RE: Shed Of The Week: Alfa Romeo 164

RE: Shed Of The Week: Alfa Romeo 164

Friday 24th April 2015

Shed Of The Week: Alfa Romeo 164

British barges ditched by Shed for a very rare kind of Italian stallion



One hundred years ago this August, a Neapolitan entrepreneur called Nicola Romeo became a director of the ALFA car company.

Romeo's first job was to produce munitions for the Allied war effort, but the cars following that first bout of world unpleasantness laid the foundations for a motoring brand that blended steel and romance in a way that few other marques have been able to capture.

Good job white is back in fashion, right?
Good job white is back in fashion, right?
Since the 1960s, Alfa Romeo has been most strongly associated with smallish (and generally excellent) sporting coupes and ragtops. With one or two notable exceptions like the Alfasud, the company's attempts to muscle in on the Joe Average market have enjoyed about as much success as an SNP candidate in South Ken, but many of Alfa's big execs turned out surprisingly well.

We've had two or three 166 Sheds in the last two and bit years, but ready-to-go 164s don't wander onto our patch all that often. The only one we've had in all that time, in fact, was back in July 2013. It was black and had the same 2.0-litre Twin Spark engine as this week's Shed, along with ten months MOT, six months tax, and a headscratchingly low £250 price tag.

Oh well, you say, that's because it only had the 2.0-litre engine, so it must have been about as nippy as an Italian battle tank. Not so, signor: back in 1991, the horsepower in your engine went a lot further than it does now. It's all about the weight. Even in its most basic form, today's Ford Focus lards in at around 1,270kg. At its 1987 launch, the Alfa 164 weighed 1,200kg. This may seem astonishing for a car in the 5 Series/E-Class bracket, but it's true, and it gives you a clue as to why even a humble normally-aspirated 2.0-litre four of the 1980s will zing this big Alfa along at a spritely pace.

No need to bemoan a lack of V6. Really
No need to bemoan a lack of V6. Really
Of course, fripperies like crash protection and noise insulation were nothing like what they are now, but in the case of noise at least, that's not necessarily a bad thing. The irony of manufacturers now adding technology (and weight) to create fake noise won't be lost on fans of pure, pre-nanny state tackle like the 164. The TS lump is a high-character unit that needs no artificial aids to get your neck hairs a-tingling. Using an early twin-stage valve timing system, it develops peak power at a giddy 5,800rpm. Cam drive is by chain.

Looking at the pics of this privately-owned 2015 specimen, and the mention in the ad of a second 164 available for spares, you don't need to be a mindreader to work out that this is another enthusiast-owned car. Yes, it's in benefits spec, with cloth seats, the worst colour, and the 'wrong' engine.

But surely the best plan here would be to enjoy the particular delights of the Twin Spark for as long as they're on tap and then, if you must, slip a cheeky 3.0 in there for the rest of this (apparently sound) shell's life. The six will certainly go better, and even the most ardent Twin Sparkist would struggle to argue against it sounding better, but just bear in mind that the 230hp 24-valve car waddled onto the scales at over 1,500kg, a full 300kg more than the four-potter. You'll definitely feel that up in the car's nasal area, despite the rear placement of the battery to even up the front to back weight distribution. Following its own testing at Arese, even Alfa admitted that there was a 25 per cent greater chance of skidding in the V6. You can to some extent mitigate against any frontwards bias by booting the hell out of the poor V6 at every opportunity, but this really isn't necessary in the very neutral TS.

Well the style is distinctive at least
Well the style is distinctive at least
The 164's ventilation system depended on bits of Lego and plastic cutlery to make it work, and the electrical system was designed by a mouse, but this is a car that might confound your expectations if they're low. More pre-launch factory testing included running a bunch of 164s over the equivalent of the Paris-Dakar rally course, and by all accounts they came through it jolly well. That's because Alfa knew it was up against the Germans, so spent rather more time and effort on quality than might have traditionally been the case up to that point. Galvanisation was cool then, and liberally indulged in on the 164.

It worked, too: Alfa flogged over a quarter of a million 164s. This is one of them. It has a full MOT, with no advisories - praise the Lord!

Be warned, though. These cars grow on you like tasty Tuscan funghi. That £250 car from 2013 had been in the same ownership for the previous 14 years. Alfa sickness is one of the best diseases you can get.

Here's the ad.

Twin spark manual, sunroof, 12 months mot, no advisories, new tyres, drives very well, also another 164 twins spark lusso for spares.




