This 164 was Volvo's first six-cylinder car since 1958 and its first real attempt at a luxury saloon since the PV60.
Lead trim: 164 3.0 B30 twin-carburettor I6 · up to 158 hp
Volvo 164164 · 1969–1975
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FactThis 164 was Volvo's first six-cylinder car since 1958 and its first real attempt at a luxury saloon since the PV60.
The Volvo 164 is a 4-door six-cylinder luxury saloon unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in early October 1968 and first sold as a 1969 model; 146,008 were built (some sources say 153,179) before the 264 succeeded it in 1975. It was Volvo's first venture into the luxury segment since PV 60 production ended in 1950 and its first six-cylinder car since the last PV800 in 1958, designed by Jan Wilsgaard (who had drawn a concept called the P358 with a V8 in the late 1950s), and built at Torslanda and Kalmar in Sweden and in Australia, South Africa and Malaysia. It was the luxury version of the 140 series, with unique wings, grille, front bumper, bonnet, headlamp bezels and front indicators, a wheelbase 10 cm and a nose 6 cm longer for the long inline six, a simulated woodgrain dashboard and leather seats; Volvo's answer to the Mercedes-Benz 250 and Jaguar XJ6, introduced the same year as the BMW E3. The 3-litre B30 six is a derivative of the B20 four; 1969 to 1971 cars all had dual Zenith Stromberg 175CD2SE carburettors, Bosch D-Jetronic fuel injection was optional from 1972 (B30E high-compression and B30F low-compression, badged 164E, the E from "einspritzung") and standard for 1974, when carburettors were dropped. The 164E is quoted at 160 PS DIN with 0–100 km/h in 8.7 s and a top speed of 193.5 km/h (188 km/h and 11.9 s for the automatic), from Autozeitung in 1972 and 1973. Transmissions were the 4-speed M400, the M410 with electrically operated overdrive and the 3-speed Borg-Warner 35 automatic. 1972 brought a revised dash with centre console, 1973 a major facelift and 1974 large safety bumpers, strengthened doors, heated seats and a relocated fuel tank; the 164TE of 1974 was built only for Great Britain, Germany and Australia with air conditioning and other extras as standard, and the 164 stayed in limited production for 1976 in America and Japan because the PRV V6 of its 264 successor could not yet meet Federal emissions rules. Wheelbase 106.3 in, length 185.6 in, width 68.1 in, height 56.7 in, curb weight 3,199 lb. The page gives no power for the carburetted cars and calls the valvetrain "overhead-valve", so it is not entered.
Collectors Spotted in the Volvo 164 Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Volvo 164 yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
2 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 164 3.0 B30 twin-carburettor I6 | 1969–1973 | 3.0 L Inline-6 | 145 hp | 163 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| 164E 3.0 B30E/B30F D-Jetronic I6 (160 PS) | 1972–1975 | 3.0 L Inline-6 | 158 hp | 178 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
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Rivals
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