If you like American Hot Rods, you are probably familiar with the name "sleeper". If you're not, well, just think about your grandfather's car, add some rust, fancy brown tartan interiors, wheels remain of course stock but imagine it capable of speeds that annihilate any other vehicle on the road in a straight line. If you have never seen one or find hard to picture your grandad humiliating every Ferrari he meets, just take a look at this 1972 Chevy Nova with 1,160 hp: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96Hv_jRQMv8
Or even at David Letterman own Ford 302 powered Volvo 960: http://jalopnik.com/5540957/the-ford-powered-volvo-wagon-paul-newman-built. Not that an Alfa Romeo would look slow or even pathetic, but imagine seeing a peaceful 164 that apparently has no modifications to the bodywork and almost no improved aerodynamics that is capable of 210 mph. To me are sounds like a totally cool "sleeper", the Italian way, of course.
But enough with the traditional sleepers from overseas. Time to talk about Alfa Romeo sleepers: the 164 Pro Car from 1988.
Looking exactly like a stock 164 sedan from 1988, the v10 Pro Car is a concealed high-tech racing car complete with all Alfa Romeo stillborn innovations like the very first 10 cylinder engine ever to be built for a Formula 1 car.
As a matter of fact, the first ever F1 V10, model name "V1035", nominally 10 Cyl., 3.5 liter displacement, was an Alfa Romeo project born in November 1985, by the great Italian engineer Pino d'Agostino, at the time one of the best motorists available in the World.
Starting from the idea that the best F1 engines have always been V8's for the 3 liter formula, he was convinced that balancing a 72 degree 3.5 liter v10 for the new F1 regulations would have made the best powerplant for a top class single seater.
Having Alfa Romeo an interest to return F1 racing, it made a deal with French Team Ligier to provide the new engines to equip their new cars. Working with a top team of engineers composed by Bodini, Bordoni, Flor, Giani, Mazzoleni, Rossetti, Teruzzi and Turina, head Eng. d'Agostino began designing the V1035 in November 1985. It was at the time, the most advanced project in F1, and a first ever: in fact, Honda and Renault introduced their own v10 a month and a year after respectively after the AR V1035. Thanks to the characteristics, it featured the new AR engine eventually became the reference point for other manufacturers in the years to come.
The V1035 was started up for the first time on 1st July 1986 and peaked 583hp, 9 months after the beginning of the project.
The Alfa Romeo V1035 was a 72° V10 with two banks of 5 cylinders, aluminium-silicon alloy block, titanium connecting rods, molded pistons with high-density silicon with two ring segments and oil jet cooling. There were 15 built in total and two versions of the engine exist: the first one, featuring 5 valves per cylinder and the second with 4 valves. All valves are made out of titanium, activated by spring in tappets, and they are commanded by four camshafts with phase variations. A titanium flywheel was connected to the crankshaft. Power output was recorded as 583 bhp at the time of the firsts bench tests while the definitive version of the engine peaked at 620bhp at 13.300 rpm with a max torque of 39kgm at 9500rpm.
Alfa Romeo would have definitely beaten the nail on its head with this unit in the F1 Championship. But, despite the general optimism, the V1035 never made it into the engine bay of an F1 car, nor was able to turn a wheel in anger on the track. In fact, the project was abandoned as Fiat took over Alfa in 1986, as Vittorio Ghidella the then Fiat CEO, closed the relationship with Ligier and the whole idea was abandoned.
Despite this sad fact, FIA was considering opening a new championship based entirely on cars looking exactly like production cars, but featuring F1 technology underneath the lightweight bodywork. Rules were set and the car that were admitted to the series had to be produced at least at 25.000 units per year. It was an interesting idea as let Manufacturers almost complete freedom to operate underside the pinnings of the "faked" vehicle. It was 1988.
Alfa Romeo showed great interest as it saw the Pro Car Championship (literally Production Car) a good way to promote the new flagship 164 sedan, a big, luxurious and sporty front wheel drive car that was representing the successor of the great Alfa 90. Looking completely stock, hence my definition "sleeper".
The idea was taken seriously and a new mid-engine chassis, was built by Brabham with a Nomex and aluminum honeycomb structure, featuring the V1035 as a stressing unit in the back. The car was then finished with composite body shells resembling the line of a standard 164. A tiny rear spoiler was added to increase the downforce at
the rear, the only exterior detail that set this car apart from the road-going counterpart.
