A bout a week ago, I get an e-mail from Rich Lasner (1992 164S) that Leo Kan (164Q4) was going to be in town. Rich mentioned that Leo would love an Alfa get-together and invited April and I to come along. Martin de'Campo had also planned to attend, potentially bringing his GTV6 biTurbo.

As the weekend grew nearer, we were informed by the weatherman that a cold weather system from Alaska was sweeping its way south, bringing with it blustery, wet and windy conditions - plus snow in higher elevations. Had this been a skiing weekend, I would have been very happy. But this was an Alfa weekend which is generally more fun when it's warm and sunny. Luckilly, Leo volunteered his house for the gathering. You see, he (or rather, his dad) has a six car garage. Perfect! Rain or shine, we were going to be there!

Over the past six months, there has been a lot of talk about how to bring in a Europe-only model into the US. Examples of the 155, 156 and 166 are available in this country yet no one knew how it was done. I was curious to see if Leo knew how his came to grace American soil.

We arrived at Leo's house promptly at 12:30pm, with Rich leading a pack of three Alfas. Tom Washburn (1991 164L), April and I (in her Verde) followed Rich into Leo's garage. And there it was, in the flesh. At first, I did not think it was any different than Rich's 164S and then I realized the changes Alfa had made to bring their US models across the Atlantic.

The 164Q4 - especially Leo's - was stunningly pristine. Just a touch over 55,000 kilometers on its odometer, it had nary a ding nor paint chip. The interior looked as fresh as it was on day one, and to my delight, all the LED bars lit up on the center console (unlike the one in my own 164, which decides on which day the LEDs would all come on in unison). If you looked closely at the pictures here, you'll notice the Q4 badge, signifying the full-time all-wheel drive capability of this 164. Then you will also notice the missing side markers which are only available on US-cars. Finally, the instruments are European spec; showing kilometers on the speedo, bar for oil pressure, and celcius for water temperature.

Before too long, we were joined by more Alfa people. Among them were Larry and Tammy Dickman (of APE fame, driving their Milano), Zamani and Aizura (75 3.0V6), Stan Deller (1995 164LS), Alan Lambert (1991 164L), and Larry Buskirk. At this point, we also met Leo's dad, Larry Kan and Jeremy, a friend of Leo's. Seeing that it was lunchtime, Larry suggested we all go for some Dim Sum. This was one crowd which appreciated food and before too long, we were all packed up headed for Millbrae.

I lost count of how many dishes were ordered, and suffice to say we had a banquet of royal proportions served up. I am not a pork-consumer which usually turns me off most Dim Sum restaurants but this particular one had a variety of seafood and other non-pork dishes. While we were sitting at the table, Rich and I wondered where our buddy Martin de'Campo was, but since no one had brought his cellphone number, we could not confirm his whereabouts.

Everyone was quite content with the meal, and Leo's dad Larry was quite the host. He picked up the tab, stating that he'd like us to repay him when he gets in trouble with the Alfa. Figuring there's a lot of weight in that responsibility, we took him up on his offer! There was some wheeling and dealing as to who got to drive the Q4 back from the restaurant, and Stan thought he was going to close that deal, but as it turned out Rich got to drive it home, with Leo getting a chance to drive Stan's 164LS.

Alan was kind enough to drive April and I, and we got a chance to try out (as passengers) his new Eibach springs mated to Sachs "Sport" shocks in his 164L. My impression was that the setup was firm yet not uncomfortable. I'll be going a different route in my own 164 since I'll be using Intrax springs along with the current Sachs stock shocks. I have no idea at this time if it will be as controlled as Alan's setup.

Once we got back to Leo's place, I "borrowed" the keys from Rich so that I could back it out of the garage and back it into the same spot. At least I can say that I'd driven a 164Q4, even if it was to change its orientation in the garage. My 20-feet driving impression? It's got a completely different tranny! (duh) It's weird to find sixth gear where reverse usually is, and the engine note is quite different from my 164. The way the motor responses to throttle input is also different in the Q4. At no-load, it revs up slowly and spins down even more slowly! My guess is, this is done for emissions purposes (or perhaps it has an even bigger flywheel than FWD 164's). I won't know until I do more research.

The other big difference between FWD 164's and the Q4 is how the rear suspension is put together. The components underneath the four-wheel drive brethen are beefier, and plain nonexistant in the FWD 164s. I must say it was odd for me to see a driveshaft run the length of the car while I was underneath it. I thought quickly if this was a possible modification to my own 164 and quickly discarded the thought. "Just buy one that came this way from the factory," I thought.

Before long, it was time to go. It was very cool to hear 5-6 V6 motors rumble in the driveway, purring softly like lions in a den. I guess you just had to be there.

Thanks Leo, for sharing with us your new acquisition. May you have many wonderful (s)miles driving it. I know we all do!