A short while ago, a friend asked if we would mind trading our 164 LS for one of his cars for a day. Now he's a raging Alfa nut with a revolving fleet of cars, so we tentatively said yes, and left it at that, not knowing if and when this might happen, or what would be available when it did happen. He finally cleared up a weekend to take our 164 for a spin, and offered his late model Spider as our ride in exchange. How could we say no?

The engine in the car is an amalgam of the old V6 in the Milano, 164, and 155. This car has the 12v V6, whilst later cars got the 24v V6, which are good for around 240hp. It makes no difference, as the extremely long intake and exhaust primaries mean oodles of low end torque from 1000rpms and up. The powerband is extremely linear, with no tricky timing gear or variable intakes to create dips or sudden surges. This version of Motronic with this engine is surely a high point, with quick direct response, and a immediate fall-off of revs when you release the gas. Combined with a light forgiving clutch, and a extremely smooth shifter, this makes any city driving a piece of cake.

The sounds are classic Alfa V6, with a deep throated purr at idle, turning into a hard edged growl as the tach climbs. The faint "ticka-ticka-ticka" of the valves rustle away busily inside the heads. Never intrusive, you are reminded that you are driving a sporty convertible in the best possible way. It always flatters you (so long as you don't tackle a canyon run at 10/10ths - more on that later), and draws you into the experience.

The shape is very much love it or hate it. There is no ignoring it though! The pointy hood arrows for the ground, while a "cape" is formed behind the cabin, before dropping off in a modified Kamm tail with a flush simple bar for tailights . Introduced in 1995 and designed by Pininfarina, it remains eye catching with a the deep slash running up the side of the car, hiding door handles and soft top cover. The tall bustle and angle of the tail means that backing up or manouvering in close quarters can be an exercise in guesstimating distances.