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-   -   FCA launches Factory Restoration Program for Classic Fiats & Alfas (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/beyond-borders/195317-fca-launches-factory-restoration-program-classic-fiats-alfas.html)

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has introduced its new official restoration program for classic models of Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Lancia, and Abarth.
The new division is called Reloaded by Creators and will sell carefully selected retro vehicles, “which have been restored to their original glory and guaranteed by the constructor.”

The newly established program will guarantee the authenticity of the selected cars with a certificate.
The funds raised by the service will be invested into scouting other rare FCA vehicles, restoring them, and adding them to the existing historic collections of the automaker.
The announcement for the new sales service for lovers and collectors of classic Italian cars was made during the Retromobile classic car exposition in Paris by Roberto Giolito, head of FCA Heritage.

FCA has the first five cars restored by the program on display and available for sale. These include two Alfa Romeos, a 1991 Spider and a 1989 SV, two Lancias, a 1973 Fulvia Coupe Montecarlo and a 1959 Appia Coupe, and a very special 1981 Fiat 124 Sport Spider Spidereuropa made by Pininfarina.

Here are the first fives:










Source

This is a superb initiative and will help maintain the brand's legacy by keeping more of their Classics on the road. Such manufacturer-backed centers aren't really about profits; instead, they are all about branding & history. Mercedes' Classic Center is an excellent example of the same - link.

Lots of rich people who yearn for classics, but don't have the time to go looking for one, and then restoring it. These 'factory specials' make it easy for them. Plus, you are assured of quality work. That's not necessarily the case with the unorganised segment where it can be a hit or miss.

I wish some Indian manufacturer comes forward & launches a similar program here. Mahindra is probably the best contender as there are so many old Jeeps needing tender love & care. Jeeps have a fan following & Mahindra has a track record of enthusiast divisions (e.g. their Great Escapes). Premier & Hindustan Motors are dead, and almost all of the other brands are too new in India. Maruti could support older SS80s & Tata could do the same for Sierras, but theirs will be a very small effort due to the limited models to play with.

On a lighter note, we'll never see something like this from Hyundai. Judging by the shoddy quality of their early cars, they surely don't want any of them on the road rl:.

This is the official website from Fiat group;
https://www.fcaheritage.com

Well, Not sure I agree. In fact this is a high margin profit center for most companies running such programs. Branding is a side dish. The companies are only trying to find new avenues for differentiated revenue streams to offset the huge losses they tend to make with inventory management of new cars.
Just my perspective and of a few other FCA folk I spoke about this over the weekend.

High margins yes, but volumes that are less than 0.0001% of what they are used to. The FCA group sells 5 million cars annually; such restoration centers will barely restore or sell anywhere between 25 - 100 cars. The profit margins on these won't even cover the legal & management costs that went into rolling out the initiative.

FCA is in the business of mass-producing new cars, and not restoring old classics. Also, don't miss this key statement:

True that. Volumes are not their priority.

I think it is a great initiative! Long overdue. Alfa Romeo owners tend to be very loyal to AR. However, in all honesty I always found that AR wasn't that particularly loyal to their customers.

One thing, they are know going to find out the AR parts availibity first hand. As classic ARs are quite popular, lots of OEMs have stepped in. If you own a AR of more than say 5 years old, you will need to rely on the aftermarket for spare parts rather then AR itself.

That is if you can find a AR dealer in the first place. Their numbers have really dwindled over the last decade.

In stark contrasct, I can still get more or less all my parts for my 1982 Mercedes via the Mercedes dealer at mostly, very reasonable, prices. Whereas I wouldn't even know these days where my nearest AR dealer is, I have at least 4-5 Mercdes dealers within a 30 minute drive from home.

Nice first restored cars. Although if you are going to restore an Alfa Romeo Spider 105, I would have gone for an original Duetto rather then the tattied up last version, the series IV.

Duetto's are commanding silly prices these day. A well restored one will easily fetch 50-60K Euro.


Jeroen

Nice!

Once the electric car revolution is well and truly here, I think there will be more and more takers for these brilliant old school machines. They are rich in traits that the EVs lack so much - character and soul.

Jaguar and Aston are also catering to this market, but in a totally different way. Aston with the DB4 GT and Jaguar with the XKSS - 1950s sports cars reborn, painstakingly rebuilt by the factory to the original designs.

Watch the Season 2 - Episode 8 of The Grand Tour to know more. Link to the trailer below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oi_D5EWHJGo