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Reviving the Legacy of the 164 Procar: Alfa Romeo’s Ambitious Experiment
What happens when you combine an Alfa Romeo 164, a V-10 Formula One engine, a wing, and a few witty Italian engineers? The answer lies in the creation of the 164 Procar. But what exactly is the Procar? It refers to the BMW M1 Procar Championship, a one-make racing series that took place in 1979 and served as a support event for Formula One races. BMW intended this series as a platform for testing and preparing their vehicles for future Group 4 racing. In its second and final season in 1980, the Procar series began to distance itself from the F1 calendar, with a third of its races held at events unconnected to Formula One. However, after the BMW M1 gained homologation into Group 4—requiring the sale of 400 road-going versions of the car—the Procar series was ultimately discontinued.
So, how does an Alfa Romeo 164 tie into a nearly decade-old racing series run by BMW? In 1988, the Brabham Formula One Team, then owned by Motor Racing Developments, was acquired by Alfa Romeo, the renowned Italian car manufacturer. Seeking to revive the Procar series, Alfa Romeo enlisted Brabham to develop a prototype vehicle. This model was designed to resemble a standard road-going 164 sedan and featured a mid-mounted V-10 engine—remarkably, the only V-10 engine ever produced by Alfa Romeo.
The aim was for the 164 Procar to rejuvenate the Procar series as a support racing event, similar to its predecessor. However, other manufacturers were disinclined to participate, as the original BMW Procar championship relied heavily on a few non-factory teams for vehicle preparation. This lack of support ultimately led to the demise of the series, with only one Alfa 164 Procar being built.
Although the two vehicles never raced, one was showcased at Monza in 1988, though limited footage of this event survives today. As a result, the 164 Procar remains a fascinating footnote in the annals of motorsport history.
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