Volvo – the most famous Swedish brand on the planet. Better known than their erstwhile fellow Scandi car makers SAAB, more widely recognised than fashion house H&M or the Daim bar, possibly more famous even than ABBA (okay that last one might be a little controversial). And yet, with the exception of the stylish P1800 sports coupé, one of the last words used in discussion about Volvo is “cool” – and the P1800 owes much of its “coolness” to its starring role in the TV series, The Saint.
Other words that aren’t usually associated with the brand are “graceful”, “elegant”, or “stylish”, while words that do come up when talking about Volvo are “safe”, “reliable”, “sturdy”, “comfortable” and “solid”. In fact, “safe”, or “safety”, are probably the two words more associated with Volvo than any others, not least because they were used extensively in the company’s advertising and with good reason – Volvo’s were and still are safer than the average car, and the company has been responsible for some significant inventions linked to safety and saving lives.
Perhaps the most important of these was the three-point safety belt – believed responsible for saving over a million lives, the patent for which Volvo gave away. Yes, you read that right. Ditto laminated glass, child booster cushions, and even a type of reflective paint for….cyclists. All these patents were given away freely, potentially costing the company hundreds of millions, probably billions, of dollars in revenue and profit.
So another word we can use to describe Volvo is “generous”, but anyway, I digress…
Volvo the company made its first car – the Volvo ÖV 4 – in 1926 (although the model didn’t go on sale until 1927) – and by the late 1940’s and the introduction of the PV444, the company’s reputation for building strong, rugged cars was established and maintained through the PV544, then the 120 or Amazon series, and in 1966 further embellished that reputation with the 140 Series.
The 140 Series’ predecessors
The 140 was a clean, modern – if boxy – design, and its biggest selling points were all linked to safety. Its predecessors were much curvier, and arguably more interesting, but also dated. The plain 140 on the other hand dated so well its design cues were basically the same through successive Volvo models until the 1990’s and the 200 series.
At launch, two models were available – the 142 and the 144. The three-digit nomenclature signified 1 as the model series, 4 as the number of cylinders and the third digit indicated the number of doors. Manufacturing of the 144 came first, starting in 1966, followed by the 142 the next year and in 1968 came what became the antique dealers’ favourite, the estate, the 145, thus completing the 140 series line-up.
Antique dealers loved the 145
While the body was completely new, engines were carried over from previous models – the base model 144 DL got the 1.8-litre B18A unit from the standard 121 Amazon, as did the GL and the 144S got the twin-carburettor B18B powerplant from the 123GT and P1800S.
Contemporary rivals to the 140 series included the Rover 2000 P6, its Triumph stablemate, the BMW 1800/2000 Neue Klasse saloons, Mercedes 200 W114/115 and the Peugeot 504 – there were plenty of choices for the motorist looking for a middle-market family saloon.
Some of the 140 series’ competitors
Upgrades soon followed, starting with the engine – from 1968 all models got the 2.0-litre B20 engine, and the first of several minor styling changes began in 1971, such as a new grille with the now famous diagonal line. While power output was up from 75bhp to 82bhp, performance was pretty much as before – top speed was still around the 150kph/93mph.
Further engine improvements came in with the 1971 model year with the introduction of the B20E, or injected, engine as standard in the 144E (E for Einspritz, German for injection) and 144GL, courtesy of Bosch’s D-Jetronic system. Power output was now 122bhp, a significant increase.
Motor magazine tested a 144 with the 2-litre engine in November 1968 – the headline summary said “safe handling; adequate performance and roomy interior”, which is hardly shouting praise for the car from the rooftops. However, they also said it was “beautifully finished and constructed and full of sound detail engineering. As a durable family holdall it is a very sensible car”. Sensible – another very Volvo word.
As I have mentioned before, my father ran a midnight blue 144 for a short while (he only ever ran any car for a short while until his later years) – in fact it was the first car I ever drove – and it was all the things Motor magazine said it was. He loved it, but didn’t buy another; make of that what you will. The model’s first major facelift came in 1973, and included a new grille, restyled rear end and redesigned padded dash, with the strip speedometer replaced by dials – personally, I like the old strip speedos…Trim levels were now standard, de Luxe and Grand Luxe, and the S was dropped.
For the last year of production, the Bosch D-Jetronic system was replaced with the mechanical fuel injection K-Jetronic one and new safety measures such as relocating the fuel tank close to the axle to protect it in the event of a rear-end collision, and extended – and frankly ugly – bumpers
A total of 412,986 142’s, 523,808 144’s, and 268,317 5-door estates were produced. However, the 140’s replacement, the 240 series, was effectively an updated 140 with new front end, and another 2.8million of these were made, production ending in 1993, so one advantage of buying a 140 or 240 is that spare parts are generally not a problem.
Coming to this week’s Prime Find, it is a 1971 Volvo 144 Deluxe, so has the 2-litre engine, and is for sale with a dealer in The Netherlands. Despite being the base model, this example has a sunroof and automatic transmission, so is a little better equipped than average.
The dealer states that the “red paint of the Volvo is in very good condition” and that “the interior is in a very neat, original condition”. Based on the photographs we have borrowed from the dealer’s advert, the paint does indeed look good, with a deep lustre. It’s also a colour that really suits the car, I have to say.
The interior is largely in grey – door cards, facia, seat backs – but the seat facings are a nicely contrasting cream cloth, and it all looks to be in excellent condition. The whole car appears very clean and likely to be useable as is for quite some time.
It is left-hand-drive, and with VAT of 5% now applicable on classics imported from the EU, it’s more likely that this car will find a local buyer. The asking price is €19,950, not cheap for a 140 but this one does look to be in above-average condition. There are about 120 on the road in the UK, and I found two currently for sale, both with private owners and for significantly less money than this one, and one of them looks to be in comparable shape, so perhaps the asking price on our car is on the high side.
The mileage is not stated, so one has to assume it’s not low, but these Volvo’s have a reputation for being able to cover many thousands of miles without trouble. Indeed, although there are plenty of photographs, there is scant written information about the car, but if this safe Swede tickles your fancy, you can always give the dealer a call – meanwhile, you can see the full advert here.
With our Saturday instalment of Prime Find of the Week, we’re offering our services to the classic car community, by passing on our favourite classic car for sale from the week that passed. This top-tip might help a first-time-buyer to own his first classic, or it could even be the perfect motivation for a multiple-classic-car-owner to expand his garage with something different. We’ll let us be inspired by anything from a cheap project to a stunning concours exotic, and hope that you will do the same.
Just remember – Any Classic is Better than No Classic! We obviously invite our readers to help prospective buyers with your views and maybe even experiences of any given model we feature. Further to that, if you stumble across a classic which you feel we ought to feature as Prime Find of the Week, then please send us a link to primefindoftheweek@viaretro.co.uk