ALFA or Lancia or Mazda or FORD?

[C M Smith <cmsmith@domain.elided>]

We really need to get to the bottom of this. Ford owns a big piece of 
Mazda, so the Taurus could be using a Mazda design. The Thema looks like 
the 164 because they are essentially the same car, in a sense. The FIAT 
Croma, Lancia Thema, and SAAB 9000 all used the same body structure and 
some components are common or similar. The exterior body panels, the 
suspension, brakes, steering and drive train were "unique" to each 
manufacturer. ALFA came into the FIAT fold and developed the 164 from the 
same basic design. The FIAT group used a lot of common components, I 
believe. E.g. I can't believe the 164 has an ALFA gearbox, second gear 
doesn't crunch, it must be  a Lancia box!

If we don't figure this out soon we won't know who was first. Like Thor 
Heyerdhal (sp?) who did the Kon Tiki raft thing from South America to 
Easter Island, then the Ra from Africa to South America and stopped just in 
time before he proved you could sail from Easter island to Madagascar, then 
he wouldn't have been able to figure out where the Easter Island Statue 
sculptors had originated.
Michael Smith
Calgary, Alberta
Canada
91 Alfa 164L, White, original owner

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