Author
Discussion

V8 FOU

Original Poster:

2,970 posts

146 months

Friday 24th April 2015
quotequote all
Proper shedding! Great and now, rare, cars. No cam belt worries either. the TS cars were always reckoned to be a better bet, noise apart, for handling etc.
Best shed for a while.

The Don of Croy

5,976 posts

158 months

Friday 24th April 2015
quotequote all
Very nice. Didn't a certain J. May have the 'posh' version as a company car once?

Good shed, good value.

Keep up the good work.

moskvich427

227 posts

174 months

Friday 24th April 2015
quotequote all
Keep it in that condition and it'll never drop in value. And white kinda suits it.

Good 'future-proof' shed that.



J4CKO

41,286 posts

199 months

Friday 24th April 2015
quotequote all
Love these, always thought I would end up owning one but never did, I quite like the fact is is a basic one.

MadDog1962

890 posts

161 months

Friday 24th April 2015
quotequote all
I'd want to see better photos before going to take a proper look. Otherwise this looks like a great shed.

Properly cheap for the money being asked.

Uncle John

4,270 posts

190 months

Friday 24th April 2015
quotequote all
That looks a very decent 164, only 100k miles as well!

I think it's harsh to call it a shed.

SirSquidalot

4,039 posts

164 months

Friday 24th April 2015
quotequote all
Love timewarp motors like this!

Barchettaman

6,282 posts

131 months

Friday 24th April 2015
quotequote all
+1. A shed in price only. A modern classic?

Nice article too, not overdone but very funny. Well done Tony!

MrBennStep

23 posts

174 months

Friday 24th April 2015
quotequote all
Article said:
The 164's ventilation system depended on bits of Lego and plastic cutlery to make it work, and the electrical system was designed by a mouse, but this is a car that might confound your expectations if they're low"
That sentence made me choke on my morning cuppa tea!

Great shed once again.

Itsallicanafford

2,759 posts

158 months

Friday 24th April 2015
quotequote all
...i really like this, any idea where it is?

aarondbs

843 posts

145 months

Friday 24th April 2015
quotequote all
My Alfa obsession started with my 164 24v Cloverleaf. No other Alfa or car I've owned has come near...and that includes an E39 530i.

A great car made better, in my opinion of course, by that engine. The TS is a decent motor all the same...

And, I'm pretty sure they are belt driven!!

Turbobanana

6,160 posts

200 months

Friday 24th April 2015
quotequote all
I won one of these on eBay about 4 years back, for a bargain price, but the seller obviously expected to get more and seller's remorse set in so he refused to sell it to me. Shame really - I ended up with a Ford Cougar.

militantmandy

3,829 posts

185 months

Friday 24th April 2015
quotequote all
I think it looks great in that colour. Excellent shedding that.

pSyCoSiS

3,581 posts

204 months

Friday 24th April 2015
quotequote all
The 164 is an Alfa I have always liked and wanted to own.

3.0 V6 Cloverleaf would be nice, but doubt you'll ever get one at Shed money!

Had a 166 2.0 TS a few years back, but I love the 80s square styling on these. Proper Alfa.

Rumblestripe

2,916 posts

161 months

Friday 24th April 2015
quotequote all
Top shedding!

And ironically, white being very much the default choice of colour for the modern car buyer makes it look better than it would have a couple of years ago. Always nice to see a poverty spec one too. Less sometimes IS more.

RicksAlfas

13,355 posts

243 months

Friday 24th April 2015
quotequote all
aarondbs said:
And, I'm pretty sure they are belt driven!!
Not on these. The later 16 valve iron block Twin Sparks were belt driven (to their cost!).

This is the all alloy 8 valve proper job. wink

Liquid Tuna

1,398 posts

155 months

Friday 24th April 2015
quotequote all
Must just be me then. I don't care for it really.

andyps

7,817 posts

281 months

Friday 24th April 2015
quotequote all
I really wanted to buy one of these a few years ago but couldn't find a good enough one to buy so ended up with a Citroen XM instead. Would still like one but the moment has passed for me.

rassi

2,447 posts

250 months

Friday 24th April 2015
quotequote all
Had a 1993 164 Super 3.0 V6 24V (211 bhp) and it was an amazing car, really great drive!

My dad still has his 1993 164 QV 24V (232 bhp), at 270.000 km and the engine just doesn't miss a beat.

Amazing cars!


Ug_lee

2,223 posts

210 months

Friday 24th April 2015
quotequote all
300kg between the 4 pot and the V6??

What was the V6 block made of, lead?