Ladies and gentlemen, today we are looking at one of my favorite classic Volvos. The 164E was the luxury Volvo from 1969 through 1975, and a long line of luxury models succeeded the classic 140-based six-cylinder sedan, from the grand (Volvo 940SE, 960, S90) through the not-so-grand (264GL with questionable PRV V6 motivation). Why is this one my favorite? Well, growing up in the ’80s, these cars were uncommon, and so it was always cool to see one on the road or sitting in the service bay at Lundahl Motors, way back when, when they were still in downtown Moline, IL.
There was just something about that grille and that beautiful leather trim. As a fourth grader in about 1989, I knew nor cared one whit about British styling influences on the plushest Volvo. I just knew I liked them!
Mike Lundahl and his wife Cathy were long-time friends of my parents, and Mike took over the Volvo dealer when his dad retired. So I was down at Lundahl’s frequently with my dad, and not just when the 240GL or DL wagon needed an oil change or tire rotation. While Dad sat in the showroom and shot the bull with Mike, I’d wander around the service area or the lot. It didn’t hurt that my folks were friends with the owners; I pretty much could wander around at will, provided I didn’t irritate the mechanics or go near the cars being serviced. I always steered well clear of those areas.
Sometimes there were interesting old Volvos sitting about. I remember one decommissioned 164E sitting at the furthest corner of the service area. As I recall it was blue and had a blue interior. I actually got in and sat in it (not a customer’s car, I think it might have been a trade-in awaiting refurbishment or replacement oily bits). Or awaiting the wreckers; it had a thin coat of dust on it.
How well I remember that interior! It was very similar, of course, to my folks’ Volvo 240s, but at the same time those seats and the instrument panel were different, being the earlier pre-1975 panel with round HVAC vents and clock instead of the rectangular ones in the 240. I was intrigued with the door lock buttons, as they were chrome in the flossier 164E instead of interior color on Mom and Dad’s 240s. I actually unscrewed one and was going to take it with me until Mom saw it! “You go put that back on that car right now!!”
So yes, I must admit I got a thrill when I saw this super nice ’74 164E on eBay last year. It was luxurious, but also practical at the same time–as Volvo played up in its advertising.
The deep aquamarine blue paint and saddle tan interior is beautiful on this car. When combined with the (factory) blue carpeting, it was suitably clubby as befitting its status in the Volvo hierarchy. So, what is this particular 164E’s story? It is quite the time capsule, that is for certain.
Well, this auction has long since passed, but fortunately, I saved the description in the seller’s own words:
This Nebraska Native has Fuel Injected Engine, Automatic Transmission, Power Brakes, Leather seats, Manual windows, Manual door locks, CD / AM / FM, Factory Air Conditioning. Engine is in Good Shape, does not smoke, does not leak, nice and quiet. Transmission feels Perfect, shifts without any problems, without delay and without noise. Suspension is in Excellent shape, Car tracks nice and straight. There is No Evidence of any Electrical problems. The exterior is in Excellent shape for a 1974. There is absolutely no rust any where on the car. Leather Seats, Carpet Floor and Glass are all in Great shape ( !!! Check out the pictures !!! ) Interior of this car is Nice and Clean. This 164 has 4 matching Brand NEW Tires that are mounted on Good straight rims.
Clearly, someone loved this car and took excellent care of it, for it to have survived the harsh Nebraska winters. I suspect it was never driven in the salt.
Though a three-speed automatic transmission was standard equipment, those who wanted to row their own gears could select a four-speed synchronized manual unit with electronic overdrive.
Here is the B30F inline six, looking just as tidy as the rest of the car. In 1974 North American-bound models, it was good for 138 hp @ 5500 rpm and 154 lb-ft at 3500. An 8.7:1 compression ratio, seven-main-bearing crankshaft, four-wheel disc brakes, 21.5 cu. ft. of trunk space and turning circle of 34 feet are just some of the generous specifications listed in the sales brochure.
A car complete, and who wouldn’t want to have a plush, comfy sedan with a straight six, good handling and–best of all–those most excellent bucket seats? And for those who were more concerned over the luxury aspects, that so-veddy-British grille-and-foglights treatment, the longer hood and ample chrome trim was more than enough for folks to know you weren’t in your Uncle Sven’s 145!
All in all, just a gorgeous, classic Volvo sedan. Hope she found a caring owner!
You beauty. My grandfather had a big bumper 164. I’m not sure if it had the ‘E’ designation. It also had lights set in the round grille apertures. His was white, but I’m loving that metallic blue.
Tom,
Thanks for finding such a beauty – this is a rare example of what I believe is one of Volvo’s most underrated classics. I hope this car went to a Volvo enthusiast, and not a high school/college kid who’s going to trash it within weeks.
