Which are the best 4WD Alfa's?
Which are the best 4WD Alfa's?
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Discussion

penryar

Original Poster:

311 posts

248 months

Wednesday 14th November 2007
quotequote all
This should separate out the truly mad Alfa enthusiasts here. Who amongst you owns a 4wd Alfa? And which do you think is the best one out there.

My vote goes for the 155 Q4 because of its ancestry, with the 164 Q4 coming a close second on the strength of its gearbox.

Chris71

21,548 posts

263 months

Wednesday 14th November 2007
quotequote all
Is the 155 Q4 intended as a drivers car with a decent rear bias? I assumed it was a fairly utilitarian version intended for the Italian Alps.

edit: Jesus, just seen this "Alfa 155 Q4, 1993 uk model,96,000 miles,full engine rebuild, ajustable suspension done by auto delta of london,bilstein all round, only 14 of these cars made for uk market, and up to now there is only six left,so its very rare"

Maybe I won't be considering one as cheap transport afterall biggrin

Edited by Chris71 on Wednesday 14th November 16:38

penryar

Original Poster:

311 posts

248 months

Wednesday 14th November 2007
quotequote all
Chris71 said:
Is the 155 Q4 intended as a drivers car with a decent rear bias? I assumed it was a fairly utilitarian version intended for the Italian Alps.
Well it shares its running gear (engine/gearbox/diffs) with Lancia Integrale Evo's with a few minor differences. Yes rear bias and @190bhp 219ibs/ft so more of a drivers car.

Chris71

21,548 posts

263 months

Wednesday 14th November 2007
quotequote all
Sounds like quite car. Am I right in thinking it's a turbocharged 4-pot?

I lived in the alps for a while and discovered 4WD version of all sorts of (normally FWD) saloons and hatchbacks. I was dissapointed to learn most were intended more as a practical tool for remote areas than for added driver enjoyment.

Wombat Rick

14,237 posts

265 months

Wednesday 14th November 2007
quotequote all
Chris71 said:
Sounds like quite car. Am I right in thinking it's a turbocharged 4-pot?
Yes! As mentioned above it has integrale "underneaths".
wink

My vote would be for the Matta, because if it wasn't for those we'd still be stuck in a muddy field on National Alfa day!
biggrin

penryar

Original Poster:

311 posts

248 months

Wednesday 14th November 2007
quotequote all
Chris71 said:
edit: Jesus, just seen this "Alfa 155 Q4, 1993 uk model,96,000 miles,full engine rebuild, ajustable suspension done by auto delta of london,bilstein all round, only 14 of these cars made for uk market, and up to now there is only six left,so its very rare"

Maybe I won't be considering one as cheap transport afterall biggrin
Not stictly true, yes there were only ever 14 brought into the UK by Alfa, but plenty have been imported privately since.

I have at least 10 UK cars on the Q4 owners register in the UK on www.berlinasportivo.com . My own Q4 was a UK car, now in France, and I know of at least 2 in scrapyards and 1 cannibalised for racing.


wrinx

680 posts

261 months

Wednesday 14th November 2007
quotequote all
Chris71 said:
Is the 155 Q4 intended as a drivers car with a decent rear bias? I assumed it was a fairly utilitarian version intended for the Italian Alps.

edit: Jesus, just seen this "Alfa 155 Q4, 1993 uk model,96,000 miles,full engine rebuild, ajustable suspension done by auto delta of london,bilstein all round, only 14 of these cars made for uk market, and up to now there is only six left,so its very rare"

Maybe I won't be considering one as cheap transport afterall biggrin
It is the "sporty" version of the 155 but also the heaviest, they really need chipping to get something like decent performance. Mines supposed to be running at around 225bhp thanks to the Squadra giving it an extra 35bhp iirc. But with a free flow exhaust, remember it's a turbocharged car, another 20+ can be released.

