Alfa Romeo 164 Pro-Car '1988

'The Ultimate Wolf Car'

Just saw amazing lines of Alfa 164 today and got inspired, as I do every time I see this beauty –unfortunately it happens seldom these days, least here in Finland. I had a plans to write about the 164 Quadrifoqlio, but remembered that Alfa made something much more brutal in the 1988. 

Alfa 164 Pro-Car looks to die for. Source: conceptcar.ee

Alfa decided to return on Formula 1 and started develop engine in 1985 for the French Ligier team. Created motor was one of the most technically advanced on its era and became the reference point for others. The technical masterpiece was lying some time in the corner of Alfa’s workshop before the managers of Fiat Group decided to use it in their Pro-Car project. The Pro-Car (Production Car) series was masterminded competitions for standard production car look a likes with Formula 1 chassis and engine. Sadly this series never started. It would be so much more interesting to see family cars blasting the racetrack in super speed than some aerodynamic shuttles that no one has any really contact point -hey look there’s daddy’s new Mondeo pushing 300km/h in a hands of Räikkönen! Actually a championship similar to planned Pro-Car series was held in 1987-88 under World Touring Car ITC –name, but FIA stopped it after only one year because the popularity over Formula one. Can you remember the sweet Texaco Cosworth and M3’s –screw you FIA!

Idea of the Pro-Car series was that big car companies would be involved to supply engines for F1, while they were showing off their hi-tech achievements and advertising their newest models, but Alfa was the only one brave enough to meet the challenge and developed the Pro-Car. Don’t be confused with the Procar Championship series of BMW M1’s; it was quite similar, but happened already in 1979-80. Anyway, the fantastic engine was paired with the lightweight chassis made by Brabham and the marriage was only tested couple of times where the combination was able to over shadow even F1 performance with its better CX value!

In my opinion this is the ultimate wolf car. There are other similar to Pro-Cars, like Ford Transit van and Renault Escape, but certainly Alfa has a heritage to die for and in most cases styling that matches the drama of the brand.

Skeleton of the mighty 164 Pro-Car. Source: conceptcar.

In details:

Engine
V10 (72º), 3495cc, 40-valve, Bosch –fuel injection (aluminum-silicon alloy block)

Titanium rods and valves
Numbers
605hp/12100rpm
373Nm/9500rpm
Top speed: 340km/h

0-402m: 9,7s

0-1000m: 17,5s
750kg
Transmission
Hewland 6 speed manual, RWD

Titanium flywheel
Chassis
Carbon fiber monocoque (carbon fiber panel covered Nomex aluminium)

Double wishbones, coil springs, anti-roll bar
Rack-and-pinion steering

Ventilated disks
Exterior
Standard except rear wing and center exist exhaust
Interior
Standard dashboard

Alcantara steering wheel

Bucket seat
Other
Only one ever made –located in Museo Alfa Romeo in Arese