Alfa 164 PROCAR - Wildest sedan in history?
Wednesday, April 20, 2011 at 11:04AM This is what happens when you take a Formula 1 chassis and engine, and place a nearly stock-looking body right over it. The result? I'd say you can't get more "sleeper" than this monster!
In the back was a 3.5L V-10, producing 620hp in a car weighing less than 1,700 pounds. The fact that this car could achieve 211 mph with essentially a stock body shape (made in carbon fiber, of course!) is a real testament to the aerodynamic work Pininfarina did on the production 164.
The underlying idea was to gain more marketing exposure for Alfa, to ensure a greater ROI on their F1 engine program, while fully utilizing all of the Brabham F1 facilities they also owned to construct the cars for a one-make series that would support Grand Prix racing events. Previously in 1979-80, BMW had been the single-make for the PROCAR series with the M1.
Sadly even the consumate wheeler-dealer Bernie Ecclestone -who was boss at Brabham at the time- couldn't sell the idea all the way up to the top Alfa brass and this unusual project was shelved.
Watch it in action! Additional video is HERE. I couldn't embed it, unfortunately.