The Alfa Romeo 164 was the brand’s large executive flagship for the modern front-wheel-drive era, introduced in 1987 and styled by Pininfarina. It arrived after the older rear-wheel-drive Alfa 6 and represented a major reset for Alfa Romeo at a time when the company was entering the Fiat group. Built on the shared Tipo 4 platform with the Fiat Croma, Lancia Thema and Saab 9000, the 164 combined a more contemporary engineering base with the distinctively Italian styling and character expected of an Alfa Romeo saloon.
The 164 became an important car in Alfa Romeo history because it helped revive the brand’s image in the late 1980s and 1990s. It was positioned as the top model in the range, aimed at buyers who wanted a refined long-distance sedan with a sportier personality than many of its executive-class rivals. Over its life it went through major updates, but it remained recognizably the same nameplate throughout its single continuous production run.
Enthusiasts especially remember the 164 for its combination of elegant design, strong road presence and the availability of notable performance versions, including V6-powered variants and later all-wheel-drive Q4 models. It also has a special place in Alfa lore as one of the cars associated with the company’s post-1980s recovery, helping set the stage for the successful 156 and the next-generation flagship that followed.
Production of the 164 ended in 1998, when it was replaced by the Alfa Romeo 166. The 164 remains a significant chapter in Alfa Romeo’s saloon-car history: a bridge between the company’s classic past and its more modern, Fiat-era renaissance.