Alfa

BBC TV’s “Top Gear” has several items of faith. One is that electric and hybrid cars are not the solution. Another is that it is high time that Porsche employed a stylist. A third is that you may not describe yourself as a petrolhead unless you have owned an Alfa Romeo. I agree with all three.

It is ironic that Alfa Romeo celebrates its centenary with celebrations around   the world, yet its future is in doubt. When the company launched the 156, in 1997, it gave even the doubting putative petrolhead an excuse to indulge, it was elegant and well-made, and the showroom no longer smelt of ferrous oxide as Milanese vermicelli set to work.