Two cars were made both sharing the same characteristics and were completed by September 1988. Prior to the public debut at the 1988 Italian Gran Prix at Monza, the car was tested both on closed public roads and Alfa Romeo Balocco test track. The engine performance was tested by team manager and test driver Giorgio Pianta on a closed section of the Turin-Savona Autostrada during Sunday. This was carried out to test how the engine behaved at high rpms. After covering twice the closed section, the Polizia told Pianta to stop testing the car, as the authorities were not able to contain the huge crowd gathered to see the car passing at high speeds. Good times back then uh?
One of the two cars was given to Giorgio Francia to do a testing session on the Balocco track. During those tests the 164 Pro Car achieved a top speed of 211 mph and recorded 9.7 seconds in the quarter mile straight runs. The car also registered 17.5 seconds to cover 1 km standing start.
The car was officially presented to the public at the Italian Gran Prix in 1988, and it was driven by Riccardo Patrese. It was timed at 329 km/h (205 mph) a much higher value than those registered by the F1 cars of the era. Such speed was obtained thanks also to the lesser CX value than those from a typical single seater.
What was thought to be the Birth of a legendary vehicle, it was, sadly the end as well. After the only appeareance at Monza, the FIA cancelled the Pro Car Program due to a lack of partecipants.
The 164 remained within the ownership of Alfa Romeo and the two cars were used as a test bed for the following years, like another great car: le Group C Alfa Romeo Sport e Prototipo featuring the same V1035. We'll feature this one in the future for sure.
The two wonderful Alfa Romeo 164 Pro Cars can now be admired in the Museo Alfa Romeo in Arese, despite it being...closed to the public.
Alfa Romeo would have definitely beaten the nail on its head with this unit in the F1 Championship. But, despite the general optimism, the V1035 never made it into the engine bay of an F1 car, nor was able to turn a wheel in anger on the track. In fact, the project was abandoned as Fiat took over Alfa in 1986, as Vittorio Ghidella the then Fiat CEO, closed the relationship with Ligier and the whole idea was abandoned.
Despite this sad fact, FIA was considering opening a new championship based entirely on cars looking exactly like production cars, but featuring F1 technology underneath the lightweight bodywork. Rules were set and the car that were admitted to the series had to be produced at least at 25.000 units per year. It was an interesting idea as let Manufacturers almost complete freedom to operate underside the pinnings of the "faked" vehicle. It was 1988.
Alfa Romeo showed great interest as it saw the Pro Car Championship (literally Production Car) a good way to promote the new flagship 164 sedan, a big, luxurious and sporty front wheel drive car that was representing the successor of the great Alfa 90. Looking completely stock, hence my definition "sleeper".
The idea was taken seriously and a new mid-engine chassis, was built by Brabham with a Nomex and aluminum honeycomb structure, featuring the V1035 as a stressing unit in the back. The car was then finished with composite body shells resembling the line of a standard 164. A tiny rear spoiler was added to increase the downforce at
the rear, the only exterior detail that set this car apart from the road-going counterpart.
Two cars were made both sharing the same characteristics and were completed by September 1988. Prior to the public debut at the 1988 Italian Gran Prix at Monza, the car was tested both on closed public roads and Alfa Romeo Balocco test track. The engine performance was tested by team manager and test driver Giorgio Pianta on a closed section of the Turin-Savona Autostrada during Sunday. This was carried out to test how the engine behaved at high rpms. After covering twice the closed section, the Polizia told Pianta to stop testing the car, as the authorities were not able to contain the huge crowd gathered to see the car passing at high speeds. Good times back then uh?
One of the two cars was given to Giorgio Francia to do a testing session on the Balocco track. During those tests the 164 Pro Car achieved a top speed of 211 mph and recorded 9.7 seconds in the quarter mile straight runs. The car also registered 17.5 seconds to cover 1 km standing start.
The car was officially presented to the public at the Italian Gran Prix in 1988, and it was driven by Riccardo Patrese. It was timed at 329 km/h (205 mph) a much higher value than those registered by the F1 cars of the era. Such speed was obtained thanks also to the lesser CX value than those from a typical single seater.
What was thought to be the Birth of a legendary vehicle, it was, sadly the end as well. After the only appeareance at Monza, the FIA cancelled the Pro Car Program due to a lack of partecipants.
The 164 remained within the ownership of Alfa Romeo and the two cars were used as a test bed for the following years, like another great car: le Group C Alfa Romeo Sport e Prototipo featuring the same V1035. We'll feature this one in the future for sure.
The two wonderful Alfa Romeo 164 Pro Cars can now be admired in the Museo Alfa Romeo in Arese, despite it being...closed to the public.
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