Alfa Romeo 164 — BrandWiki

Alfa Romeo 164

Overview

Alfa Romeo 164

alt	A four-door three-box car with door mirrors on both sides, integrated headlamps, front fog lamps, and dual-tone paint
manufacturer	Alfa Lancia Industriale (1987–1991) Fiat Auto (1991–1998)
production	1987–1998
assembly	Italy: Arese Plant, Lombardy
predecessor	Alfa Romeo 90 Alfa Romeo Alfa 6 Alfa Romeo 2300
successor	Alfa Romeo 166
class	Executive car (E)
body style	4-door saloon
layout	Front-engine, front-wheel-drive / four-wheel-drive
platform	Type Four‡R1R‡
engine	Petrol: 2.0 L Twin Spark 8V I4 2.0 L 'Fiat 834C.146' 8V turbo I4 2.0 L Alfa Romeo 12V turbo V6 3.0 L Alfa Romeo 12V V6 3.0 L Alfa Romeo 24V V6 Diesel: 2.5 L VM 425 Turbo-diesel OHV I4
transmission	5-speed manual 6-speed Getrag manual 4-speed ZF 4HP18Q automatic 4-speed ZF 4HP18QE automatic
wheelbase	2660 mm
length	4554 mm (1988–90) 4557 mm (1991–92) 4560 mm (1993–94) 4665 mm (Super)
width	1760 mm
height	1390 mm (1988–90) 1393 mm (1991–92) 1390 mm (1993–95)
weight	1200 –
related	Fiat Croma (Tipo 154) Lancia Thema Saab 9000 Alfa Romeo Proteo Alfa Romeo Scighera
designer	Enrico Fumia at Pininfarina‡R2R‡
sp	uk
aka	Alfa Romeo 168 (Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Malaysia)

The Alfa Romeo 164 (Type 164) is a four-door executive saloon manufactured and marketed by Italian automaker Alfa Romeo from 1987 to 1998, styled by Pininfarina, and cooperatively designed and sharing platforms and numerous elements with the Fiat Croma, Saab 9000 and Lancia Thema.

The 164 succeeded the Alfa Romeo 90 and Alfa 6. The 164 was followed by the 166 in 1998, after a combined production total of 273,857 units.[3]

The 164 was also the last Alfa Romeo officially sold in the United States until the 2015 launch of the Alfa Romeo Giulia. Alfa Romeo withdrew after the 1995 model year due to reliability concerns and slow sales.[4]

Design

The 164 was styled by Enrico Fumia of Pininfarina, with the first 1:1 scale model produced in 1982.[7] Design cues were publicly revealed on the Alfa Romeo Vivace concept car, which was exhibited at the 1986 Turin Motorshow that went on to influence the design of the Alfa Romeo GTV and Spider (916 series) presented in 1994.[8]

The 164 became the first Alfa Romeo to benefit from extensive use of computer aided design, used to calculate structural stresses that resulted in a very rigid but still relatively lightweight chassis. Although sharing the same platform as that of the Lancia Thema, Fiat Croma and Saab 9000, by virtue of the fact that it was the last of the four to enter production, it featured unique front suspension geometry and the most distinctive styling of the lot. In fact, for example, the other cars all shared identical side door panels. Though still voluminous, the 164 had the tightest aperture to the rear boot, which had a 510-Litre capacity.

Overall, the 164 also benefitted from improved build quality relative to previous Alfa Romeos, due to the extensive use of galvanised steel for the chassis and various body panels for the first time in the brand's history. Moreover, the car featured advanced (but troublesome)[9] electronics due in-part to the most complex wiring harness fitted to any Alfa Romeo. For example: it had three onboard computers (one for air conditioning, one for instrumentation, and one for the engine management); air conditioning and instrument functions shared a multiple-mode coded Zilog Z80-class microcontroller for dashboard functioning). The instrumentation included a full range of gauges including an advanced check-panel.