The B30 straight-six was essentially the B20 motor with two cylinders grafted on – at least that’s what other Volvo people have told me. I’ve talked to people who’ve owned them and their experiences run the gamut – they’ve either had good or bad luck with them, and no in-between. The gentleman I know had a ’74 164E that had 250k miles on it when he traded it in late 1986. His next car – a new ’87 240 DL that he still owns and which passed the million-mile mark in September 2012.
I also met a gentleman not too long ago who has a 1970 164 with the rare M41 4-speed manual. His parents bought it brand-new and he now owns the car. It is in great condition.
I never paid attention to these and never learned the distinction between these and the garden variety 144/240. Those seats look really, really comfy.
Apart from the trim and obvious sheetmetal differences, the car had a 4″ longer wheelbase to accommodate the extra two cylinders. I remember seeing one of the earlier style when I was growing up and liked the styling, it had something extra compared to the plainer 240s.
What a beautifully-preserved car, no doubt a Volvo collector would have snapped that up. Tom do you recall what it sold for out of interest?
“who wouldn’t want to have a plush, comfy sedan with a straight six, good handling and–best of all–those most excellent bucket seats”
That is exactly the reason I am picking up a gently used 2012 Volvo S80 on Saturday. Hopefully it is as good to me as this car was to its owners.
I want one! Not sure about the saddle-colored seats with blue carpet, but I would look SO good driving a 164. How about a deep green color outside, with the saddle seats? Steel wheels and skinny Michelins. Wish they hadn’t all rusted away decades ago.
I never cared for these as a kids. Didn’t much like the grill. Over the years I’ve come to appreciate them a lot more. I’d even own one if the right car came along.
So is that an airbag in the steering wheel? And did Volvo really fit airbags in its 1974 cars?
Jim,
No, those ’70s Volvos did not come with airbags – rather, they had what was called a “safety steering wheel.” It was thick and padded, and meant to soften the blow in case of a severe frontal crash. Volvo enthusiasts tend to swap out those wheels because they are ugly and unwieldy.
Volvo didn’t introduce airbags in U.S.-market cars until the 780 Bertone coupe was introduced for 1987.
I never liked the look of these, especially the British influence. That advertisement pretty much sums up why I don’t like the look but you have to give credit to Volvo for not mincing words.
Not an air bag. My father traded my mother’s much loved (but getting worn out) 1965 Buick Skylark for a 1973 Volvo 144. It was “construction machinery yellow” and she was appalled at first 1) by the color of the car and 2) because he sold her Skylark. She later came to appreciate the virtues of the Volvo though. The big padded hub of the steering wheel had no air bag but it was much more friendly to the driver in a crash than most of the other designs of the day.
The instrument panel in the 144 and 164 were virtually identical starting in 1973 and, IMO, an big ergonomic improvement over the previous lay out. As a youngster (I was in 6th grade) I thought the eye-ball vents were neat – like something from a Lear Jet. Even at that young age I was a bit dismayed by the hard plastic fascia but was told by my dad (ever the responsible protector of the family) it was to absorb impact better. Thinking back on what I faced in the Buick I can see the logic.
Another thing that vexed me, but knowing Dad I accepted it without argument, was, for the price of the 144 (with air, automatic, and floor mats) he could have bought a Cutlass coupe. Again, IMO, that was GM’s best looking car that year. I’ve since changed my mind and of the General’s 1973 offerings decided I like the Buick Century better.
One thing of which I am almost certain: that is not the original leather upholstery in the subject 164. Volvo’s leather back then was terrible – at least it didn’t hold up in the Texas sun. Mom’s 144 OTOH had some type of olefin fabric that looked about the same in 1973 as in 1983 when Dad traded the 144 for a new DL (this one in white fortunately).
In 1982 I was looking for a 100 mile per day college commuter car. I demanded cold air conditioning, reliability and (at least) 20 miles per gallon at a strain free, composed, steady 75 mph interstate cruising speed. After all, gasoline was sky high at $1.30 a gallon!
My Father’s foreign car mechanic/used car seller mentioned a pewter silver (with a black vinyl top!) 1975 164 Volvo he had auctioned purchased, refurbished and couldn’t sell…because of it’s 4 speed with overdrive manual transmission.
I drove it for 18 months. It was a mixed bag of automotive emotions.
The comfortable leather seats were SO dry that the outer layer of leather skin flaked off when I slid in and out of the car. I applied multiple layers of Lexol leather conditioner to stop/slow down the flakiness and restore the suppleness of those wonderful, aromatic leather seats. I would soak the seats on Friday afternoon, upon arriving home from college, and wipe off the excess on Monday morning. All that lexol made the bun warmer seat heater blow fuses, also rendering the overdrive solenoid useless. It took me several weeks to figure out why the OD wouldn’t “kick in”.
