VOLVO 164 – 1960’s PRESTIGE CELEBRATES ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY
VOLVO 164 – 1960’s PRESTIGE CELEBRATES ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY By Rizalman While other parts of the world were in a state of upheaval in 1968, revolution was far from people ́s minds at Volvo in Gothenburg, Sweden. Instead, they were focusing on the launch of the new prestige model, the 164. The notion of designing a slightly larger, more exclusive model had existed for a long time. In the late 1950s, a big luxurious Volvo with a V8 engine and a powerful, vertical grille was planned. However, this project died a death in 1960 when a survey indicated that compact cars were the future, especially in the US. But the launch of the 140 series in 1966 gave rise to the idea of placing a straightsix engine in the 140 body. That would allow Volvo to create the combination of prestige and compact size they were absolutely certain people needed. Chief Designer Jan Wilsgaard kept the chassis of the 140 series and used the front from the 1950s 358 project. Here, the iron mark
