1991 - 1995 Alfa Romeo 164 - An Exhilarating Breath of Fresh Air
After the last 1995 164 S found an owner Alfa Romeo pulled down the window shades and flipped over the plastic sign that hung on the inside of the glass front door to read 'CLOSED'. At that time most everyone thought Alfa Romeo's departure from North America would be a permanents situation. Small groups of Alfisti gathered to mourn the loss of what they considered to be the world's greatest marque, a car company much richer in heritage than the Japanese upstarts that were encroaching into its entry-level sport/luxury market.
But that could all change before 2005 is over according to Fiat Auto, Alfa Romeo's parent company, driven in part by 20% shareholder General Motors. The sport sedans, wagons, racy hatchbacks, coupes and beautiful roadsters that make up the Italian brands arsenal would no doubt once again find a loyal niche here in the Americas. They're all much more evolved and even more attractive than the stunning 164 that was orphaned here almost eight years ago.
But the 164 was an impressive machine for its time. Pininfarina designed its razor sharp, clean lines to catch the eye. Resultantly both its standard L and optional S trim levels did just that, boding well for resale values that are still much higher than comparative brands. Rectangular headlamps surround Alfa's classic triangular shaped chrome grille complete with its famous serpent logo. A creased shoulder line forms from the outer edges of the headlamps, then stretches unencumbered from front to back eventually blending seamlessly into elegant rectangular tail lamps - tiny by today's standards. The S package added aero ground effects and a rear decklid spoiler, as well as color-keyed stitching to the steering wheel, gear shift knob, boot, handbrake lever and standard leather upholstery.