The other day, a bunch of us at work ran out to the Greek place around the corner for a quick lunch. When we came out, this Volvo 164 was parked at the door. We all paused to gawk.
I felt sure that this 100,000-mile badge has been earned at least two times over. When new, this car represented Volvo’s entrance into the luxury-car segment with its six-cylinder power and leather seats.
I would like to have lingered and maybe talked to the owners when they returned, but my work buddies, who aren’t car guys, quickly lost interest. And since one of them drove, I followed, because I didn’t want to walk back to work.
Good find those are quite rare here somebody is trying to tidy that one up with a shadow coat bonnet ready for blocking.
These models aged well, and the packaging was excellent. Look at the size of that trunk.
It looks all original, including the wheels covers and Volvo-branded mud flaps.
Really like this car!
I may be in the minority, but as kid, I liked how European cars were introducing the amber tail lights to North America. Ford introduced them on the Mustang II and Granada, as I believe they were anticipating the US government requiring them. But that law never came to pass.
Amber indicator lights are a requirement in some markets so Volvo just made them all the same for everyone.
This is a very early model indeed, with the original bumper and full-depth grille. They’re quite rare anymore. I would have liked one of these back in the day; they were quite zippy for their times.
Another car from my school days Mrs Marsh my Maths teacher had a red one.
Wow, this is the earliest I’ve seen of that body style. My Dad had a couple 240’s and I always wondered what the original design looked like. One of them actually had three of those badges on the grille, one was past 300k when he sold it. These earlier ones sure have more character.
I was forced to buy a 1968 Volvo 142 because my Uncle sold them. I had $1500 and the car came in at about 2700 at his cost [supposedly]. I was light gray with white vinyl seats and a stick. To think what I could have had in 1968 from the Big 3 for that money still gives me heartache. It was a total POS. Within a year every plastic knob on the dash and window cranks broke off. I took to carrying a supply of small vise grips so that I could tune the radio and open the doors. It would never start in the morning after a rain and took premium fuel. I traded it in 1971 for a Chevy Impala Custom Coupe with factory air and paid $75 a month for 3 years on the loan. I loved that car — smooth quiet and good for 25 mpg on the highway.
I remember in the early 70s, seeing magazine ads for the 164
targeting the full sized land yachts from Mercury, Lincoln and Cadillac.
With build quality being one of the Volvo’s greatest selling features.
These came out abut the same time as the MGC. Some car magazine tested them & reported in the same issue. Both had 3-litre inline 6s & manual transmissions.
The 164 kicked the MGC ass in every way.
I still remember that issue of Road & Track. If I’m not mistaken, they tested (or previewed) the BMW 2500 six as well as the Volvo and MG-C. Of course, the BMW, in it’s future incarnations as the 5-series, ended up the true winner for the the next 45 years and counting. But at the time, R&T really loved the Volvo. 0-60mph in under 10 seconds was quick for the day.
It seems to me like 80% of Volvos built from 1973 to 1980 came in that nasty Smurf blue. We had one in our family, a 1974 wagon with skin searing black vinyl interior. Just like Porkchop Gramps’ 1968, a POS. Was glad to see it go.
what was so bad about the ’74 wagon?
Mmmmmmm, I could rock one of those.
I’ve mentioned on CC previously, but the 164 holds a special place in my heart as my grandparents bought a 164E new in 1973 just before I was born. Being a ’73 it had the shallower grille and bigger taillights. It was a 4 speed manual+O/D, factory a/c and sunroof, gorgeous deep blue-green and the orangey natural leather. It replaced a ’59 Plymouth Belvedere, also bought new, and the contrast between the two must have been like chalk and cheese to my grandparents! They loved the 164 and kept it for 8 or 9 years before trading it on a 264 which was continually troublesome and steered them away from Volvo in short order.
Hardly any of these early Volvos – 144 or 164 – left now, but it’s great to see a survivor like this one posted!
Volvo really needs to put out a classic model – upright, squared off, Volvo seats. Bet they’d sell a bunch.
Bought a ’75 164E in 1991 or so from my drummer – he had purchased it from a naval aviator who had purchased it new. When someone sideswiped me and it need a little bodywork, I found another (burgundy) one down the street and asked if he’d sell it (it was receiving regular mowing) – he gave it to me so I scored the front fender for free. I then had the car painted black, repainted the silver steelies, polished the stainless and aluminum trim, and tinted the windows for a Stasi staff car look. Power windows in front, crank windows in back – I guess Swedish luxury had its limits in 1975. Pluses: build quality, ride, solidity, cavernous trunk, leather Volvo seats, and it was a beautiful, distinctive vehicle. It was also (mostly) simple enough that a numbskull like me could work on it (except for the FI and the emissions controls). I even pulled the head and had it refurbished trying to get more power out of the big six (see minuses). Minuses: with the cranky fuel injection, the ’75-spec smog pump, and slushbox, it was the slowest car I’ve ever owned. I hear the tales of the speedy 164, and I just don’t get it. Even my elderly maiden aunt remarked how slow it was. Sold it to my sister, who passed it on to her mechanic; I’d be surprised if it were not running today. If I had it back, I’d follow through on my original plans for a 4SP/OD, and maybe follow up with trying to find a carb-friendly intake for it, and some o f the cool skinny bumpers like this car has. And paint it something other than black! What a pain to keep clean, and keep cool…
Wow!! I drove a ’73 164 E right out of high school. Maroon, very comfortable, and yes, very slow!! From being driven in the Washington DC metro area, it was quite rusty, too.
I came across this posting on accident. This is my car! Hahaha
In US form the injected 164 was pretty strangled. European spec cars make 175 bhp. In a fairly light car with manual box they’re dangerously fast- the handling is boat like!
Many people think these Volvos are very heavy, in fact theyre about 3000lb and much of the construction is actually quite sophisticated to allow this.
The BW35 box is not good at low throttle, when pressed hard they can run smooth though. I guess it’s down to the pressure differential of the fluid.