VW's GTI Italian Roots

I think between me, my wife, her brother and my brother in-law we may have owned about 14 Volkswagen's including four GTI's. Yeah, we lean Europe around here - including Mercedes, BMW and Alfa-Romeo. Mind you, one of my favorite cars was the silver Cutlass-Sierra my father owned just before the Bimmer. Up until that time, it was all American. A couple of Acura's have come through the family but overall it's been a European-American affair.

With that backdrop let me get to the point of this post.

The latest round of Volkswagen commercials have in one ad an Italian car designer and a British car designer in the other enjoying their respective retirements; to enjoy a lifetime of satisfied work no doubt.

Their peaceful existence is interrupted when a GTI cruises onto the scene. A reminder that despite their best work, the GTI (the product of German engineering) always surpassed them.

The Italian version was interesting because the roots of the GTI is actually Italian in design. So in effect, "Enzo" shouldn't really be offended. It probably was his baby to begin with.

NYT:

At the United States debut of the Golf and the GTI last week, Stefan Jacoby, the president and chief executive of Volkswagen of America, said that because the first Golf was designed by an Italian, the company once again turned to an Italian designer, Mr. de’Silva, for the new generation. He called the design “simple, universal and unmistakable.”

I know this is a post better suited for e-Talian but I still haven't set things up there since moving from WP. Come to think of it, I was probably better off leaving things as they were. Meh.