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Scrapyard Gem: 1999 Alfa Romeo 166, Screwball Rally Edition


SHERBURN-IN-ELMET, England — Alfa Romeo took a fracture from promoting fresh vehicles in the US upcoming 1995, when the general Spider Veloces and 164s have been bought right here. That beat Fiat and Lancia (either one of which departed after 1982), however nonetheless disadvantaged us of the Alfa 164’s good-looking successor: the 166. One of the simplest ways to seek out discarded 166s is to move the Atlantic, so that’s what I did recently.

I’ve been spending a lot of time in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg lately, being the descendant of immigrants from that little however proud folk, and there are nonetheless moderately a couple of 166s prowling the streets of Luxembourg Town. In spite of their recognition for unreliability and horrifically rapid depreciation, the 166 seems to be so just right that I stay tempted to send one house. The facelifted style within the picture above had its debut as a 2003 style and thus received’t be legal in the United States till 2028, however the first-year ’99s shouldn’t lift any U.S. Customs eyebrows while you pick one up at your local port.

I used to be hoping to blast enough quantity of fascinating Italian iron all the way through my shuttle to the scrapyards of Yorkshire in January, so I headed over to Sherburn Motor Spares, situated at the very land in Sherburn-in-Elmet the place the well-known Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers of Bismarck-crippling fame have been constructed. This backyard specialises in Italian and French vehicles; it’s what we’d name a dismantler in the US, so shoppers aren’t allowed to tug their very own portions except they get permission previously.

There’s a pleasant negligible breakfast joint situated simply out entrance, which was once welcome on a below-freezing Yorkshire morning, and the workers are very pleasant (although a bit difficult to understand in the event you come from any place else within the English-speaking global). Inside of, you’ll to find enough quantity of Alfa Romeos, Fiats, Peugeots, Citroëns, Renaults or even a couple of Toyota MR2s; I noticed an extremely rare Alfa Romeo Brera S, which was once one among an insignificant 500 constructed.

Automobiles rust temporarily and inspections are rigorous in England, so I didn’t see many machines constructed previous to our flow century. Smartly again in probably the most rows, alternatively, was once this first-year 166 finished up in some more or less racing livery.

The vehicles have been packed and stacked so carefully that I wasn’t ready to get splendid pictures of this automobile, however Sherburn Motor Spares has incorporated some pre-stacking pictures in their eBay store. Its MOT history presentations that it extreme handed inspection in 2015 with 150,191 miles at the clock, and that it failed a number of instances prior to after because of electric issues and over the top emissions.

This automobile participated in the Screwball Rally, probably moment it was once nonetheless registered. The Screwball seems to be very homogeneous in spirit to its American opposite numbers reminiscent of the Lemons Rally, the Rocky Mountain Rambler 500 and the Gambler 500. I will have to advance over there, purchase a sub-£1000 MG TF and do that rally.

I will’t to find a lot proof of this staff’s participation within the rally, alternative than a single Flickr photo, however I’m certain the revel in of riding a 15-or-so-year-old Alfa luxurious saloon via France and Italy was once each comfy and character-building.

The staff seems to were backed via a repair shop in Leeds that works on Alfa Romeos, Fiats, Abarths and… Jeeps?

This automobile had the three.0-liter quad-cam V6 underneath its bonnet, rated at 223 horsepower and 203 pound-feet. It has the automated transmission, so supremacy tug was once 147 mph rather of the 5-speed handbook’s 151 mph.

Power it from St. Petersburg to Berlin on a secret agent project. As one does.

 



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