They are "reasonably" cheap to buy but condition varies dramatically, mine was/is a fixer but loking quite good now (imho!).

Those figures are interesting, where did you find the comments? Agree with Penyrar, there are more in the UK and the figures I obtained stated 16 were imported by Alfa (mine being one of them). At least another two or three have come in since then.

Nice cars though...when they work properly!!! licksmokin

wrinx

wrinx

680 posts

261 months

Wednesday 14th November 2007
quotequote all
So what other 4wds are there....159 Crosswagon, 33 P4, Matta, Bimotore...and the newer range to include 4x4, any more?

wrinx

fasterpussycat

8,221 posts

243 months

Wednesday 14th November 2007
quotequote all
penryar said:
... with the 164 Q4 coming a close second on the strength of its gearbox.
What an odd reason to choose the 164! I have never seen one of these - they were never produced for the UK market. IIRC Alfa lost a fortune on this project and they sold nowhere neer enough to claw back the cost of developing the 4WD system.

penryar

Original Poster:

311 posts

248 months

Wednesday 14th November 2007
quotequote all
There are the 156 Q4 crosswagon and sportwagon, and the 164 Q4, along with a few self builds of course if we get into twin engined stuff.

Andy_sx

2,410 posts

227 months

Thursday 15th November 2007
quotequote all
i dont know what the best one is, but the one i want most when i have some money is a 155 Q4, something i desperately in the next few years lick

E500 TAT

317 posts

220 months

Thursday 15th November 2007
quotequote all
penryar said:
Not stictly true, yes there were only ever 14 brought into the UK by Alfa, but plenty have been imported privately since.

I have at least 10 UK cars on the Q4 owners register in the UK on www.berlinasportivo.com . My own Q4 was a UK car, now in France, and I know of at least 2 in scrapyards and 1 cannibalised for racing.
Weres the one in the scrap yard?

Does it have the rear beam and diff in it still?

penryar

Original Poster:

311 posts

248 months

Friday 16th November 2007
quotequote all
E500 TAT said:
penryar said:
Not stictly true, yes there were only ever 14 brought into the UK by Alfa, but plenty have been imported privately since.

I have at least 10 UK cars on the Q4 owners register in the UK on www.berlinasportivo.com . My own Q4 was a UK car, now in France, and I know of at least 2 in scrapyards and 1 cannibalised for racing.
Weres the one in the scrap yard?

Does it have the rear beam and diff in it still?
One was at RJK vehicle dismantlers on Canvey Island, and yes it still had the rear subframe and diff. The other was at a scrappy in wales somewhere.

rabw

9,027 posts

229 months

Monday 19th November 2007
quotequote all
Why did they never make a GTV with 4WD cry

4WD GTV with Arese V6 @ 3.5-3.7L 300-350bhp would be a perfect car.

Way too massive a job to make with parts from 156 Q4?

OperationAlfa

2,014 posts

218 months

Thursday 22nd November 2007
quotequote all
rabw said:
Why did they never make a GTV with 4WD cry

4WD GTV with Arese V6 @ 3.5-3.7L 300-350bhp would be a perfect car.

Way too massive a job to make with parts from 156 Q4?
Yes, presuming you mean the 155. There was no 156 Q4.

jamieboy

5,921 posts

250 months

Thursday 22nd November 2007
quotequote all
OperationAlfa said:
rabw said:
Why did they never make a GTV with 4WD cry

4WD GTV with Arese V6 @ 3.5-3.7L 300-350bhp would be a perfect car.

Way too massive a job to make with parts from 156 Q4?
Yes, presuming you mean the 155. There was no 156 Q4.
Sort of - there was the 156 Crosswagon 4x4 in Europe, wasn't there? I'm sure I've seen that labelled the Crosswagon Q4, whether rightly or wrongly.

rabw

9,027 posts

229 months

Thursday 22nd November 2007
quotequote all
I've seen a few 2.4 Diesel Q4 156's