Volvo Amazon E-Book

Richard Dredge

• Herausgeber: Crowood
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2016

Beschreibung

In 1956, a prototype of a new passenger car from Volvo was presented. It became known as the Amazon in Sweden and the 121 and 122S in export markets, the latter denoting a more sporty derivative. However, despite its substantial appearance, all Amazons were surprisingly fleet of foot - this was one of the most sporty European saloons of the 1960s. With its elegant, timeless styling the Amazon broke new ground for Volvo - and for passenger cars as a whole. This new book covers the complete story of the Volvo Amazon, from 1956 onwards, including full production histories, comprehensive specification details, and over 250 photographs. The book covers the history of Volvo before and after the Amazon, and development and production of all Amazon derivatives from 1956-1970, including the 121, 122S, 123GT and all of the estate editions. There are biographies of key Volvo personnel, including the company's first designer, Jan Wilsgaard. Also included is the Amazon in motorsport, plus driver biographies: Tom Trana, Sylvia Osterberg and Carl-Magnus Skogh. There is a full buying guide along with tips on tuning and modifying, including rally preparation, and an insight into what the press thought of each Amazon derivative, with pages also devoted to how the car was marketed in period. An ideal resource for owners, or anyone with an interest in the evolution of these classic cars, which is superbly illustrated with 250 colour photographs.

Leseprobe

The Complete Story

Richard Dredge

THE CROWOOD PRESS

First published in 2016 by

The Crowood Press Ltd

Ramsbury, Marlborough

Wiltshire SN8 2HR

www.crowood.com

This e-book first published in 2016

© Richard Dredge 2016

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 78500 105 5

Acknowledgements

Big thanks are due to several people who helped enormously with the research and production of this book. These include Rob and Emma Henchoz of Amazon Cars, who checked the chapter on buying and modifying, offering time and information freely.

The same goes for Kevin Price, founder of the Volvo Enthusiasts’ Club, who checked the chapters charting the history of the Amazon. Fellow VEC members Tony and Gillian Whitton are also due a king-sized thank you for letting me loose with some of their precious Volvo collection for some of the photography within this book – it’s their cars that adorn the front cover.

Also due some appreciation are the folks at Volvo, including Martin Bayntun in the UK press office and Claes Rydholm of Volvo Heritage – who retired while this book was being compiled. As a result it was left to Lars Gerdin and Per-Ake Froberg to trawl through the archives, so many thanks to them for their help.

Thanks are also due to Lillian Bech of the Ole Summer Collection, for sending through images of the Sommer Coupé, and finally thanks to Crowood for their patience when I put the book back yet again by several months because of other commitments. They must have wondered on many occasions whether or not this book would actually happen – and eventually it did …

CONTENTS

Timeline

CHAPTER 1 BEFORE THE AMAZON

CHAPTER 2 DEVELOPMENT OF THE AMAZON

CHAPTER 3 THE AMAZON ARRIVES

CHAPTER 4 THE AMAZON EVOLVES

CHAPTER 5 SELLING THE AMAZON

CHAPTER 6 TUNED AND MODIFIED AMAZONS

CHAPTER 7 THE AMAZON IN MOTORSPORT

CHAPTER 8 AFTER THE AMAZON

CHAPTER 9 BUYING AN AMAZON

CHAPTER 10 UPGRADING THE AMAZON

CHAPTER 11 COMPETITION PREPARATION

Appendix: Amazon Spotter’s guide

Index

TIMELINE

1956: In September the Volvo ‘Amazon’ is first shown to the public as the 121 with a 60bhp B16A engine. Four-door saloon bodywork is available in black, dark blue or red with a light grey roof, or light grey with a black roof. The name Amazon cannot be used beyond Scandinavia, however, because it has already been registered on the continent by the motorcycle manufacturer Kreidler.

In most export markets, names such as Volvo 121 or Volvo 122S (for one Sport version) are to be the norm for this series. On retiring as managing director, Assar Gabrielsson is appointed chairman of the board. Formerly the head of Volvo Aero, Gunnar Engellau is appointed managing director of AB Volvo.

The Amazon came with two-tone paintwork as standard when it was launched in 1956.

1957: The Volvo Amazon goes into production and on sale in January, priced at 12,600 Swedish kronor (£868). Anchorages for two-point seatbelts in the front seats become standard in all Volvos this year. Production of the Volvo Sport is stopped, and 1957 is also to be the last model year when the PV444 is made. Volvo’s total car output comes to over 50,000 units this year. The company now has a workforce of 13,000 and by December the 5,000th Amazon has been built.1958: When the Amazon was launched, many thought it would mean the end of the PV models. But not so. In August Volvo presents the PV544, a substantially revised and updated derivative of the PV444. Four versions are made, offering a variety of engines and equipment levels. Seatbelt anchorages for the rear seats now become standard. AB Volvo’s turnover exceeds one billion kronor for the first time.

