Alfa Romeo 164 (1988 – 1998) Review
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Alfa Romeo 164 (1988 – 1998) At A Glance
Sharp styling, V6 engine is an all-time classic, roomy and fast
Lacking deep-seated build quality despite being a massive leap in the right direction for Alfa Romeo
The Alfa Romeo 164's launch represented the beginning of the rennaissance of its maker. It was one member of the Type Four project, which resulted in four cars from Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Fiat and Saab all sharing the same floorpan. But of all the ‘Type Fours’ the Pininfarina styled Alfa 164 was by far the prettiest. Unlike earlier large Alfas, this was front wheel drive, and shared a great deal of Fiat/Lancia hardware.
The glorious Busso 3-Litre V6 was used in the 164, and meant it possessed the most charismatic engine in the class. Alfa Romeo was the only manufacturer of the gang of four to use a different set of doors; all the others shared the pressings to cut costs. The sharp Pininfarina styling also helped to differentiate the Alfa from its cousins, and the V6 could be ordered with a Veloce bodykit. Although not loved by everyone, the Veloce package made the car stand out.The range was facelifted in 1993, with numerous changes to improve build quality. This one didn’t rust, and wasn’t too unreliable.
