My car,

On my 25th birthday in June 1998 I got my grandma's car. For various reasons, the paperwork on it wasn't cleared until May 2000 by her estate which is the reason why I usually say I have inherited it. Since my grandpa, whom I've never met, passed away in September 1971, the car has been kept in a garage during the winters and was used by grandma to drive the 37 miles to our summer house in the springs and back again in the falls. In the summer of 1995, my mother and I was driving up to the summer house and almost there we met this maniac driving in our opposite direction on the wrong side of the road. That was grandma. The car was then kept unregistered for traffic from August 1995 to May 2001.

It's a Volvo 121 two door sedan ("Amazon") model year 1969 with type designation P 131341 S and chassis number 324684. The color is light yellow (97) and the interior is beige (430-595). The car was purchased new from Forslunds Motor AB in Gävle in April 1969 by my grandfather for $2 200 (of which $500 was excise and tax), and by the time I got it had 50,045 miles on it. The Proof of Registration for X 55858 was issued by the County Board of Directors in Gävle on May 13th 1969. The engine, number 10,919, is the for the 1969 models brand new B20 A with 82 hp (DIN) / 90 hp (SAE) output and equiped with the M40G four speed manual transmission. Such modernities as dual circuit brake system and collapsible steering wheel pole were also standard. Over the years accessories like roof rack, radio and car heater have been added. All remain and are like new.

I registered my new car for traffic and insured it on May 1st 2001, and two weeks later we rolled it out of the temporary garage behind the tool shed by the summer house in which it had spent the last six years. After having replaced all four wheels, put in a brand new battery, new spark plugs and fuses, filled up the oil, radiator fluid and gasoline and washed it off some we made an attempt to start it. Nothing happened. The engine wouldn't start, so we had to pull it alive using a tow rope. On a small, winding path in the woods with a slight uphill we finally managed to get it started and drove to the nearest gas station for refueling. In the many and brave attempts to get it started again after that stop at the gas station we discovered that the fuel tank leaked, but we took our chances and drove the 125 miles home. Everyone and everything that had been even remotely close to the car that day smelled like an old, sour athlete shoe...

The fuel tank has since then been fixed and the entire car has been washed and cleaned out (the engine has also been cleaned). The starter motor's sockets had to be polished some, but otherwise it worked fine. Parts of the exhaust system has been replaced (2001), including the manifold and gaskets, The rims have been treated for rust, painted and fitted with new tires - also the spare (2001). The fuel pump has been replaces, as has the fuel lines which now have an extra fuel filter before the pump (2003). The license plates have been replaced several times, but I'm currently considering putting back the original ones (from 1972). The dash pad has been replaced as the old one had cracked in the usual places (2001). In August 2001, I renovated the entire cooling system and replaced all hoses, clams, the expansion vessel, the thermostat and seal, and of course the radiator fluid. Early on I made the choice to, in true Volvo spirit, put safety before an otherwise pretty farstretched original-preservation-mania and installed new inertia reel seat belts front and rear (2001) as well as head rests (2002). I've also made improvements to the powertrain with overdrive (2005) and breakerless ignition (2007). Wear and tear parts like engine oil, oil filter, air filter, spark plugs, etc. have continously been replaced in accordance with the service book's recommendations (even more often, when I think about it). Renovation costs excluding own work so far comes to $12,542.

The interior is today in very good condition and the powertrain (engine, gearbox, rear axis) is also tip-top. Possibly, I'll replace the carburetor, alternator, regulator and starter motor soon. Maybe not so much because I have to. As grandma visited a ditch or two with the car there have been a few damages to the bodywork and a few scratches in the paint. I have therefore replaced the right rear reflector, a chrome list or two, and the trunk lid handle (where the chrome had started deteriorating). There's some work still on the exterior, includning a threshold plate that needs to be changed, a buckle in one rear fender and a few minor paint jobs.

The pictures below are from 2001 - 2008. Click on it to see more.

I keep the car stored most of the year. I drive once or twice in the spring and in the fall, and a week or two during summer. The rest of the time it is stored in a warm garage, raised and covered. In awaiting the next Amazon season, the hunt continues for parts, accessories and competent and reliable mechanics and craftsmen (do not grow on trees, as you know) for jobs on the car that I can not and/or will not do myself.

Earlier, I had some problems with the carburetor. Condensate built up in it when the engine was warm due to heat radiation from the manifold making the engine really difficult to start when warm. A well known Volvo problem, or so I was told. The solution was to replace the pin bolts and the seals between the manifold and the carburetor and mount an isolation flange (419888) in between. No more embarrasment leaving for instance the gas station as the car refuses to start...

* Many shorter trips contributes to higher fuel consumption.

In essence, all documentation on the car is preserved and in order. This includes the original Proof of Registration, the Warranty Certificate and most of the inspection protocols, service and tax receipts. There is even an unused standard card for gasoline. Thanks to the inspection protocols, it is possible to trace the total number of miles driven year by year. Almost half of the 50,045 miles it had when I got it was driven during the first two years, when my grandpa still lived. Since the car is more than 30 years old, it is liberated from vehicle tax, only has to be inspected every two years and costs a few dimes to insure (even for me, young male living in downtown Stockholm). The car is also excepted to the law of seat belts installed on all seats, as well as to the law of winter tires during winter (not that I drive the car during winter, but still). Given its origin, history and sentimental value for me its value is only of hypothetical importance to me. I will never sell it. To the contrary, I hope one day to light an interest for the car in my children.

Volvo Amazon is a prime example of Swedish export success, where not even half of the 667,323 cars made were intended for the Swedish market. There is yet today plenty of Amazon enthusiasts around the world, note worthy are super model Cindy Crawford and former US Secretary of State Colin Powell, and even if the new original parts (NOS) are running out in stocks world wide there is a lot of remakes. Below are links to a number of companies and organizations that I have found particularly helpful when working with my car:

• SVIS - Swedish Volvo clubs in cooperation, require membership.
• Veteranprodukter AB - expensive, but invaluable stock of spare parts and accessories - mostly remakes.
• CVI Autoparts AB - the given place to buy parts!
• Genuine Classic Parts (GCP) - owns Volvo's spare part stock up until the 240-series and Volvo actually owns a minority of the company. Mostly remakes and heavy in their pricing.
• MotorOldies - nice, genuine and honest atmosphere at "Volvo Lelle's" outside Örebro. Very few parts that he cannot help you find.
• Swedish Volvo Amazon Club - mainly the forum and the ads are of interest, not necessarily the membership.
• A decent forum in the US is Brickboard (thanks to the 740-series' slim design, brick seems to be a common reference to Volvo over there).
• VClassics have a number of very interesting articles in their archives.
• Rapps Car have remakes of Volvo blankets for front and rear seats.

The material that I have collected and assembled about the Volvo Amazon has proved to be very appreciated and the pages containing this material have had an enormous amount of unique visitors (hundreds of thousands) over the years they have been published. I wrote most of it for my own sake. I have decided to move this content to Karl Eric Målberg's excellent site Volvo Amazon Picture Gallery where I continue to administrate this information. Welcome! Some of my material remain, atleast for awhile, on this site and you can still download this content here.

First picture of me together with the car, summer of 1975:

There are swedish cars that have been manufactured for longer periods of time and in larger volumes than Volvo Amazon. There are cars that are neater, faster, more safe... ...whatever you want. But despite of that Volvo Amazon is The Swedish Car. Volvo's immortal car has not been in production for over 30 years, but is still considered as a good used buy. Its sport editions 122 S and 123 GT are hard to find and expensive rarities. Alreay a classic and a collector's item.