The Volvo 164 is an executive car manufactured by Volvo from 1968 to 1975. The 164 was introduced in late 1968 as a model year 1969 offering; the last model year was 1975. When production ended in 1975 146,008 cars had been built. The 164 was positioned, equipped, marketed, and priced well upscale of the more utilitarian 140 model upon which it was based.
[] History
The lines of the 164 came from the pen of Volvo designer Jan Wilsgaard and were first seen in the late 1950s as a concept car called the P358 powered by a large V8, but the P358 was cancelled when the home market was found too small. The front was inspired both by the Wolseley 6/99 and the Volvo P1900.
In 1968 Volvo introduced the 164. It was a development of the 140-series but with a more prestige oriented position. The biggest difference is that the 164 is powered by a 3.0 litre straight-6. This was the first time for 10 years that Volvo had offered a 6 cylinder engine, the last time being the PV800 series that went out of production in 1958. The front bodywork was also quite different from the 140: the bonnet was lengthened to make room for the bigger engine and it was given a large grille with a more prestigious look. The interior was also made more luxurious, with optional leather.
Engine and powertrain
The 164 was powered by a 3-litre OHV straight 6 cylinder engine, the B30, which was a 6-cylinder derivative of the proven B20 4-cylinder engine that powered most other Volvo models. 1969-1971 models were equipped with dual Zenith Stromberg 175CD2SE constant-depression carburetors. In 1972, Bosch's first volume-production electronic fuel injection system, D-Jetronic, was offered as optional equipment. Carburetors were dropped and "D-Jet" became standard equipment for the 1973 model year. Cars equipped with the fuel injection were badged as 164E models, the "E" standing for einspritzung (German for fuel injection). Like other fuel-injected Volvos, the 164E models gave improved performance and driveability with less-toxic exhaust emissions than their carbureted counterparts. The D-Jetronic system, however, was not renowned for fuel economy or easy hot-engine restarts.
[] Transmission
Transmission options included a manual 4-speed (M400) gearbox, which was known as the M410 when equipped with the optional electrically-operated Laycock de Normanville overdrive. Both the M400 and M410 débuted Volvo's new "remote control" shifter, which used a conventionally short, vertical shift stick placed between the front seats. Manual-shift models other than the 164 continued until 1971 to use Volvo's direct-control shifter, featuring an extremely long, almost horizontal shift lever with its pivot point well under the dashboard. A 3-speed automatic transmission, the Borg Warner BW35, was also offered. The automatic shift selector was mounted on the steering column from 1969 through 1972, and on the floor from 1973 through 1975. Despite its rough operation and inefficiency, the BW35 was popular in the North American market.
[] Body and chassis
The 164 was only offered as a 4-door sedan, and shares many body and chassis components with its 144 forebear. From the cowl rearward, body sheetmetal is identical. The front was lengthened 6 inches to accommodate the longer 6-cylinder engine. Because of the shared components between the 140 and 164, several private parties have constructed station wagon and 2-door hardtop versions with 164 front ends. Despite strenuous calls from North American Volvo dealers for a 6-cylinder Volvo station wagon, Volvo is said to have produced only a single 165 estate car, which was given to designer Wilsgaard on his retirement from Volvo.
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