Diesel trivia.

[JHertzman@domain.elided]

In AD7-1408 Karl (biased? opinionated? yes!), having seen ONE 164 diesel in 
Rome, expressed strong feelings about diesel engines in Alfas, echoing Luca's 
expressed distain for FWD Alfas, Fiat Alfas, diesel Alfas, and station-wagon 
Alfas.

He perhaps should consider himself fortunate that he has never seen a diesel 
Spider. (No, there were none - -) Between 1976, when a diesel engined version 
of the Giulia saloon was introduced, and 1996, when d'Amico & Tabucchi's 
tallies end, Alfa built well over 400,000 diesel-engined sedans. These cannot 
all be blamed on Fiat, either; only about sixty thousand of them were on the 
post-164 Fiat-platform based Alfas. There were about two-thirds as many 
diesel 164s as V-6 164s, and (probably most surprising to Americans) five 
times as many diesel 75s as V6-engined 75s. Maybe equally surprising to the 
ragtop contingent, there were thirty thousand more Alfetta diesels built 
between 1979 and 1984 than there were Spiders built from the first Giulietta 
Spider in 1955 through the current FWD Spider.

Not that I want one- 

Of course the Spica injection system, which blessed USA Alfas from 1969 
through 1980, and which is still highly regarded by many cognoscenti, was 
developed from the injection pump previously used on Alfa's bus, truck, and 
marine diesels.

John H.

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