The “Type 4 Platform” is not a car… but nothing less than 4. And the Alfa Romeo 164, the Fiat Croma, the Saab 9,000 and the Lancia Thema had a common base. “Type 4” was one of the first successful cost reduction projects… A common base, but very different cars… #cars #alfaromeo #fiat #lancia #saab Become a member of this channel to enjoy benefits: / hermetic garage I’m getting a little ahead of myself, but these cars show that very different cars can be made without giving up cost savings… for me they are a lesson in how things should be done now to prevent all cars from being the same or very similar. Ford, the brand that introduced series or chain production, giving rise to what was called “Fordism”, a different way of doing things. But it continued to advance along those lines. The next step was the homogenization of production. Ford and many American brands, based on the same base, the same chassis and even the same engines, “dressed” them with different bodies, giving rise to different models and even brands, which consumers perceived as different, but which were basically the same product, sometimes even manufactured on the same production lines. At the beginning of the 1970s in Europe, the “European Common Market”, the seed of the current European Union, took a key step that affected European industry: tariffs between members were eliminated… and German manufacturers had an advantage in the sector of luxury sedans… they had to react. The Fiat group did not have a good range of luxury sedans. Furthermore, I was always very attentive to what was happening in North America, I took good note and thought of doing the same… And so the common platform called Project Type 4 or Type 4 platform was born in 1978 sponsored by the Fiat group, but Saab soon joined in, as I said, a brand that did not have the resources of the Italians… for me, a very clever move by the Swedes. It was something really novel that competing brands from the same group and even one that was not from the group, came together to develop a common chassis-platform, of course, with a transverse engine and front-wheel drive. Fiat executives certainly didn’t think that Saab was a dangerous rival… The successful project bore fruit quickly and in 1984 the Lancia Thema and Saab 9000 were introduced, the Fiat Croma arrived in 1985 and the one that took the longest was the Alfa Romeo 164, we will explain the reasons later, which was introduced in 1987. The success of this project was due to several reasons. A common platform allowed significant cost savings in research and production, but the models were perceived as different… and they were very different, we will analyse them later. As you can see, starting from a common platform very different variants could be made. But as I was saying, the brilliance of this project is that the cars were truly different. The design of their bodywork and interiors plus the use of different engines, from 4 to 8 cylinders, with or without turbo, managed to give each of these cars its own personality. Alfa Romeo 164: Sports car. I have been fortunate enough to test drive all the Alfa 164s, but almost all of them. My favourite is the one with the 3-litre engine, of course!, but also with 24 valves, called the 164 V6 24v “Quadrifoglio Verde” with its 232 hp. For me, it is a very nice car, with a spacious and cosy interior and a finish that was not that of a BMW, but it is not far from that than you might think. In exchange, the sound of its engine is unbeatable and its power at low, medium and high revs, surprising. Fiat Croma: Sensible. I have also been able to test drive many of these versions, but if I have to choose one, the one that best represents this model, the chosen one would be the 2500 TD id. It fits with the philosophy of this car, which although discreet, has great virtues. And the power consumption ratio of this engine, in its time, was almost unbeatable. Lancia Thema: Elegant and exclusive. Ferrari was owned by Fiat and someone at Lancia had the brilliant idea of ​​“putting” the 3-litre, 32-valve V8 from the Ferrari 308 into the engine compartment of the Thema. And a legendary car was born, the Lancia 8.32, respecting the name used by Ferrari, but which everyone knows as the “Thema Ferrari”. More than sporty, this Thema was refined, thanks to its excellent 215 HP engine and its exquisite interior, with seats hand-stitched by the “Poltrona Frau” company and lots of wood inside. Saab 9000. The most premium. In 1993, the CS Aero Turbo version appeared with a 2.3 225 HP engine, fully equipped and with aerodynamic add-ons and specific rims. This Saab, which I was able to test for a long time, captivated me, it is my choice and I believe it is the best representative of this 9000, very premium.