I saw a car I've never seen before - Alfa 164

[stephen9666]

I spotted an Alfa 164 on the road today. I noticed it because from a distance I could tell it was something I didn't recognize. When it passed me I noted the make and model.

Based on the 80s styling I was guessing it was a an early to mid 80s model. It turns out they were made from 87-98. Alfa pulled out of the US in 1995.

It's a pretty interesting vehicle. I would have liked to have looked at it up close.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfa_Romeo_164

The one I saw was this color and had this black cladding.

 

[d00df00d]

As I understand, Alfa Romeo is one of the few brands that doesn't care much about numbers (performance, MPG, etc.) and focuses entirely on the driving experience. The American car market is desperately starved for that kind of spirit.

 

[MBS500]

Was it close to GA? I just came back from italian car day in GA, there was one Alfa like that, and many other "Rare" italian animals. Was nice to see Lambo Avendator in person and Diablos and so on.

 

[stephen9666]

Originally Posted By: MBS500
Was it close to GA? I just came back from italian car day in GA.


Nope. I saw it in the greater Kansas City area. It had a local plate.

 

[antiqueshell]

Originally Posted By: d00df00d
As I understand, Alfa Romeo is one of the few brands that doesn't care much about numbers (performance, MPG, etc.) and focuses entirely on the driving experience.

The American car market is desperately starved for that kind of spirit.



Well said, thank you.

I'm old enough to remember these new, actually it is a quadruplete of a collaboration between Fiat and Saab.
Four models were created the Saab 9000
Fiat Chroma, Lancia Thema, and Alfa 164.

It was a good platform and an way to make new models possible for a small company like SAAB while utilizing the vast resources of FIAT.

In the US we only saw the Alfa and SAAB versions. These cars were EXTREMELY competitive with the other premium offerings of the day from BMW, Volvo, MB, and Audi.

 

[cchase]

There are actually a few of those around here I see occasionally. The resemblance to a Saab 9000 is more than passing in the back.

 

[artificialist]

I once had to replace ball joints on an Alfa like that. I was surprised to hear one of the local autopart stores had them in stock and ready to go. Years later when I read the relationship between the Alfa and the SAAB 9000, it all made sense. That's because the SAAB 9000 was far more common than the Alfa.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: d00df00d
The American car market is desperately starved for that kind of spirit.

Maybe sometime soon, although Alfa's return to the US has been delayed many times before, so let's not hold our breath too much...

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/09/24/alfa-4c-us-this-year/2838319/

Then again, at this price, isn't there a comparable Lotus available?

 

[hattaresguy]

Those were awesome cars, I almost bought one in HS.