Forza Friday! On the best day of each week I bring you something special from that most hallowed of car-making countries: Italy!

Today it’s this; a window-licking version of what was once a quiet, capable (if a little boring) sedan. This one’s infinitely less quiet and boring thanks in part to its mid-mounted Formula 1 V10. It’s the Alfa Romeo 164 Procar!

This mad version of the 164 was designed in 1988 with the intention of racing in a new support series for Formula 1. The idea was for Formula S to bring together the world’s best manufacturers to build silhouette racers. Alfa were excited. They’d just bought Brabham and they wanted to put their new chassis department to good use. Add a 630 horsepower V10 to the mix and you’ve got a something that the fans couldn’t help but love, right?

Wrong . Despite its aluminium chassis, carbon Kevlar body, That Engine Sound, and 9.7 second 1/4 mile time (irrelevant but still damn impressive) the 164 never went into battle because Formula S didn’t catch on. Other manufacturers were skeptical to begin with, and when a less-than-thrilling demonstration of the Alfa on spent slicks at Monza failed to enthral the masses the 164’s goose was cooked. Nobody wanted to bring the fight to the madman from Milan.

Sometimes things are made better by their hilarious uselessness and I think the 164 Procar fits with that. Maybe it never got to go racing, but is the world not a better place for its existence?! I ask you that!!! Check the video below to see more of the car or skip to 0:45 to hear that V10 scream!