1966 Volvo PV-544 Sport Revisited: A Closer Look

I decided to revisit a car I photographed around the same time as last year, which can be seen in a different entry here. With my recent new ownership of my Volvo 240 wagon, I've found myself becoming more and more of a Volvo enthusiast, and decided it was necessary to revisit the car. Looking back at the old Bike Ride 14 entry and these new photos, not much has really changed on the car. With some more angles, you can get a better idea of what these old '60s Volvos looked like. 

As discussed in that entry, it is very clear that the post-war era Volvo models took heavy inspiration from the popular American cars of the time. The PV-444 (1944-58) and PV-544 (1958-66) models mimic the pre-war and early post-war American "fastback style" sedans, which earned its nickname "The Ford Volvo," famously dubbed by Sam. 

The Volvo 122 Amazon series of cars, which were in production from 1956 to 1970, took inspiration from the 1955 Chrysler 300 and other American sedans of the time. According to famous Volvo designer Jan Wilsgaard, a big influence for the Amazon series was an early '50s Kaiser sedan he saw in Sweden. 

Although these cars wouldn't prove to be a breakthrough success for Volvo until the introduction of the 100 series in 1965, the PV-544 and the Amazon would serve as the basis and inspiration for what Volvo would become known for in the 1970s, following the success of the 100 series and introduction of the 200 series. 

You can't talk about the success Volvo had in the 1970s and onward without discussing the B-18 engine. Most Volvo fans know about the indestructible "Red Block" engines found in the 240, 740, and 940 vehicles, which could last hundreds of thousands of miles with general maintenance. But Volvo didn't just arrive at the perfected design of the Red Block engines. 

The B-18 engine was introduced in 1961 to replace the B-16 engine. While the B-16 was a reliable engine, Volvo thought they could build a better engine. The B-18 improved on the B-16's design, introducing a large cam shaft with five bearings, similar to a truck engine cam shaft, timing gears, instead of a timing belt or chain, and two overhead valves per cylinder. Volvo conducted extensive testing on the new engine, which included running the engine at top speed for 500 consecutive hours, revving the engines past redline, and testing the engine durability through various terrains and environments. The final result was one of the most durable and under-stressed engines ever produced.