchanted by multi-dimensional experiential stations, including a customized automobile illustration done by renowned motorsports artist Bill Patterson, a sculpting station highlighting the process of designing Alfa Romeo, and vehicle test-drives throughout the weekend.
Capturing the essence of what Alfa Romeo stands for, the alluring and sexy soirée evoked the eternal style, luxury, and desirability of this provocative brand.
To learn more about Monterey Car Week, check out car week coverage on Inspirations & Celebrations.
[Video filmed and edited by James Michael 3 and produced by Inspirations & Celebrations]
