Most, if not all, car nuts know what the 164 was.  When it was introduced, it became the last non-roadster that Alfa sold in the USA.  However, it has a dirty secret hidden under its bodywork, one that turned this unassuming little Italian sedan into a fire-breathing monster.  Only one was ever built, but it survives to this day–the Pro-Car.

The Alfa 164 Pro-Car was a one-off, made (for all intents and purposes) to be a race car.  Alfa Romeo was keen on taking the little 164 racing, so they pulled out all the stops.  Alfa started by stripping the interior down to the bare essentials, including the disposal of the rear seat.  The engine was also changed, and moved to the space left over by the back seats.  In place of the standard four-cylinder engine, Alfa dropped in a 3.5L V10, putting out 620hp from the factory.  This engine was originally intended for Formula One racing, so in the stripped 164, which only weighed 750kg, it was quite a difference.

On its debut, in fact, it hit 329kph, quicker than the Formula One cars at the time.  The car was designed for the “Pro-Car” racing series, a series to be similar in its philosophy to F1, but using cars with production bodies.  The series was unfortunately killed before it even got off the ground, mainly due to the lack of manufacturer interest other than Alfa Romeo.  Because of this, the 164 is quite the orphan.  That said, the design of the V10 that went into this car ended up influencing the V10 engines that went into F1 cars starting around 1989 (after turbochargers were banned).  So, it might not have lived up to its expectations as a big-time race car, but it  certainly influenced engines in F1 for more than a decade after its launch.

-Al