Being out of sight and out of mind is a powerful phenomenon. We live in a world of sensory overload and new information constantly bombards us from every angle so it’s not surprising when old information slips out of our heads. I found exactly this when browsing the catalogue for the upcoming Anglia Car Auction sale and I came across something previously familiar but unseen for many years. I surprised myself and emitted an involuntary noise of upwards inflection. Could I really have forgotten about the Alfa Romeo 164?
Developing new models has always been an expensive business and some are harder to justify than others. When even churning out simple high volume cars doesn’t guarantee a profit (the BMC Mini for example), attempting to produce lower volume luxury cars can be financially ruinous. Just the cost of tooling can sabotage the prospect of a return, let alone the design and development fees. The likes of Mercedes Benz and BMW generally get away with it because people will blindly buy their stuff to impress the neighbours but other big names have been embarrassed in the past. Take Ford, whose boggle eyed Scorpio fell flat in a market that was moving away from boggle eyed cars with a non-premium badge. For those lesser brands it makes sense to spread the risk and back in 1978, four companies collaborated to do just that. Saab, Fiat, Lancia (part of the Fiat Group), and Alfa Romeo (not then part of the Fiat Group) faced the same problem; that of wanting to produce a large executive car but each lacking the funds to do so. Their answer was to pool resources on what became known as the Type Four chassis, a front wheel drive platform that would be shared across the four brands.
I’ll expand on the wider story of the Type Four platform in another article but suffice to say the basic underpinnings were shared between the four resulting models; the Saab 9000, Lancia Thema, Fiat Croma and Alfa 164. The Saab, Lancia and Fiat were first to market during 1984 and 1985 and were visually and mechanically similar, although they all used their own engines and Saab went their own way when it came to the rear axle. Alfa Romeo’s interpretation of the Type Four was late to the party but was arguably the most adventurous. Alfa’s most recent experience with platform sharing had produced the Arna which was also available as the Nissan Cherry Europe. It was more of a badge engineering exercise than anything and served only to devalue the Italian firm’s core values. With the Alfa 6 and 90 virtually invisible outside Italy, a replacement large car was long overdue and they couldn’t afford to miss the mark again.
The Type Four was sufficiently well engineered to serve as the basis of a genuine Alfa product worthy of bearing the badge. Development work began in 1984 and the first test mules underwent a combined 1 million kilometres of static and road testing, with the Milanese engineers making a number of tweaks to create a sharper drive. The company had to take a mighty leap forward if it was ever going to challenge market prejudice and address customer concerns about spending serious money on a car that might dissolve even faster than it would break down. The engineers bounced prototypes around Morocco to ensure it could cope with rough treatment, and screeched around their proving grounds to ensure it handled like an Alfa should. The engine line up would feature a 2.0 Twin Spark DOHC with variable valve timing, a snarling 189bhp 3.0 V6 and (for those who probably didn’t deserve an Alfa in the first place) a 2.0 turbodiesel from noted manufacturer of boat anchors, VM Motori. Incidentally, the V6 was originally a 12 valve but was improved by doubling the valve count later in the car’s lifecycle to deliver between 208 and 230bhp. Uniquely for a Type Four chassis, they also developed a four wheel drive system which gave some consolation to those perhaps disappointed by the move to front wheel drive.
But it was the body that really caught the attention. Highly rigid and produced from galvanised steel, it was a show stopper. I’m not here to tell you what to think but you’ll go down in my estimation if you don’t agree the 164 is strikingly beautiful. Flowing from Pininfarina’s computer, the shape is a masterclass of poise and intent. The beaky nose looks like an eagle eyeing up its prey, the sharp folds in the bonnet and pleats along the doors confidently define the waistline and a ribbon of light wraps the tail. It manages to simultaneously appear delicate but strong, being intimidatingly square cut but flowing and cohesive. Pininfarina were having a good run in the 1980s with the likes of the Peugeot 205 and 405, but the Alfa 164 is one of their very best. The influence would later be seen in the updated Alfa 33 and new 155, but perhaps most clearly in the Peugeot 605, a car that would later directly rival the 164.
When the car broke cover at the 1987 Frankfurt Motor Show many (including me) were instantly smitten. The interior was a welcoming place to be, whether that meant enjoying the stylish Italian velour of the lower trim levels or the opulent leather of the range topping QV. The shape of the dashboard was apparently inspired by the Pininfarina Ferrari Testarossa and although I’m not completely convinced I see it myself, the centre console with rows of identical push button switches is certainly a statement piece if potentially a little confusing. I wasn’t able to drive the 164 at launch due to some nonsense about not allowing children to have a go, but it left a big impression on my impressionable mind. Back in 1988 my father briefly considered an Alfa 33 before settling on a Peugeot 405, backing away from the Italian brand due to concerns over quality. The 164 was supposed to address exactly those worries but somewhat inevitably their return to greatness stalled a little when the wiring turned out to be Italian and the heating and ventilation didn’t perform either task very reliably. However, it was undoubtedly better built than previous products. They actually sold 273,000 examples of the 164 and it carried on until 1998, a fact that made me emit a second involuntary noise of upwards inflection. I’d forgotten they went on that long, but I never liked the softer 1993 facelift as much as the original and they didn’t sell many of the 273,000 in my locality. I don’t know where they did find all those buyers but strongly suspect the home market accounted for the overwhelming majority.
Let’s shine a light on this sleeper classic, out of sight and out of mind for far too long. It was the last Alfa to be developed whilst the company was still independent, and perhaps the most ambitious in terms of moving the company forward. Whatever your view, I know that I absolutely must not visit Anglia Car Auctions on 25th January as they’ve got this gorgeous 3.0 V6 Green Cloverleaf on offer at an estimated £3,000 – £5,000. As you can see from the photos in ACA’s listing, it’s a 1991 car in regulation racing red with a purposeful bodykit and black painted lower half, a bold combination. The description tells us it’s a two owner car and has been in the same family since new, having been stored for some years prior to 2011. The MOT is due imminently but we’re assured it’s been maintained by an Alfa specialist and drives well. MOT histories are available online so we can see for ourselves that it’s got a reasonable track record and any failures have possibly been down to lack of attention rather than anything being critically shot. All the old MOTs are available from the seller and although the listing doesn’t mention service stamps or invoices we’ll assume that is implied as they make a point of mentioning maintenance. The mileage is 149,000 which sounds a lot but it’s only done 13,000 of them since 2011 and it is 28 years old after all. We can see a door mirror cap is missing but it looks otherwise straight and complete judging by the photographs. Of course, if you were to bid you should inspect it yourself as we wouldn’t advocate buying an old Alfa sight unseen. Alfa Romeo 164s are not exactly common and this one is the right specification in the right colour. It’s a lot of Italian classic for not a lot of money so if you think it’s for you be sure to let us know how you get on…
Alfa Romeo 164 Cloverleaf at ACA
With our Saturday instalment of Prime Find of the Week, we’re offering our services to the classic car community, by passing on our favourite classic car for sale from the week that passed. This top-tip might help a first-time-buyer to own his first classic, or it could even be the perfect motivation for a multiple-classic-car-owner to expand his garage with something different. We’ll let us inspire by anything from a cheap project to a stunning concours exotic, and hope that you will do the same.
Just remember – Any Classic is Better than No Classic! We obviously invite our readers to help prospective buyers with your views and maybe even experiences of any given model we feature. Further to that, if you stumble across a classic which you feel we ought to feature as Prime Find of the Week, then please send us a link to primefindoftheweek@viaretro