Around forty years ago, in the Spring of 1979, Alfa Romeo presented its new flagship: an imposing four-door saloon powered by a brand new V6 engine, meant to compete with the world's finest saloons...
Yet almost everyone has forgotten it ever existed, why?
By the time of its introduction to the international press, in 1979 at the Grand Hotel Villa d'Este, the Alfa 6 had been in gestation for a decade, yet it very nearly didn't happen, as the president of the state-owned conglomerate Alfa Romeo S.p.A harbored his own personal doubts about the chances of success of the entire operation...
The market was to prove that those doubts were indeed well-founded, as the production of the Alfa 6 never got even close to its planned target of ten thousand cars per year.
While it certainly cannot be considered a market success, the Alfa 6 definitely doesn't deserve the obscurity in which it has fallen, nor deserves the flak it often got from people who, in the majority of cases, have hardly even seen one in the first place.
the Alfa 6 definitely doesn't deserve the obscurity in which it has fallen, nor deserves the flak it often got from people who, in the majority of cases, have hardly even seen one in the first place.
That's the reason why I've decided to dedicate my second book to the story of the Alfa 6: I felt that forty years after its introduction on the market, it's high time for Alfa's big saloon to finally get its due. Someone had to set the record straight, once and for all, on a story that's too often been misrepresented and misunderstood... And it was going to be me!
Thanks to the experience gained by writing my first ever automotive title (about the brilliant 1977-85 "116" Giulietta) and the almost universally positive feedback it received, it's been relatively easy to lay out the structure of this new story, one that coincides with the very last years of Alfa Romeo as an independent company...
Yet I wasn't prepared for all the support Alfa Romeo itself and the Alfisti community has given me: through this book I've had the chance to visit amazing collections, to get to see previously unseen period material, and get in touch with many an insightful, kind and generous person. Cars really can be a force for good and bring people together...
Some may balk at the title I've chosen for my second effort as a writer, but I thought this "six appeal" pun is apt not only because the car is called "Alfa 6", but it also outlines the car's strongest asset: the much-loved V6 "Busso" engine, which had been specifically designed for the Alfa 6 and went on becoming a firm favorite among automotive enthusiasts.
Cars really can be a force for good and bring people together...
So please feel free to check out my newest book, hope you'll enjoy yourself as much as I've enjoyed writing and researching it...
The good people at Auto Italia certainly did, as you can read in the review scan I've included on the left.
Thanks to the lovely people I've met during the research for my book, I've had the honor and the pleasure to participate in the Alfa 6's "birthday party" in the lovely town of Bobbio, on the hills near Piacenza.
Loved every moment, and you can see clearly why on the YouTube video report of the event I've posted above: that was pure Alfa Heaven, not only because of the high number of extremely rare Alfa 6 saloons that participated but also for the other Alfa models that joined the party, some of which are also very rare, especially in good condition.
Just before the excellent lunch we had, we've listened to the priceless memories of former Alfa Romeo employees.