Its ARTCURIAL Solo Alfa sale in Paris on February 7, and may we just point out straight away that if your preferred Alfa Romeo styling language is sumptuous curves and drop tops, you may wish to look away now – after all, the world of classic cars is a broad church and one mans 6c is another mans Arna. Or the other way around, if youve a longing for a badge-engineered Nissan Cherry. What we have here may not be Alfa Romeos most conventionally beautiful cars, but they are spectacular drivers cars, one and all. Theyre also available at relatively cheap prices – well, relative to the rest of the auction – and have a fantastic Eighties/Nineties charm. First up we have the Alfa Romeo 155 Q4. If you were into touring cars in the early Nineties, the 155 will linger long in the memory, whether its the DTM or the British Touring Car Championship. Weve fond memories of Tarquini hoisting his 155 on two wheels at Donington – heady stuff. We also remember the Italians taking on the might of Mercedes and winning over in Germany in 1993. Back in the UK, some of the Alfa touring cars interesting bodywork additions raised some hackles in the touring car paddock, so a special edition version of the 155, called the Silverstone, was produced. This had a 1.8-litre engine and while not a bad car, its not a patch on the Q4. Essentially the Q4 is a four-door Lancia Delta Integrale, its 2.0-litre engine pumping out 192bhp through the Integrales rally-proven four-wheel-drive system. Its got an estimate of €7000 to €10,000 and more details can be found here: artcurial/en/asp/fullCatalogue.asp?salelot=2400+++++521+&refno=10465866. Next up we have the Alfa Romeo 164 Super 3.0 V6 24v 4WD. This combines four-wheel drive with the legendary 3.0 Busso V6, widely regarded as one of the finest engines ever made. This scribe tried one last year and fell in love. Alas unfruitful attempts to insure it meant that this brief tryst didnt turn into a glorious Latin love affair. Pity. That particular car was a two-wheel drive car, the one for sale here keeps its 211bhp in check with a nifty four-wheel-drive system. Pininfarina styling gives it a hint of Testarossa-ish-ness (Sams words), but I prefer to think of it as a more practical Ferrari 412. This ones got an estimate of €10-12,000, and more details can be found here: artcurial/en/asp/fullCatalogue.asp?salelot=2400+++++519+&refno=10460055 Finally, we have the Alfa Romeo 75 1.8 Turbo Evolution. This homologation special is one of only 500 made to satisfy Group A regulations, and was designed to ease Alfas passage into the World Touring Car Championship. Up against the BMW M3 and the Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth (and, er, the Maserati BiTurbo, but forward movement was a struggle with that one), it wasnt a massively successful campaign, despite taking the championship points haul at the first round at Monza. It did, however, lead to the creation of this 155bhp 75. Prior to the 8c and 4c, the 75 was the last of the rear-wheel-drive Alfas, and in such a light car with that amount of power... entertainment is guaranteed. Were not so sure about the stickers down the side, however, and one can only imagine the turbo lag, but if youre looking for something spectacularly retro... This ones got an estimate €15k to €20k and more details can be found here: artcurial/en/asp/fullCatalogue.asp?salelot=2400+++++520+&refno=10460023 Oh and if youre that person with a deep affection for the Arna, theres one up for sale too. More details here, though well spare everyone else the photos: artcurial/en/asp/fullCatalogue.asp?salelot=2400+++++543+&refno=10465867 So, which one would you have? #classiccars #alfaromeo #alfa #motoring #cars #artcurial #driving #autos #automobiles #btcc #touringcars #dtm #coolcars #wtcc #retromobile #coolcars
Posted on: Wed, 05 Feb 2014 18:57:14 +0000
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