16 Mar 06
New list price: £30,000
Price from today: £7,000 (were told, if you can find a 3yr-old one)
Vital stats: 152mph, 0-62mph 7.4secs, 240bhp
Are there really people bonkers enough to buy brand-new 3.2-litre V6 166? People more than willing to lose £22,000 after three years? Test drive one and youll totally understand why there could be; that engine is sex on wheels, a predatory mistress that never fails to snare. It wails and howls and crackles and pulses to 60mph in 7.4 seconds (should you get power down cleanly through the front wheels a rarity) and is good for over 150mph.
It's also the last of its type, as the 159 debuts Alfa's GM-derived V6, which lacks the sparkle and character of this unit. The rest of the 166 is, shall we say, individual sweet, Italianate, compromised, flawed... but hard to criticise when, according to used car price monitor Glass's, you're paying £7,000 for a three-year old, rather than £30k for a brand-new one. However, that's in theory we searched the UK to find a 3.2-litre 166 and drew a complete blank. Incredible. Did they sell any at all? It seems even the Alfisti are unwilling to lose their jackets.
