//CRIMSON AND CLOVER – THE ALFA ROMEO STELVIO Q
“Ah when she comes walking over
Now I’ve been waitin’ to show her
Crimson and clover over and over…”
The words of the sixties song by Tommy James and the Shondells were echoing in my head as we crested a rise in the road and were greeted by a riot of colour – From crimson, cantaloupe and chartreuse to cerulean, coral and cream – next to the roadside.
Stretched out before us was a carpet of West Coast flowers in full bloom, and the wild abandon of bright, joyous colours reflected in the rays of the retreating sun was a sight to behold. Braking hard, the big perforated disc brakes on our gleaming Monto Carlo blue Alfa Romeo rapidly slowed down the Italian SUV and we turned off the N7 highway, stopping next to a farmstall close to the rapture of flowers.
We got out, marvelling at the spectacle of colour, and while admiring the shades and tints of reds, blues, yellows and greens we realised we were at Klawervlei (clover meadow) farm. Named after the wild clover found prolifically in the area during the rainy season, and covered by a blanket of wildflowers during spring, the farm also gave our destination, the West Coast town of Klawer, its name.
Our Stelvio, proudly adorned with the four-leaf clover (Quadrifoglio) badge, blended in beautifully with the kaleidoscope of colour, and we spent the next hour or so photographing the spectacular floral paradise – the display of blooms from the vygies, daisies, malvas, gousblomme, magrietjies and sporries is truly extraordinary this year.
VISUAL PROMISE
Much like the annual floral display, the Stelvio Q – flagship of Alfa Romeo’s first foray into the SUV segment – makes a breathtaking first impression. Every part of its design stays true to the Italian automaker’s tradition of mixing heritage, speed and beauty, and lives up to its powerful visual promise.
A dominant signature trilobo grille, artful muscular side surfacing and a steeply raked, aerodynamic rear hatch convincingly convey its high-performance capabilities. Powered by a 2.9-litre V6 bi-turbo engine developed by Ferrari, the Q is one of the fastest SUVs now available.
The Stelvio, named after the highest mountain pass in Italy, famous for its 48 switchbacks, was first introduced in 2016.With a record setting Nürburgring lap time in 2017, the performanceoriented Quadrifoglio held the title of the world’s fastest SUV for a while, but this record has since been surpassed.
Nevertheless, with 375 kW of power and 600 Nm of torque fed to the Q4 all-wheel-drive system with Active Transfer Case via a ZF eight-speed auto transmission the Stelvio Q is blindingly quick – accelerating from 0-100 km/h in only 3.8 seconds and reaching a top speed of 283 km/h.
CLOVER TO KLAWER
Taking the R27 from Cape Town towards Langebaan to first visit the flower haven of Postberg in the West Coast National Park, the hastiest Stelvio proved comfortable and quick over the tarmac, with its 20” tyres providing a smooth ride while the quiet exhaust note, in Natural (or Normal) mode on the DNA dial, belied the intrinsic power potential of the clover-badge bedecked engine.
The tradition of the flour-leaf clover, a symbol of good luck, began in 1923, when Alfa Romeo race car driver Ugo Sivocci wanted to break a string of second-place finishes and, in preparation for the legendary Targa Florio race, painted a white square with a four-leaf clover on the front of his Alfa Romeo RL race car.
As fate would have it, he won the race, but weeks later, while track-testing a new car that did not bear the lucky symbol, he crashed and lost his life. Since then all Alfa Romeo race cars bear the four-leaf clover – on a white triangle instead of a square, with the missing corner symbolising the loss of Sivocci.
Today, the clover remains a symbol of race-worthy capabilities and good luck, and it is only bestowed on the most powerful Alfa Romeo street vehicles, and when provoked (accompanied by a powerful, ominous engine note in Race mode) it is obvious why the Stelvio Q is so deserved of the badge.
The sporty intent of the Quadrifoglio specific bumpers, side skirts, hood air intakes, badges and wheels are complimented by spor ty leather seats, real carbon fibre inser ts, aluminium detail and a comprehensive level of specification in the interior. However, having manual controls for the seats in an expensive, luxury SUV left me somewhat perplexed.
After visiting Postberg we made our way towards Klawer on the gravel roads leading past Aurora and Redelinghuys towards Trawal. The Q was less happy on the sandy dirt roads, as its low-profile tyres did not provide much grip and the suspension could not cushion the undulations. In fairness, it isn’t designed for these types of road conditions, and its all-wheel-drive systems and other safety equipment actually coped fairly well with the unfamiliar terrain.
After visiting Klawer in the clover-decorated Alfa we turned back towards Cape Town, and over the twisty sections of the N7
near Clanwilliam, the BMW X3 M and Mercedes-AMG GLC63 S contender was again in its element.
It impressed with its balance in the sweeps of Piekenierskloof, and on the long straights its luscious V6 gave new meaning to the “flower power” term of the sixties… while the quality sounds from the 14-speaker Harman-Kardon system faded down the road: “What a beautiful feeling
Crimson and clover over and over
Crimson and clover over and over
Crimson and clover over and over.”
“While more than 80% of people are only likely to be mildly ill with Covid-19, there are still things that you should plan and organise if you have to self-isolate at home for the obligatory 14 days. So it is well worth doing a bit of ‘scenario planning’ and considering the things that need to be put in place in the event that you do contract the infection,” advises Geraldine Bartlett, Chief Professional Officer at Universal Healthcare, one of South Africa’s foremost healthcare companies.
“As none of us ultimately knows how seriously we may get the disease, it may be sensible to plan ahead in the event that we become one of those unfortunate enough to require hospitalisation. This is particularly important for those who are living alone, a single parent living with young children, or someone who is at risk of developing a more serious Covid-19 infection,” she adds.
THE IMPORTANCE OF CONTINGENCY PLANNING
Bartlett, who is also a qualified pharmacist, believes it is now important for all South Africans to prepare for the possibility of becoming infected and shares a number of tips on how to plan for such an eventuality.
“If you live with others, it is a good idea to talk with the members of your household to establish what they should do in the event that you do get sick.Together you can plan who will prepare the meals, do the laundry, go out to do the shopping, take the children to school, walk the dogs, and so on,” she advises.
According to Bartlett, it is especially important to identify a specific room or part of the house where you can stay separated from the rest of the household while in isolation in the event you do contract the illness.If this is not possible then it will be important to wear surgical masks inside the home. Ideally, you should also have your own designated bathroom but if you have to share, make sure you carefully clean the facilities after every use.
“Should you live alone it is important that you have someone check in on you once a day – either by phone or via a messaging service. Plan in advance who this individual will be and discuss it with them to get their buy-in. It can also be a good idea to give a set of keys to someone who can assist you if your illness worsens suddenly and you become incapacitated. If you are a single parent it is important to make plans regarding who would look after your children if you have to go to hospital. Discuss these contingencies with the individual concerned beforehand. Should you have pets, make plans about who would care for them if you needed to be hospitalised,” she says.
Bartlett says that it should be remembered that people over the age of 60 and those with chronic conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension, chronic lung disease, cancer, and kidney failure, are at higher risk of getting seriously ill if they get infected.
“You should therefore develop a strategy about what to do about these vulnerable people in your home if you or another member of the household get sick with Covid-19. It may be a good idea to plan for vulnerable individuals to rather stay elsewhere while you are self-isolating.”