The Air Conditioning system, although kinda-sorta crude compared to my 10 mile per gallon ’71 Buick Rivera, worked well in 90-plus heat & humidity that New Orleans is soaked with for 4 months of the year.
The fuel injection system gave the 6 cylinder added power & drivability; but was finicky. It would experience flat spots and an extremely low (450 rpm) curb idle. I know now that the lack of detergent in the early 80’s gasoline only added to the drivability issues.
For the time period, that car was quite powerful! The combo of the straight six’s torque, the 4 speed/OD tranny and the final drive ratio made it Quite Quick, surprising many a kid in his jacked up Camaro or Mustang. I enjoyed delighting people by subtly switching the gear shift mounted Overdrive in an out by deftly moving my palm back and forth.
One year before I sold it; a spastic woman side swiped the right front of the Volvo with the side of her new Ford Escort. The only damage to the Volvo was a dented headlight rim and the loss of the horn cover. The battering ram bumper of the Volvo peeled the side of her new Escort back like a pull top Spam container! The Volvo truly was a Swedish tank. After that incident, I mentally dared people to turn left in front of me.
Finally, one sweltering August weekend, when I finally got tired of the flaking leather and the flunky fuel injection, I listed it in the local car trader magazine, for $700.00 more than I paid for it. The first person that drove it purchased it without dickering a penny. He needed an economical replacement for their non air conditioned Fiat 128 sedan that his growing family was crowding. His wife loved the fact that the commodious back sweat easily swallowed up their two baby seats and all their related baby stuff barely made a dent in the deep trunk. He loved the fact that (quoting him) “this Volvo really does Shiote & git” compared to the gutless Fiat.
This was truly the anti-brougham.
My first boss in the early 90s had one of these, in rough shape. He bought it for a few hundred bucks, and most of the time it ran well. Gas hog (compared to the small toyohondas I drove) and hard to start when very cold. As a beat up junker, I remember the soft ride it had, and loose steering. Cool looking beater though.
Interesting it has 3 point belts in the rear 15 years before they were required in US (1989). But then again, I believe Volvo came with front 3 point belts around 1959 as standard equipment. Was there a Volvo patent that allowed other car manufactures to use them free of charge? I seem to recall something to that effect.
I’ve read Volvo started installing rear shoulder belts in 1972. I don’t know if their cars were so equipped around the world or just in Europe at first, but they obviously had them on American exports within two years.
Also, I believe you’re right about the free use of three-point belts. Why it took until 1974 with a governmental act for the American carmakers to use them rather than those cockameme separate lap and shoulder belts is beyond me.
In 1974 it was required that front outer belts could be fastened with one hand. So we got automatic inertia retractor belts with the buckle facing slot up. Hardtops were popular, and the belts that could be stored up in the roof area looked better. But they were a hassle to use, and many times they were just hanging down unstored anyway. Most (all) cars have B pillars today where they are now mounted. Many European cars before 1974 had B pillars, and that was the preferred mounting point. Also interesting is well into the late 70’s American convertibles only had front lap belts, but most 68 up import convertibles had 3 point. And US pickups had lap belts until around 76.
This one is indeed a time capsule, well preserved model!
The few I have seen (in the last few years) have gone downhill quickly & completely.
I bought a ’73 164E used in 1977. It had an automatic transmission that I had to have rebuilt in 1979. This was mostly because the previous owner towed a boat with the car! It was a great car to drive, fast, and comfortable. Some of it’s other issues? The top layer of my leather seats flaked off, too, along with the original leather steering wheel cover. It would blacken my hands! The sensually curved tailpipe was very expensive. The fuel injection system! I still wish I had another one.
I had looked a few of these when I was looking for a replacement for my wrecked 1972 142S. Every one that I saw had terribly cracked leather seats. The car shown in this article looks like it came through a time machine. It must have been babied and kept in a garage. Of course, down here in the sunny, hot, south, I think those leather seats just dried up like old leaves. .Gorgeous car. Would buy it in a heartbeat.
I always liked the freestanding turnsignals on these. It just got to be one of the last cars to have any sort of lighting mounted freestanding on the bumpers?
For a ’74 that dash has an almost ’80s vibe to it. Stately, but I’d have probably found it too stark, like a lower end domestic car with leather seats.
That car is amazingly well preserved. The dark blue paint holds up way better than the more common light blue metallic paint on my family’s 74 164E. We bought it new in the fall of 74 and by the end of the decade the paint had shed most of its blue pigment giving a sort of blue/silver piebald effect and the matching leather upholstery was cracked and splitting in places as well. It was also suffering body rust from years of road salt as well.
My experience with the B30 was that it was basically reliable except for the fiber timing gear which disintegrated one day and left me stranded. Fortunately it’s a non-interference engine so all you need to do is replace the gear and retime it. Also the EFI could be a little cranky, we had to replace the injectors and some control components.
