Why are Alpine so popular in Germany?
Afterall, many people think that the Germans build the best cars in
the world.
To understand this phenomenon, we contacted Webmaster
Borsalino at www.Renault-Alpine.com
(a German web site). He posed the question to some of the site's visitors.
Here is a sample of what they said.
Whereas a Porsche is easy to drive, an Alpine must be piloted.
Personally, I think there are two reasons for the Alpine's popularity:
the car's rareness and its styling.
Alpine are very unique because they are rare and because they are
no longer in production. Their body styling is very unusual, and the
hand built process is an Alpine tradition. I think these cars are
much more stylish than the mass produced German cars. In addition,
they are cars of finesse (just compare the V6 Turbo's drag coefficient
with those of the 944 or 911). To be more consise, I would like to
quote a French automobile magazine: "Whereas a Porsche is easy to
drive, an Alpine must be piloted." However, it is not possible to
judge these cars simply on rational criteria. One is either smitten
by the Alpine or the Porsche.
Originality and cult status
I think Alpine are very original cars. It is wonderful to drive
something as rare as an Alpine rather than a common Porsche. In addition,
these cars have a certain "cult status" about them because most of
them are somewhat old and because they are beautiful.
No rust!
I've lost several cars because of rust, so I decided to buy one
that won't rust. I wanted a car that would last for a long time. Like
an Alpine!
Alpine thoughts
You drive an Alpine because you are an individual; in a Porsche,
you're part of the crowd. In Germany, people stop to admire your Alpine,
but not your Porsche. If you are cruising through the Alps in an Alpine,
you receive lots of compliments, if you do it in a Porsche, you get
headaches. PS: I am German and I used to work for Porsche
Five reasons to buy an Alpine V6 Turbo
- Its rare styling: What owner hasn't been asked "What's that?"
- There are lots of easily obtainable parts.
- It has a real back seat.
- The body doesn't rust.
- The car is an amateur mechanic's dream. It is easy to maintain
or modify. Although it has a few charming faults, it is simply a
superb sports car.
Many Alpine in Germany and as you can read, some great fans ! Some
intersting website too !
Thank You to Ph. Bonneau for the translation.