My Alfa 166

[Patruck GT2]

This is my 2001 Alfa Romeo 166. A lot of them here in Italy, a rare car in every other place. Had it from my neighbour who bought another car and left it to me as a present.
It's got the typical Alfa V6 "Busso" engine with a 2,5 liters displacement (they made 3,0 and 3,2 too), 190 horsepower or something like that, 6 gears: very good performance (limitless torque) and the best sound a 6 cylinder engine could ever produce.
Thanks to the good suspension system, it has got a magnificent roadholding, and it feels very agile for a car this long.

Its handling is quite similar to the GT rendition's one: there's understeer, but it comes really late and at very high speeds; when the car starts to understeer it's quite a progressive and gradual process, so it's never dangerous. It's quite a fast car, a "sleeper" for many german saloons I can easily overtake; probably not exciting as the old FR Alfas, but really pleasant to drive.

Even good on snow, despite worn-out, non-winter tyres

P.S.: no paint change, but the first picture was taken with my phone (blueish "filter", camera's getting old) and the second with a Canon camera.

 

[Cano]

He gave it to you?

Damn. Wish I had awesome neighbors too, lol. The car looks great, I've always liked that Alfa model, but they're impossible to see here.

 

[sems4arsenal]

Is your neighbor planning on buying other cars in the future ,he can send me his older cars

Lovely Alfa though

 

[Patruck GT2]

That was because Alfa are among the worst car to sell: this was a legend talking about depreciation: he went to an Audi dealer to pick the next car and they offered 500 euros for the Alfa to export it; between privates he could get even 1000, 1500, not much more, but being ready to wait a lot of time, since there isn't a real market for this cars.
In Italy gas price is costantly rising, and this one's fuel consumption was already excessive 10 years ago (when the gas used to cost a half of what costs now). And Alfa enthusiast often believe that AR ceased to produce "real" Alfas when it was bought by Fiat in 1986, so it isn't even really sought after by anyone.

It's been a really lucky chance.

 

[Patruck GT2]

After going through a quite stupid accident two months ago (crashed into a car which I thought had gone, while I was looking to another road to see if someone was going to let me go... I know this sounds strange, but in English I think this is my best way to try to describe it) the car is back on the road.
- And I also paid twice its value to have it repaired, but considering I had it for free let's say that luck and bad luck balanced themselves. -
Now I've moved the plate on the driving side to make it look more "Alfa", no further modifications apart from the trunk not being perfectly aligned in the front, but you have to know that to notice it;

 

[Danny]

Very nice. I'm a sucker for the 166!