Overall it was a good solid car but
WOW, finally a Volvo I can really get excited about!
Why was the PRV V6 a “questionable” engine? Volvo used the engine for nearly 20 years and while I’ve heard their version had differences to it that made it less reliable than the Peugeot version (a 24 valve, 200hp 1993 descendant I have in my 605 today), those differences and specific issues were never satisfactorily detailed to me apart from the fact that it wasn’t a Swedish-designed motor. The fact is, over 1.5 million PRV engines were built and the design showed remarkable ability to adapt to many applications (carb, fuel injection, turbo, 12 valve, 24 valve). It proved to be very reliable for Peugeot and I know of no major issues that fall outside the norms of the day.
Before we regurgitate very tired, lazy “go to” put downs intended to please those in the back and unsubstantiated comments that have no basis in fact besides; I recommend that we pause for a moment and ask ourselves: “is this comment real or just a cheap shot that does nothing but perpetuate a tiresome old canard?”
There’s a Wiki entry on the PRV V6 that explains the differences (many!) and makes the final Peugeot versions sound quite good.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PRV_engine
Like so many engines, these do not respond well to unsympathetic owners nor deferred maintenance. And like other 90 deg V6s there were inherent compromises.
My old man had a 1978? 264GL and it seemed to strand him about twice a year. The fuel injection system was problematic and it ate water pumps. He’d constantly complain about the “french engine”.
When it was working however, it was a wonderful car, very similar to the 164 shown, and he drove it until the frame started to rust through.
Someone dares to use the words “Peugeot” and “reliable” in the same paragraph?
🙂
Someone dares to use the words “Peugeot” and “reliable” in the same paragraph?
Old Pugs were reliable, new ones not so much. I was in a multi franchise dealership and new Pugs were the most likely to be back the day after delivery on a tilt tray.
KJ
Once I would have mocked this car and who ever bought it, but now the more I look at them the more I could see myself behind the wheel…
Make that … “thing” go away… Please. I had a ’75 164E that was the very epitome of the word “lemon”. Damn thing would just shut off for no reason and start back up like nothing ever went wrong, it ate alternators for breakfast, and got fuel economy microscopically better than a 500 c.i. Eldorado.
Mine also went thru alternators until an “old school” electrical shop retro-fitted a late 1960’s style GM alternator and regulator for me.
When the fuel injection was messed up, mine also gave terrible gas mileage around town and borked out black smoke. Strangely enough, it’s highway gas mileage never varied; was consistently around 22 -23 mpg at 70-75 mph.
Having made all the above comments; if I stumbled across a 164 equipped with OverDrive and working A/C, retro-fitted with the Stromberg or holley carb conversion kit, recovered seats and a high quality, glossy, poly-urethane paint job……I’d be highly tempted to take the plunge again!
I keep forgetting any 164 still drivable is around 40 years old!
How is THAT possible!!
This must mean I am no longer in my twenties??
A bloody miracle… or as I see it a curse!
Nice find looks brand new!
A favorite Volvo of mine as well. Never common in my memory, so other than the occasional sighting, I didn’t see much of them until college when I’d regularly see one in a faculty/staff lot. Sure, the styling may owe a debt to the Brits, but I still think it’s a very dignified-looking car and manages to look harmonious despite sharing its back 2/3 with the 144. Present day, there was until recently one in my neighborhood in a delightful but somewhat curious color I could best describe as “dusty rose”. Haven’t seen it recently so I’m wondering if it was sold.
My grandfather owned a Volvo 164E in the same colours inside and out as the one pictured here. It was his retirement gift to himself. He was impressed by Volvo’s safety design, and he also hoped that a Swedish-made import would hold up well to Montreal winters. The only thing he couldn’t stand was the loud nonstop seat belt buzzer, which he disconnected.
Unfortunately my grandfather died not long afterwards. My mother ended up driving the Volvo for a few years. I remember being driven to school quite a few times when I was in Grade Four (1977-78), so the interior view of the dash, console and seats brought me, Proust-like, right back to my childhood.
In the Montreal climate the leather seats, while attractive and durable, were seldom comfortable. In the humid summers they were hot and sticky, and in the winters cold and clammy. Looking at things from a child’s point of view, I preferred the plush velour seats in my dad’s LeSabre.
I am afraid to say that my mom had quite a few reliability issues with the car. The fuel injection was problematic. The exhaust rusted out rapidly. The air conditioner failed after a couple of years. She ended up selling the Volvo to her mechanic who, being an enthusiast, gave it a good home.
Believe it or not, my Mom was happier with the 1980 4-door Chevette she bought to replace it. That car gave her more than a decade of good service without any serious breakdowns.
How much does this 164e cost