The interior was spacious and modern, available with standard velour seating or a leather trim depending on the model. The dashboard continued the avantgarde design of the exterior with a centre console that was dominated by a large number of seemingly identical buttons arranged in rows. Air-direction within the ventilation system was controlled by a pair of servomechanisms, which used fragile plastic gears.

Depending on the model, the 164 featured automatic climate control and electronically controlled damping suspension - the latter, for example, in the sports-oriented Quadrifoglio Verde ("Green Cloverleaf ") and 164S models. This suspension actively reduced damping in response to conditions to provide a dynamic compromise between road holding and comfort.

Range

The 164 was only offered as a four-door saloon, unlike the related Type Four cars that were available in other bodystyles (i.e. Croma and 9000 hatchback; 9000 and Thema sedans; Thema wagon). In addition, until 1993, the 164 was only available in front wheel drive like the related cars.

The original 164 range launched in 1987 comprised the following models:[10]

European export versions were fitted with catalytic converters to meet more stringent emission standards, including the Twin Spark Europa model.

In 1990, the range was expanded by the sports-oriented 3.0i V6 Quadrifoglio Verde (badged "QV" or "S"). In early 1991, the turbocharged four-cylinder "tax special" version was replaced by a turbocharged, 2-liter V6 with more power. North American export versions were new for the 1991 model year; this range included the luxury-oriented 164 L ("L" for Lusso in Italian) equipped with the 3.0-litre V6 rated at 183 hp and 185 lbft of torque and the 164 S (in essence, the "QV") with an uprated 200 hp and 189 lbft.[11][12]

Apart from minor running production upgrades, the range was revamped and became known as the 164 Super in 1993. Key differences on the outside consisted of chrome trimmings added to the upper edge of the bumpers bars and revised headlights now with a slimmer profile. Inside, there were revised instruments and a centre console that featured more delineated switchgear.

The range was now also bolstered by the following models:

In the North American market, the new 24-valve version of the 3.0L V6 was rated at 210 hp and 198 lbft of torque in LS trim while the S model developed 230 hp and 202 lbft.[12] The 3.0-litre V6 was the only engine ever offered there, and 1995 would prove to be the last year an Alfa Romeo sedan would be sold there until the 2017 model year.

The 164 was rebadged as the 168 for the Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Malaysian markets, as the number "164" had a very negative connotation (一路死 — a Chinese homophone meaning "all the way to death"), and "168" has quite the opposite meaning (一路發 — "all the way to prosperity").[13]

2.0i Twin Spark (badged "T.SPARK")
2.0 Turbo (four-cylinder, Italian market only)
3.0i V6 12-valve
2.5 Turbodiesel (badged "TD").

3.0i V6 24V with a 24-valve engine upgrade
3.0i V6 Quadrifoglio 4 (badged "Q4"), which was the most powerful and sole all wheel drive variant built.

Quadrifoglio Verde

The 164 QV or Quadrifoglio Verde was available from 1990 to 1992 as the top of the range model. It was fitted with a bodykit that comprised an extended front spoiler, deeper side-skirts and a deeper rear apron. Inside, the QV featured sculpted sports seats whereas, mechanically, it was fitted with an up-rated version of the 3.0-litre V6 12-valve engine and adjustable damper settings. The engine sat 3 cm lower, while the suspension was dropped by 2 cm.[14] The added power, up from 184 to 200 hp-metric, was the result of sharper cams, an increased compression ratio, and polished inlets and exhaust.[14] In some markets, like Australia, this was the only 164 available with a manual transmission. From 1992, this model was powered by the new 24-valve V6 engine.

Q4

In 1993, Alfa Romeo introduced a four-wheel drive variant called the Q4 (short for Quadrifoglio 4), which was equipped with the most powerful 3.0-Litre V6 engine fitted to the 164, featuring 24-valves. The Q4's four-wheel-drive system ("Viscomatic") was co-developed with the Austrian company Steyr-Daimler-Puch.[15]