In March the Amazon 122S is shown at Geneva with an 85bhp B16B engine featuring twin SU carburettors and a redesigned camshaft, plus a standard four-speed gearbox. This is to be the main ‘export’ model, but the four-speed gearbox is available on the 121 as an alternative in Sweden. The bonnet release is now located inside the car and the suspension is lowered by one inch to improve the car’s stance.

In August the 1959 model-year cars are introduced with standard front seatbelts, then in November dual-circuit, servo-assisted brakes become standard, along with an improved heating system. At the same time, the 122S becomes the first Volvo imported into Britain, by the Brooklands Motor Company, at a basic £932 – which jumps to £1,399 including purchase tax.

By 1958, Volvo had built 10,000 examples of the Amazon.

1959: Front-seat three-point seatbelts are made standard in Volvo Amazons and PV544s bound for Scandinavian markets. This makes Volvo the world’s first car maker to fit this type of belt as standard equipment. Volvo purchases four million square metres of land in Gothenburg (Hisingen) and starts building roads to the site where the Torslanda plant will take shape. New registrations of Volvo cars in Sweden this year come to 39,016 units – the highest total any single brand has achieved by this stage.

In April 1959 the 122S is launched in the USA at the New York Automobile Show; at the same time, Danish Volvo agent Sommer builds an Amazon hardtop coupé but it remains a one-off.

1960: Early in the year, the two-seater P1800 sports coupé is presented at the motor show in Brussels. The substantially revised Volvo Duett becomes the Volvo P210. It now has a curved windscreen of the same type as introduced with the first PV544, a four-speed gearbox and a new dashboard. An insurance company called Volvia is set up to offer ongoing cover to Volvo owners after their initial accident damage warranties expire. The company is now making over 80,000 cars a year.

In August Volvo announces the 1961 model-year Amazon, with new designs of three- (fully synchronized) and four-speed gearboxes – the three-speeder is also offered with optional Laycock de Normanville electric overdrive on second and third. Improved front seats now give better support when cornering.

1961: The P1800 sports car goes into production. It has a brand-new twin-carb engine, the B18B. The powerful new B18 engine (which is actually half of a B36 V8 truck engine) is to be used in the PV544 and Amazon too. For the PV544 there are also new three- and four-speed gearboxes with full synchromesh.

In August a new engine is fitted to the 120 series, now retitled 130. It’s the B18 with a five-bearing crankshaft and new cylinder head that allows fuel to be supplied to each cylinder individually, instead of in pairs. In B18A form it gives 75bhp at 4500rpm with a single Zenith; in B18D form there’s 90bhp at 5000rpm with two SUs. The sporty engine merits front disc brakes, while both receive 12-volt electrics, tougher front suspension and an enlarged grille with a red B18 motif in it. No more two-tones from now on.

A two-door version of the Amazon, the 121, is introduced in October on the same wheelbase. It comes only in black with beige upholstery and ‘nougat’ trim; and it’s sold only in Scandinavia, for a bargain 500 kronor less.

In 1961 a two-door saloon joined the range.

1962: A four-door estate model is added to the Amazon line-up in February. Its rear end is totally new, with an American-style, horizontally split tailgate. Called the 220 Combi estate, it features redesigned suspension and a six-feet-long loading area. A four-speed gearbox is standard and it’s priced at 14,475 kronor.

In the same month, the 100,000th Volvo Amazon is built, then in August the saloon’s rear wheel arches are strengthened to cope with buckling in the event of an accident. Also, reversing lights are now fitted. The C version of the PV544 now has the B18 engine – a welcome boost for a model which has been overshadowed by the Volvo Amazon.

The Amazon estate, introduced in 1962, was even more practical than the spacious four-door saloon.

1963: Local assembly and local component incentives lead to Volvo opening its first foreign assembly plant, in Halifax, Canada, in June. Its output will be a few thousand vehicles per annum, with cars badged as the Volvo Canadian. The USA is now the company’s biggest export market by far, and Volvo is the fourth-largest imported brand there. The Volvo Group now has a turnover in excess of two billion kronor and over 20,000 employees.

From August an Amazon with two doors and twin carburettors is on sale for the first time, while the four-door saloon is now available with a three-speed Borg-Warner automatic gearbox. All models now come with low-profile tyres and a boot handle incorporating the number plate light. At the same time, the Amazon estate finally arrives in the UK, priced at £1,277.

The Volvo Canadian was the same as a regular Amazon – but it was built in Canada rather than Sweden.

1964: The new plant at Torslanda is opened officially by King Gustav Adolf of Sweden on 24 April. It has been built for a capacity of up to 200,000 cars per annum under a two-shift system. Several product improvements are introduced, in line with the company’s focus on safety. All Amazon models now have disc brakes at the front, and the Amazon estate gets servo-assisted brakes for the first time.

Another key innovation is enlisting the aid of medical experts in designing the front seats for Volvos. And the first prototype of a rear-facing child seat is tested in Volvos this year. Total production this year is 118,464 vehicles, including 8,040 CKD kits for foreign assembly. The company builds its one-millionth car, a Volvo Amazon. Volvo is now the biggest company in Sweden.

