What is it with Volvo’s? You’ve seen those boxy cars that are hard to distinguish from an oversized brick with wheels and their brakes shrieking in such a tone you think your teeth are going to shatter. It’s seems it’s the car that just won’t die. There are not too many cars running around with over 200,000 miles on the clock and still getting the soccer kid’s to practice and groceries in the fridge. I think the Swedish translation for Volvo stands for Vehicle Out Last Vehicles’ Owner.
Or maybe it’s really the owners of Volvo’s who are the real secret to their immortality! These people tend to adorn their beloved car with affectionate names and treat them as partof the family. I have many customers with these older boxes on wheels that treat me like their trusted pediatrician. When they hand me the keys to their family member they sometimes look at me as if they just dropped off their baby at daycare and to call if car’s not feeling well or becomes upset. And of course there is a detailed list on how to care for the family unit. You know, talk nicely to the car, burp after oil changes, and use organic oil and filters, don’t park it near an Audi or Porsche because it may feel insecure, yadda yadda yadda. With that they are obviously well taken care of!
I think what really set Volvo apart from other car manufactures is SAFETY. Volvo has been the industry leader in making the automobile safer for the masses. This has been a very successful marketing campaign for Volvo. Not only did they invent the 3-point (shoulder strap) safety belt they made it a standard option in their cars since 1957! I remember as kid the only belt I knew of was the one that held your pants up or the one my neighbor’s dad used on his kids when they stepped out of line. We never had them in our cars and if the car did have them we just sat on them as opposed to strapping in! Yes, Volvo proved that seat belts saved lives and started to design cars that, well for lack of a better term, crash better.
Volvo started building cars with ‘crumple zone’ to absorb energy in crashes to protect its occupants. cavernous areas behind the engine allowed the car to crumple like an accordion all the while keeping the cabin intact and the engine in the engine compartment. They introduced laminated glass, padded dash boards, rear facing child seats all before the 1970’s.This forward thinking in safety caught the notice of other car manufacturers and they followed suit. Now all cars are designed with safety as a priority and is actually mandated by governments to pass certain crash criteria. I think we all owe Volvo a big thank you for their commitment to the seat belt and cars that crash good!
This months car sighting is a classic Volvo indeed. It’s known as the Volvo 122 sedan. They were produced from 1957 through 1970 and were known as the Amazon back home in Sweden. It’s hard to say what year this one actually is but my inside source says it’s a ‘1967’ and ‘cute like an older Mercedes Benz’. Powerplants in these cars ranged from 1600cc pushing a wopping 66 horsepower up to a 2000cc unit that tilted the dynometer to just over 100 horse power!!! I guess with all that power on tap one can conclude that at least it’s a safe car!
