Re: [alfa] Mods to sell in USA : Was - 164 Euro Tail Lights

[Joe Elliott <jee@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I think James Montebello may have missed the point of John Justus' 
post.  Or maybe I did.

In any case, there was never a law in the USA requiring 'American 
style' turn signals.  However, I believe there are laws in several 
European countries requiring independently operated amber turn 
signals.  Some USA-spec 3.0 Milanos, for example, have 
independently-operated red turn signals that you won't see in some 
European countries (perhaps not on any Euro model at all).  I think 
Alfa probably felt that the 164 looked better with all-red rear 
lamps, so they did it that way where it was legal (USA).  Why they 
went to the trouble of implementing American style turn signals I 
really don't have a good explanation for, especially considering that 
starting in 1986 USA-spec cars were required to have CHMSL's (that's 
the third brake light--Center High Mounted Stop Light, 
officially--thank you Elizabeth Dole) which are a pain to implement 
unless the car already has independently-operated turn signals. 
Maybe somebody at Alfa thought that the Euro-spec lights on the 164 
compromised the area of the brake lights.  Actually, now that I think 
about it, there may be a law in the USA dictating a minimum area for 
some of the rear lights.  (Remember the changes that were made to the 
classic Jaguar XJ6's rear light clusters at some point in its long 
production life?)  That would explain it.  With separate turn 
signals, the total area of the 164's rear light clusters was 
inadequate to meet the area requirements in the USA--by going to half 
as many independent lights, they could make them twice as big, 
meeting the USA requirements.  In Europe on the other hand, they 
didn't have to worry about an area requirement, but were required to 
have independently operated amber turn signals.  So the 164's rear 
styling dictated two different light clusters to meet two different 
sets of regulation--an issue that other cars didn't have because they 
had more total area available for the rear light clusters.

-Joe
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