RE: Shed of the Week | Alfa Romeo 164 V6 Lusso
Discussion
Do I remember correctly that this revision is a Super and that the engine is in a lower state of tune (in keeping with its more luxurious character) than the previous V6? I had three 164s when they were newish: the early one was terrific, then a Super that felt quite different and less charismatic so didn't stay long, then the ex press department 24v Cloverleaf, which was one of the most enjoyable cars I've owned. 
Edited by Strider on Sunday 4th August 07:24
I had three Alfa Romeo 164s. Two Red 2.0 TS series one Lusso models and a 24Valve Super identical to the one in the article including the colour. The 2.0 is the better car as it is robust in the engine dept and cheaper to run, much easier to maintain and handles better. There I 've said it. The Super 24 Valve is a stupendous vehicle in terms of its performance and my kids still say it was their favourite car of all as it was just so comfortable...however it comes at a cost.
You MUST change the cam belt at no more than 55,000 miles....and the water pump if you are wise and the tensioner and any rollers that are not spot on.. Its not cheap, and it has to be done right. I hate cam belts as most 164 V6s will have died for this reason due to lack of maintenance. The differential is also weak. Mine snapped the shaft between the planet gears as my wife was coming out of a car park in Cambridge. I don't know why they do it, but mine was not an isolated case. Luckily I had a spare transmission in my shed (as one does.) so after the AA relayed the car back at 3.am....it wasn't too difficult or costly a fix, but the floating planet gear had ground a hole in the old casing, so the whole transmission was scrap.
My 2.0 cars were utterly reliable, never broke down and never gave me a moments worry in many thousands of miles. I did use to lose a bit of sleep over the V6, but I do miss it as its one hell of a drive all the way to a nadgers knackers short of 150 MPH.
Inevitably at between 20- 30 years old there has to be a rust warning, but there was never a rust problem with the 164 when it was new, and my last two were 12 and 14 years old when I had them with no rust at all to worry about. They are fantastic cars and much under rated IMHO. Far better than the 166 as well I regret to say.
You MUST change the cam belt at no more than 55,000 miles....and the water pump if you are wise and the tensioner and any rollers that are not spot on.. Its not cheap, and it has to be done right. I hate cam belts as most 164 V6s will have died for this reason due to lack of maintenance. The differential is also weak. Mine snapped the shaft between the planet gears as my wife was coming out of a car park in Cambridge. I don't know why they do it, but mine was not an isolated case. Luckily I had a spare transmission in my shed (as one does.) so after the AA relayed the car back at 3.am....it wasn't too difficult or costly a fix, but the floating planet gear had ground a hole in the old casing, so the whole transmission was scrap.
My 2.0 cars were utterly reliable, never broke down and never gave me a moments worry in many thousands of miles. I did use to lose a bit of sleep over the V6, but I do miss it as its one hell of a drive all the way to a nadgers knackers short of 150 MPH.
Inevitably at between 20- 30 years old there has to be a rust warning, but there was never a rust problem with the 164 when it was new, and my last two were 12 and 14 years old when I had them with no rust at all to worry about. They are fantastic cars and much under rated IMHO. Far better than the 166 as well I regret to say.
Strider said:
Do I remember correctly that this revision is a Super and that the engine is in a lower state of tune (in keeping with its more luxurious character) than the previous V6? I had three 164s when they were newish: the early one was terrific, then a Super that felt quite different and less charismatic so didn't stay long, then the ex press department 24v Cloverleaf, which was one of the most enjoyable cars I've owned.
QVs have 20bhp over the Super, both in 12 and 24v forms.I know someone who put SZ cams into their 12v. All be it, fitted in a Giulia.
The Cloverleaf 24V just had bigger shiny inlet tracts than the Super to get the extra power...but it was not a completely simple swap. Autodelta used to do a kit, but I never bothered as 210 bhp was enough for me.
I had a day out with Alfa at Silverstone in 1991 and drove the then range round the short circuit, plus trips out with racing drivers at the wheel. I was driven round in a 164 Cloverleaf by Caroline Hoy, wife of the late Will Hoy, who was running the driving side that day. I drove there and back from North Yorks in my dealers white 164QV 12 Valve (the 24 was not yet out). That was quite a day. I had a 75 TS Lusso at that time.
I must also acknowledge much help from the wonderful Phil Bowers and Colin Shrubb at what was BLS Automotive the Alfa specialist in Lincoln until a few years ago. What they didn't know about Alfas wasn't worth knowing. I havn't seen them for six or seven years and hope they are enjoying retirement. They built some cracking racing 33s and 75s. and were so helpful.
I had a day out with Alfa at Silverstone in 1991 and drove the then range round the short circuit, plus trips out with racing drivers at the wheel. I was driven round in a 164 Cloverleaf by Caroline Hoy, wife of the late Will Hoy, who was running the driving side that day. I drove there and back from North Yorks in my dealers white 164QV 12 Valve (the 24 was not yet out). That was quite a day. I had a 75 TS Lusso at that time.
I must also acknowledge much help from the wonderful Phil Bowers and Colin Shrubb at what was BLS Automotive the Alfa specialist in Lincoln until a few years ago. What they didn't know about Alfas wasn't worth knowing. I havn't seen them for six or seven years and hope they are enjoying retirement. They built some cracking racing 33s and 75s. and were so helpful.
Edited by Alfie164 on Saturday 3rd August 20:56
I bought my 164 from a local Alfa dealer. I spoke to one of the sales guys, who told me that he remembered selling the very car. It was £32,000 in 1996. 6 years later, the buyer was trading it in for a 166, so the dealer offered current market value- £1500. As the car was 6 years old, the dealer couldn’t put it on the forecourt so I paid £1500 and took it away. It was a 164 cloverleaf. P296NDX.