In August the 1965 model-year Amazon is revealed, and it features a trend-setting orthopaedic seat design, with variable lumbar support control. Upholstery is a new textile-reinforced vinyl. From here on the car’s sills are galvanized, and the estate gains a gas strut to support the upper portion of its tailgate.

The opening of the Torslanda plant in 1964 meant Volvo could ramp up Amazon production significantly.

1965: Finished in black, the last PV544 rolls off the production line at the Lundby plant on 20 October. At an outdoor ceremony that same day, 26 Volvo employees who have won a white PV544 each in a prize draw are presented with the papers to their new cars – a splendid way of rounding off production of the model that made such a difference to Volvo’s future. Total production of the PV444 and 544 ends at 440,000 units, 160,000 of which were exported. The official opening ceremony for the assembly plant in Ghent, Belgium, takes place on 3 November. This means that Volvo now has a production plant inside the Common Market.

From August the B18A engine’s compression ratio increases from 8.5:1 to 8.7:1. The B18D sports engine gets a 5bhp power increase because of an increased compression ratio and a high-lift camshaft.

In October the Amazon Favorit is launched. It’s a reduced-spec, cheaper version of the 75bhp two-door Amazon with a three-speed gearbox, minimal trim and no passenger sun visor. Black paint with red seats is the only colour scheme available.

1966: The Volvo 144 makes its debut in August, marking a great step forward in the safety sphere. It has disc brakes all round, a collapsible steering column, and its three-point seatbelts have a new type of buckle. Its body has energy-absorbing crumple zones front and back, and its braking system has a unique new configuration: the L-split. Two engines are used in the first 144s, of 85 and 115bhp. The more powerful version is called the 144S. The new Volvo receives widespread acclaim and is soon voted Car of the Year in Sweden.

But there’s still life in the Amazon, with the 123GT being introduced in August. It uses the two-door bodyshell but with the 115bhp engine from the P1800 coupé and a four-speed gearbox. There are new wheel trims, a rev counter plus fog and spot lamps to single it out. The 121’s B18A engine gains a Volvo 140-type Zenith-Stromberg carb to give 85 instead of 75bhp. The 122S has the power of its B18D engine upped to 100 from 95bhp, but is denied standard overdrive.

The arrival of the 140-Series in 1966 meant the Amazon’s days were numbered – although it would soldier on for another four years.

1967: Volvo presents the world’s first rear-facing child seat, and seatbelts are introduced for the rear seats of the company’s cars. The Volvo 144 is soon a success in export markets too. It proves to be able to comply with the next set of safety standards in the USA even though these had not been published when it was developed. The two-door Volvo 142S is launched in June, and the 145 estate model arrives later in the year.

From August the Amazon gets servo-assisted brakes across the range (they’d been optional up to this point), a collapsible steering column, and a new safety steering wheel that will collapse in the event of a collision. An emission control system is introduced for twin-carburettor models exported to the USA. But the writing is on the wall for the Amazon, with production of the four-door model ceasing in December – it’s replaced by the 140.

1968: The exclusive 6-cylinder Volvo 164 is launched, offering refinements like power steering and automatic transmission. The 140 series achieves record sales, becoming Sweden’s bestselling car of all time. Head restraints are introduced for the front seats. A new Volvo assembly plant opens in Malaysia, with a capacity of 2,500 cars per annum.

From August the Amazon is fitted with the new B20 engine with an emission control system. Displacing 1998cc, the B20A gives 90bhp, the B20B 118bhp. At the same time, the 123GT is discontinued.

1969: Planning begins for a new proving ground in Hällered outside Gothenburg, on a six-million-square-metre site. Volvo becomes the owner of Svenska Stålpressnings AB in Olofström, a company that has made bodies and body parts for the brand since 1927.

The last P210 is made in February, superseded by the Volvo 145 Express, an estate model with an extra-high roof. The Amazon estate is discontinued; from here on, a rationalized range consists of only the two-door Amazon with either engine option. Rear seatbelts are included, as are front seat head restraints. Inertia-reel seatbelts are introduced for the front seats.

1970: Amazon production ends on 3 July, with the final tally coming out at 234,208 examples of the four-door saloon, 359,918 copies of the two-door saloon and 73,197 estates.

CHAPTER ONE

BEFORE THE AMAZON

It was in 1924 that Assar Gabrielsson and Gustaf Larson first discussed the possibility of setting up a company to manufacture cars. In that year, just 15,000 cars found buyers in Sweden and, of those, just one in twenty was sourced from outside North America. The pair resolved to build a car better suited to Sweden’s poorly surfaced roads – one that would prove more durable.

In the early days, before the company even had a name, Gabrielsson and Larson worked two evenings a week on their new project, retaining their full-time jobs. They worked in Larson’s home to produce a set of designs with which they could source enough capital to go into limited production with a simple and rugged 4-cylinder car.