I know the next old car I get I'm going to replace every
fuel line before I drive it.
That's the crux of the matter here. If you wanted a 164, don't
refrain from buying another one. The fact that the flames didn't
prevent exit from the car by the time you stopped indicate that it's
better-designed than some other European cars of the same era. You
should *never,* *ever,* (in my humble opinion) drive a fuel injected
car with fuel lines more than 10 years old. And I do mean every high
pressure line in the car, not just the ones in the engine
compartment. That's every fuel line between the pump and the
regulator.