Walking back from the post office at about 13:00, I was rushing home to escape the 30c degrees heat that was on the day. But I couldn’t pass on the Italian luxury that was on the other side of the street. I’ve seen it before at the same spot, but I never had my phone with me to take photos. Well, now I have.
You will recognize this, of course, as the (then) prestigious Alfa 164, one of four cars sharing the same “Tipo 4” platform produced by Saab, Lancia, Fiat and Alfa. You could refer to the 164 as the first real modern Alfa, using CAD and galvanized steel for the first time in the manufacturer’s history – but so that you won’t forget you were driving a problematic Italian mark, owners still had to contend with runaway electrics due to the (then new) computers the 164 was using.
But now let me cross the street for a closer look:
It looks fantastic for its age, certainly for a series 1 car. The license plate tells me its from the early 1990s rather than the late 1980s. And note the Mazda 626 Hatchback, photo-bombing this and the opening post’s photo, as well as a Citroen Xsara further up the street! My my.
As you can see, at some point in its life it had to pull something behind. And not so apparent in this photo are the rusty wheel nuts.
Front looks OK much like the rear. Even the Pininfarina emblem is still attached, and I think it looks quite right in white.
Final look at this specific 164 is from the front. I used to moan about the looks of these “modern” Alfas back in the day, but funny what difference almost 30 years can make. Now I actually think it doesn’t look bad at all, especially with this two-tone paint “scheme” created by the lower-bodied plastic the early cars had.
As you’d expect, the numbers these sold in Israel were very handful, by then the German alternatives were taking on as earlier resentment to those marks was waning. Later series 2 cars sold better, as the importers tried to lower prices but never got as good as any rival BMW or Audi (itself a rising manufacturer at the time). Now, however, there’s a very strong following of classic Alfas in Israel, mostly due to a flourishing classic Alfa club I wrote about here. So at least three or more 164s can be seen at these meetings. Here are photos of such cars:
This is a series 2 car, with looks that almost want to mach its German rivals, smart alloys and silver paint.
Note the license plates of the two 164s above – that’s as close as you’re gonna get from two old cars.
The two photos above are of the same series 2 car. That engine top is another very familier sight to any Alfa follower, not to mention enthusiast.
Yet another series 2 car, this is a bit modified with modern Alfa wheels and probably lowered as well. As for the rear wing and Nurburgring sticker – well…
I’ll finish off with this series 1 car, made to look as a QV but is certainly not one. And even though it sports fresh paint and wider, more modern wheels, I think it’s nowhere near as nice as the featured white 164 of this post.
I used to have a crush on these cars, which were pretty rare in Uruguay in their day. Maintenance was very expensive as it was for other top tier cars, but the service network was not as developed and parts not as easy to get. There’s one of the main Fiat dealerships whose owner still drives a mid 90s Lancia Thema.
Yohai, as per other pictures you have posted, these cars have common license plates. How old has to be a car to be awarded collectible status in Israel?
Car that passed 30 years can be changed to “collectible vehicle” status, although you don’t have to- it’s entirely up to you.
I had forgotten how….ugly(?) these look from the front. It looks almost like 2 versions of a grille are used in the styling: the classic Alfa shield with those plain horizontal slats on each side. Maybe if the slats were extended further up the front? But then, they wouldn’t match the styling of the rear end.
But such a beautiful engine and interior. I can forgive the front end styling, but have decided that I prefer the models that have contrasting colors along the bottom.
In the early ’90’s I had a red 164 at my disposal during a business trip in the UK. Loved the car, though as it was my first visit to Britain I was a bit distracted from it by the need to drive on the “wrong” side of the road.
A funny sidelight… we needed gas and stopped at a petrol station on a B road. The aged lady attendant was tiny, having to reach way up just to grasp the hose. We couldn’t find the fuel filler door release; as she’d never seen a 164 she had no clue either. Finally found it beneath and near the base of the steering column… who’da thunk?
Always liked these much more than the Fiat and even Lancia variations.
Interesting to see a car of that size with 4 stud wheel fixings though (series 1).
Particularly with what appears to be the rather narrow 4×98 bolt circle!
Oh, me too. The Fiat was amazingly bland. The Alfa had the sharpest suit of it’s time, and i still really like it, but I must say the Saab has probably aged least.
I had the pleasure and pain of owning a Super 24v for a few years in the early 2000s. It had wonderfully balanced styling both inside and out; crisp and sharp. The engine was joyous. I loved it dearly, despite the fact it tried to steam me to death when the heater matrix popped as it overheated in London traffic….
It was sadly stolen and never seen again, and I’d get another if the circumstances were right.
I have always liked the looks of the 164 (especially after trying to warm to the looks of the concurrent Alfa Romeo 76 / Milano) – and I think its styling has held up really well. I’d bet it would be really hard to get parts for it over here, Stateside. (Very cool street / area, by the way.)
Thanks. That’s a common look for most newly built (post 00s) Israeli neighborhoods, with paving stones and white condominiums’ buildings.
Also see in the first photo, being built next to the Alfa is a (very) small shopping center.
Love the 164! Seemed to be heaps of them in Melbourne (Australia), as there is a very big Italian community here. In fact, only one I’ve been in belonged to a restaurant owner 2nd gen Italian. Whenever I ate there, I’d ask Cat about the 164. Oft enough, it was inactive while waiting for a part.
Proving that romance and heritage can win over reason, she replaced it with a 166. It wasn’t much more reliable. All power to her!
Nice pictures, Yohai.
Good call on the white Yohai. Comparing it against the others in your piece shows how well it works on the 164.
As ever, thanks for all your comments.
Indecently, I’ve discovered the 63-444-05 white 164 (pictured above) is parked around the corner, not far from the featured car of this post- also in my neighborhood!
We have one of each, 164 and Milano. The 164 is handsome, certainly, but it’s the earlier car whose looks please me the most. My take on them is that the Milano’s look is like an Armani sport coat, dashing for sure, but somehow just wrong enough in an indefinable way to make it brilliant, whereas the 164 makes me think of a Hugo Boss suit. Not stodgy, exactly, just a bit overbearing, with a whiff of cigar. Both are very good to drive, but while the 164’s engine – it’s the S version, with 200hp and massive torque – and very unobtrusive FWD are plenty of fun, it’s the lovely lightness of the Milano, and the way it eggs me on to hit those bends a good bit harder, that have me grinning.