Anyhoo... I drove it around for a year or two and then sold it..for £3000.
Fast forward and it ended up being on tv, driven by James May, before being cut in half and welded to the front of a Saab 9000. I nearly cried.
Anyhoo... I drove it around for a year or two and then sold it..for £3000.
Fast forward and it ended up being on tv, driven by James May, before being cut in half and welded to the front of a Saab 9000. I nearly cried.
Writhing said:
I bought my 164 from a local Alfa dealer. I spoke to one of the sales guys, who told me that he remembered selling the very car. It was £32,000 in 1996. 6 years later, the buyer was trading it in for a 166, so the dealer offered current market value- £1500. As the car was 6 years old, the dealer couldn’t put it on the forecourt so I paid £1500 and took it away. It was a 164 cloverleaf. P296NDX.
Anyhoo... I drove it around for a year or two and then sold it..for £3000.
Fast forward and it ended up being on tv, driven by James May, before being cut in half and welded to the front of a Saab 9000. I nearly cried.
I remember that episode - it looked like a nice example too. Not many about in full Proteo Rosso (including the side cladding and bumpers). Even fewer now of course...Anyhoo... I drove it around for a year or two and then sold it..for £3000.
Fast forward and it ended up being on tv, driven by James May, before being cut in half and welded to the front of a Saab 9000. I nearly cried.
All this chat about 164s is making me miss mine even more. I owned two - a 1991 3.0 Cloverleaf and a 1994 Q4. Both were bought as non-runners with very little service history, and both cars I eventually put back on the road following lots of work. The Cloverleaf was bought by somebody who intended to carry on fixing it up (it sorely needed some bodywork attention and a respray) and then, for whatever reason, sold it for spares. The Q4 developed an issue with its unique Getrag gearbox, which a transmission specialist told me they couldn't fix as there were no parts diagrams or numbers for it, and Getrag themselves didn't have a clue. I was then let down by 2 different people who claimed they would sell me a used spare 'box, and then cut contact completely for unknown reasons. I wasn't about to pay £2.5k for a new gearbox from Germany... so I sold it as spares/repair, lost a nice chunk of money on it, and now it's back in Holland where it was originally sold.
I'd love another Cloverleaf though...
I'd love another Cloverleaf though...
I honestly don’t know why people get into such a froth about Alfas.
They haven’t designed anything remotely appealing since the 1960’s.
That 164 has aged terribly. I remember seeing one on TV about 10 years ago (a chap in Escape To The Country had a red one) and it looked fantastic. Looking at the one pictured here, time hasn’t been kind.
Their range over the past 10 / 15 years has consisted of pitiful shopping trolleys or overly-heavily designed lumps. Even in their current, supposed, renaissance, the Stelio looks unfinished and the Giulia, whilst OK on the outside, is utterly disappointing inside.
I’d love to love Alfa but just can’t get the hype.
They haven’t designed anything remotely appealing since the 1960’s.
That 164 has aged terribly. I remember seeing one on TV about 10 years ago (a chap in Escape To The Country had a red one) and it looked fantastic. Looking at the one pictured here, time hasn’t been kind.
Their range over the past 10 / 15 years has consisted of pitiful shopping trolleys or overly-heavily designed lumps. Even in their current, supposed, renaissance, the Stelio looks unfinished and the Giulia, whilst OK on the outside, is utterly disappointing inside.
I’d love to love Alfa but just can’t get the hype.
With apologies to anyone from the Smoker barge thread, I used to own this very car, back in 2008, bought it for £650 if I remember rightly from a chap in Lee, SE London. Sold it shortly after to an enthusiast from the Midlands if I remember correctly,
I got it because I missed my first 164 Super, that was a lovely car, paid over the odds for it from a dealer but fell in love with the Busso noise
You can just see the 156 v6 I also had at the time on the road - you can never have too many Bussos! In fact, the 156 must have overlapped both 164s
Happy days!
I got it because I missed my first 164 Super, that was a lovely car, paid over the odds for it from a dealer but fell in love with the Busso noise
You can just see the 156 v6 I also had at the time on the road - you can never have too many Bussos! In fact, the 156 must have overlapped both 164s
Happy days!
Zumbruk said:
Put the engine in a Hawk Stratos. Sell the rest for parts.
Probably resulted in a fair few casualties already 
Isuzu Piazza - got raped for the rear axles on shovits
Opel Monzas - got raped for the getrag 265 boxes for all manner of kit cars and engine swaps
I’m sure there are many other examples
I’d like to see a few cars survive for the future
Writhing said:
I bought my 164 from a local Alfa dealer. I spoke to one of the sales guys, who told me that he remembered selling the very car. It was £32,000 in 1996. 6 years later, the buyer was trading it in for a 166, so the dealer offered current market value- £1500. As the car was 6 years old, the dealer couldn’t put it on the forecourt so I paid £1500 and took it away. It was a 164 cloverleaf. P296NDX.
.
Slightly random question which dealer did you buy your 164 from please? .
I'm currently restoring a 916 Spider with a registration number extremely close to that of your old car and just trying to fill some history in for mine as it's a bit sparse. Many thanks.
Lovely car and another great SOTW.
Seems a bargain at this price point.
The one below looks very sexy to my eyes
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1994-Alfa-Romeo-164/283...
Seems a bargain at this price point.
The one below looks very sexy to my eyes
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1994-Alfa-Romeo-164/283...
pSyCoSiS said:
Lovely car and another great SOTW.
Seems a bargain at this price point.
The one below looks very sexy to my eyes
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1994-Alfa-Romeo-164/283...
Maybe do some research on the seller of that one before getting too excited Seems a bargain at this price point.
The one below looks very sexy to my eyes
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1994-Alfa-Romeo-164/283...
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