May
28
If you are saying to yourself “what in the hell are these Mint guys thinking”, you might not appreciate loyalty. The Volvo 240 wagon, in any of its many flavors, is a robust almost indestructible mode of transportation. And it is to be respected for that. One can equate it to the Labrador Retriever. If you owned one, you know what we mean. You just get attached to them.
May
24
Like the Austin-Healey we featured, we seem to come up with quite a few nice Volvo 1800s lately. This is a really nice follow-up to the Coupe we had earlier this week. That 1800E was interesting because it had factory A/C. Guess what? If you need a little more carrying capacity for you scuba gear, this one has A/C too. It is the same light blue metallic as the Coupe so you have a real choice here. Read More
May
21
Relax Volvo fans and we know we have many. We did not misspell Amason. When introduced, the car was called the Amason which derives from the fierce female warriors of Greek mythology, the Amazons. German motorcycle manufacture Kreidler had already registered that name, and the two companies finally agreed that Volvo could only use the name within Sweden, modifying the spelling to Amazon. Subsequently, Volvo began its tri-digit nomenclature and the line became known as the 120 Series. Now you can rest easy with this knowledge. Read More
May
19
Volvo wasn’t known for making sweeping changes year to year. But every once in a while, they were forced to keep up with competition and federal regulations. In 1970, Volvo made numerous changes to the P1800. They added an E which meant it had the B20E engine with Bosch D-Jetronic, a revised camshaft, and produced 130 bhp without sacrificing fuel economy. Top speed was around 120 mph and acceleration from 0–60 mph took 9.5 seconds. Read More
May
13
We love the Volvo P1800S and there are legions of new admirers snapping up the best ones. We found this California car on Craigslist and it looks and sounds like the real deal. But even the best one of the “unrestored” P1800S out there can have lots of needs. Read More
Apr
14
We don’t usually get excited about finding a late ’70 Volvo Sedan for sale but this one we will call an exception. The 200 Series Volvos replaced the 140/160 series and was also designed by Jan Wilsgard. Post 1974, they were burdened with huge bumpers but in a strange sense, that contributed to Volvo’s legendary claim as the safest car you should buy. They even had some pretty outrageous safety colors that improved your visibility in the fog. We are talking orange and lime green and a few others. And the 2-box station wagon solidified its position as the top-selling wagon for people who think. Every once in a while, they came up with a really nice, elegant sedan and that is what we found today. Read More
Mar
15
A bunch of SAAB engine designers and enthusiasts formed a limited research-and-development team to build a small sports car, with a total budget of only 75,000 kroner. It became known as the Sonett, a name derived from the Swedish phrase Så nätt den är – How neat is it. The Sonett 1 – only six were made. The Sonett II had better success building 258 units. They felt they were limiting the market by using the 2-stroke engine so plans were rushed into play to adapt Ford’s V-4 engine for the next version. Read More
Feb
20
We had one of our best days ever when we posted the Volvo PV544. The auction has a Buy It Now price less than $8,000. One of our subscribers sent me a link to a YouTube video about the East African Safari Rally and one of its luminaries, Joginder Singh. So we thought we would package the update on the 544 with some history and the video.
From Wikipedia:
Joginder was the first Sikh driver ever to win an international rally, and also the first man to win the Safari Rally three times, he was fondly known as the “Flying Sikh” for his exploits behind the wheel. Although Ugandan rival Shekhar Mehta has more outright victories in the event, Singh’s record of 19 finishes in 22 attempts is an unprecedented feat of consistency in what has been long regarded as the world’s toughest rally, where the attrition rate can exceed 90%. His historic first Safari win in 1965 proved to be a triumph against expectations and a defiance of superstition. It was the 13th running of the event, and his car was given the number 1 which was at that time considered an unlucky number in the Safari. Nevertheless, there was only good fortune for Joginder and Jaswant, despite piloting the same Volvo which factory driver Tom Trana had used in 1963 and 1964 and which had clocked up 42,000 competitive miles on its odometer before the Bhachu brothers’ victory.
Feb
17
The “Drive It Like You Hate It” campaign referred to the 122S but it is totally apropos for a 544. Loyal 544 owners are often teased that their trusty classic looks like a shrunken old Ford. Nothing could be more far from the truth. These Volvos were actually sport sedans dressed in a housecoat instead of an evening gown. 
The 544 feels anything but stodgy. It is stoutly constructed and at 2100 lb., pretty light on its feet. Read More
Feb
4
If you are a fan of solid old Volvos, you know this one is pretty rare here in the US. The name Duett comes from management’s wishes to have a suitable commercial vehicle that can be used as a passenger vehicle on weekends. Hence one vehicle, 2 uses and the name Duett. Clever those Swedes were back then. 
Another little known fact (unless you are a Volvo trivia expert) is that the Duett was built on an old ladder type frame to simplify the fitting of special commercial bodies. Read More
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