Posts Tagged ‘sedan’

Saloon Racer – 1954 Austin A40 Somerset

March 8, 2015

The Austin A40 was a compact sedan designed to handle British post-war roads, but also to conquer markets abroad with its record-breaking (according to period advertising) 42bhp OHV engine. Shown together with responsible, pipe-smoking family men, listed at £467, it was a rather frumpy-looking thing, designed to be durable, and considered to have respectable acceleration for the time. However, handling was not impressive, and 42bhp probably didn’t conquer much more than the odd 2CV or Fiat 500. Nonetheless, there is something kind of fun about the bulbous styling of this A40, so what can we do to make it more fun? Check out this 1954 Austin A40 Somerset for sale for $2500 in Seattle, WA.

1954 Austin A40 Somerset 2 left front

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Distant Cousins, Part 2 – 1991 Peugeot 405 Mi16 and 1991 Alfa Romeo 164S

March 1, 2015

So now you’ve seen contestant number one, and what an elegant shape it is. But, you whine, the sexy Alfa V6 with its gorgeous intake runners and musical exhaust note sucks up too much fuel, and needs regular timing belt changes, lest it bend its valves, and the term “stepper motor” sends shivers down the spine. So feast your eyes (and your low-budget-fun-car dollars) on this 1991 Peugeot 405 Mi16 for sale for $1600 in Portland, OR.

1991 Alfa Romeo 164S Peugeot 405 Mi16 left front

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Distant Cousins, Part 1 – 1991 Alfa Romeo 164S

March 1, 2015

This has been said elsewhere before, but you don’t even need to squint to see that Pininfarina was a prolific design-daddy, spreading his, ahem, genetic influence all over the automotive industry. He was pretty active in 1987, siring both the Alfa Romeo 164 and the Peugeot 405, and a couple years later produced another offspring with Peugeot, the 605. And while new Alfa buyers might have been concerned about buying a car that had stunning similarity to its cheaper cousin, 25 years on you can just say they’re two very smart looking sedans that obviously share some DNA. Let’s start on the Italian side first with this 1991 Alfa Romeo 164S for sale for $2800 in Fremont, CA.

1991 Alfa Romeo 164S Peugeot 405 Mi16 left front

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