The Legendary Alfa 164 ProCar
The ancient Roman writer Virgil warned us against trusting appearances too much, and that’s especially true for two special Alfa Romeo 164, as under their skin hides the heart and bones of a Formula One racer.
What was a ProCar?
The FIA ProCar series was intended as a sideshow to the Formula One weekend that would have seen the drivers compete on Fridays using cars that looked remarkably similar to showroom models. The regulations stipulated that the racing cars should be based on a model manufactured in at least 25.000 units per year, whose exterior dimensions could not be changed. For example, the rear spoiler couldn’t extend beyond the car’s length and width, and the tires had to fit within the original car’s contours.
However, things were allowed to get much more interesting under the skin: manufacturers were left free to design their chassis, while the powerplant followed the upcoming 1989 Formula One rules that prescribed 3.5 liters naturally-aspirated engines.
