Alfa Romeo 164 1987-1998

[Matt]

Alfa Romeo 164

The Alfa Romeo 164 is an executive car with saloon body, produced by the Italian automaker Alfa Romeo from 1987 to 1998.

The 164 was re-badged as the 168 for the Hong Kong and Malaysian markets, as the number "164" had a very negative connotation (In Chinese it is a homophone to "一路死" — all the way to death), and "168" has quite the opposite ("一路發" — all the way to prosperity).

First unveiled at the 1987 Frankfurt Motor Show, the 164 could be considered the first of the "new generation" of Alfa Romeos. It was the last model to be developed while the marque was still independent (although it was launched a few months after the purchase of the company by Fiat), and was most notably the first large front-wheel drive Alfa. The 164 was essential to Fiat's plan to relaunch Alfa Romeo as a prestige car brand after the late 1970s and early 1980s.

The 164 was the last Alfa saloon to be sold in the North American market, where only the 3.0 L V6 was offered (12-valve from 1991 to 1993, 24-valve from 1994 to 1995).

It was quite successful in Europe, attracting keen drivers who wanted an affordable and reliable sports saloon as an alternative to the German offerings of BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

The 164 was discontinued and replaced by the Alfa Romeo 166 in 1998. 273,857 had been produced.