The post as head designer of a large car brand is in the ranks of fashion designers in terms of sheet metal and chrome a desirable career goal. For a long time that was certainly not the case Alfa Romeo, which belongs to the Fiat Group since 30 years. The once-largest company in Italy treated his well-sounding new acquisition over the years rather neglected, steamed the model range and stingy with the necessary funds for new developments. The sports cars Spider and Breda were discontinued as well as the 159 and its estate version. 2014 have just been sold worldwide to 68.000 Alfas. Certainly no easy time for Alessandro Maccolini, who has been a designer at Alfa for over 20 years.
The eyes sparkle mischievously under the wild curls when Maccolini, who has since become head of the design department, is addressed at this time. "I'm a patient man," he says, showing a gentle smile. "I always knew that a brand like Alfa just belongs to Italy, like fine fashion or our typical kitchen." Currently, he is showered with praise for the new mid-size sedan Giulia. A new model that is supposed to turn things around for the iconic brand. Alessandro Maccolini is responsible for the exterior design, accepting the worldwide praise with modest satisfaction
and refers to the teamwork according to the motto "success has many fathers". Of course, he is pleased that "his" Giulia made sure that the brand in Germany by October has sold 44 percent more vehicles. Although only modest 3.419 cars, but at least a start. In September, the Giulia first time best-selling Alfa.
Maccolini is also responsible for the next stage of the rebirth of Alfa Romeo, the first SUV to carry the famous "Scudetto" ("tag"). This refers to the pointed down radiator grille, which has been the hallmark of all Alfas since the 30 years. Maccolini is not yet talking about the new all-wheel drive Stelvio, which will be premiered in mid-November at the Los Angeles auto show. After all, he reveals the meaning of the name: "Stelvio is the Italian name for the Stelvio in South Tyrol," he explains. The highest mountain pass in Italy with 2.757 meters lures curve fans with 48 switchbacks spread over 50 kilometers in length. "The name goes well with an SUV and stands for driving pleasure and adventure," says Maccolini.
"The design is not from me," he explains quickly. "There are many ideas from many of our designers in it". Nevertheless, the Stelvio, the second model on the new Alfa platform called "Giorgio", will have many similarities with the sports saloon Giulia. Their special features attract Maccolini from the otherwise not so southern restraint. He traced the lines of the front end with his hands, lingering on the "Scudetto", whose down-pointing tip pushes boldly between the two dominant air intakes just above the road surface. The upper straight line of the triangle forms a line with the narrow headlight housings. "This is our new Alfa face," explains the maestro, "modern yet close to our tradition."
Another Maccolini baby pioneered the brand's new look. The over 60.000 Euro expensive sports coupe Alfa 4C reveals since 2013, where to go. "The defining elements of the 4C can also be found in the Giulia," he says. However, this does not apply to the shape of the headlamps, which are vertical in the two-seater flounder in the fenders, "A feature that fits for a sports car, but not for a sedan like the Giulia."
Alessandro Maccolini is of course reluctant to provide information about other new Alfa models. It is known that a new large sedan is currently being developed, which is also based on the rear drive platform of the Giulia. It could bear the traditional name "Alfetta" and remind of the model of the same name built until 1984. With the four-door, which will probably appear in 2018, the Italians aim at the German competitors BMW 5 Series or Audi A6. Work is also underway on a successor to the compact Giulietta, which competes in the Golf class, and the new edition of the small Mito. So far, both have been outsiders in Germany.
With speculation about the rebirth of legendary Alfa Spider, the star of the famous Hollywood movie "The Graduate," Maccolini and his team have a bulging calendar. After years of uncertainty, the designer can now say "I'm happy about the development and can not imagine a better job." No wonder, because in contrast to many well-known colleagues, he served in his previous career only at Alfa. "That's in my blood, because even my father was a flawless Alfisti". Then he laughingly adds: "My first car was of course an Alfa. A pedal car that had a place of honor in my nursery. "(Peter Maahn / SP-X)