1920’s

Volvo was allegedly founded during a conversation over a meal consisting of crayfish way back in 1924.  Assar Gabrielsson and Gustav Larson decided that they should move forward together and their first designed vehicle become known as the Jakob, which was powered by a 1944cc engine. The car first came off the production line in 1927.

Born in 1891, Gabrielsson had studied economics, and was sales manager for the Swedish bearing company SKF, at the time he joined up with Larson.

Larson was four years older, and had worked for  an automotive company called White and Poppe in Coventry, England, from 1911 to 1913, before joining SKF in 1917.

In 1920 Larson left SKF and was working as technical manager for AB Galco when he was reunited with Gabrielsson in 1924 over the aforementioned meal.

The purpose of their venture was to build a vehicle more suited to the Scandinavian climate , unlike the US imports pouring into Scanadanavia at the time.The basic idea was to to utilize better and high-quality Swedish steel and components from various vehicle manufacturers.

 Gabrielson financed the completion of ten prototypes, with bodies styled by famous Swedish artist Helmer Mas-Olle. Marine engineers Pentaverken built and supplied the engines, and SKF was sufficiently impressed to fund the production run of the first thousand cars, built at Lundby, near Gothenberg, from 1927.

SKF also allowed the partners to use one of the company's patented names: AB Volvo, which derives from the Latin 'I roll', with its obvious connotations of bearings in action.

The company had planned to build 500 cabriolets and 500 saloons but, in the event, only 205 of the steel-bodied open cars were produced, compared with 721 of the closed fabric-bodied PV4 models.

In 1929, a three-litre straight-six was introduced, designated the PV650, and this enjoyed an eight-year production run until 1937, during which time engine modifications and design changes enabled capacity increases firstly to 3.2 and then 3.6 litres. Also during this period a few long-wheelbase chassis models were made for specialist coachbuilders who were supplying the rich and famous. The actual numbers of these long chassis models is unknown.

The PV36 of 1936 bore an uncanny similarity to the Chrysler Airflow.

From 1928 Volvi were also began producing trucks with a capacity of 1.5 Tons, and a range of Taxis named the TR,which was derived from thePV4 model. The trucks actually outsold the cars until World War II.

1930’s and 1940’s (more info needed for this period)

By 1932, the company had begun making profit and was operating from its own specially designed factory, output had steadily increased and was well over 900 cars a year, although demand eased slightly due to economic factors during the mid-1930’s.

SKF relinquished control of Volvo with a stock flotation in 1935, and at the same time Volvo took over Pentaverken which, as AB Penta, became in 1949 the marine-engineering unit of Volvo.

Sweden's neutrality allowed Volvo to maintain production during WWII, although the production figure of 2,834 cars in 1939 fell back to a worrying low of 99 in 1942.  In 1941 Volvo reached a notable milestone by producing truck number 50,000

The 1950’s

Volvo's first post-war car was the very stylish PV444, which had been designed in 1942 and featured independent front suspension and coil springs at the rear. This proved to be one of Volvo’s most important models as it gained Volvo a foothold in the United States market.

The PV444 was the car that made Volvo into a true global company; over 196,000 were sold between 1944 and 1958, and it was the first Volvo to have a monococque, or unitary, body construction without a separate frame. This two-door car was also smaller than previous Volvos, tapping into the post-war demand for practical, economical cars; it cost from 4,800 kroner and had a 1414cc, 44 bhp overhead-valve engine and a three-speed gearbox, with synchromesh on the top two gears. Production was delayed, following a steel shortage and national strikes, but it marked Volvo's breakthrough in terms of sales volumes, and also became popular for rallying and amateur motorsport.

For the first time, cars outsold trucks during this period which prompted a major investment program which resulted in production of several PV444 derivatives, including some estates(or Station Wagons as they call them in the US) and light commercials.

Some half a million units were made, including an upgraded model of the PV444 which was named the PV544. This model was produced until 1965. The estate version, the PV210, was in production until mid 1969.

In 1958, Volvo invented the 3-point safety belt, considered the most important safety feature of all time.

Not noted for its very adventurous styling, Volvo came out with a short production run of 67 glass fibre sports cars, based opon the PV444, and styled in the US in 1955 by Glaspar. The P1900 was its name and was built on a tubular frame, but used many parts from the PV444, including a tuned version of its engine producing 70 bhp thanks to a different camshaft, twin carburettors, larger air intake valves and a higher compression ratio. Volvo was generally regarded as making solid, good quality but rather staid cars, and the P 1900 was its attempt to show that it could be sporty and fun as well . However, its production proved to be problematic; although first presented in 1954, it did not go into production until 1956, and was then deleted after just a year, with just 67 sold.

In May the P1800 went into production. The PV544 and the Amazon were equipped with the powerful B18 engine with twin carburettors, which gave the PV544 Sport an output of 90 hp. They also had a 12-volt electrical system and asymmetrical lights. New colours were also introduced.In October the Amazon 121 was released. This was a two-door car which was only sold in Sweden, Norway and Denmark to begin with.

1962

The Amazon range was extended to include a four-door estate. The rear of the car had been re-designed and featured a horizontally-split door, with an upper and a lower section. This estate was equipped with the B18A engine and a four-speed gearbox. By February a total of 100,000 Amazons had been produced.

1963

There was very little real product news this year. The Amazon was given low-profile tyres and the P1800 was fitted with a powerful engine developing 108 hp. The call for local assembly and component production grew and in June Volvo's first foreign assembly plant was opened in Halifax in Canada. Cars were sent to Halifax in kits. A couple of thousand cars were assembled there every year. The US was the largest export market by far. Volvo was fourth on the list of imported cars in the US. By year end, Volvo had more than 20,000 employees.

1964

On April 24th the new Torslanda Plant was opened. Its estimated capacity was 110, 000 cars per year in conjunction with part-time work, 150,000 in conjunction with partial two-shift operation and 200,000 in conjunction with full two-shift operation. The potential for expansion was finally available! Production of the Amazon began immediately in the new plant. A number of new features were presented for the 1965 model year. These included disc brakes at the front on all Amazon models and brake servo on estates. A new radiator grille, punched rims and chrome-plated hubcaps made of galvanized steel were some of the new exterior features. Volvo presented a new type of front seat which had been developed in collaboration with medical experts, who maintained that sitting in the right position had an important effect on traffic safety. The seats therefore had a new design.

1965

The Amazon became the best-selling car in Sweden. Both the Amazon and the 1800S were presented as needing absolutely no lubrication. In August, the year's new features on the PV544 were presented, but it had already been decided that the production of the 544 would cease. On October 20th the last car left the production line at the Lundby Plant, by which time a total of 440,000 cars had been produced; 280,000 of them had remained in Sweden and 160,000 had been exported. With the passing of the 544 Volvo presented a new model of the Amazon, the Favorit. The difference between this model and the standard two-door version was not particularly striking, however. Another assembly plant was opened in Ghent in Belgium. This enabled Volvo to work inside the EC's customs barriers. The Ghent plant produced some 14,000 cars.

1966

In August Volvo revealed a new model which it called the 144. In terms of safety this car was extremely advanced. It had disc brakes all round, a split steering column and a new lock on the three-point safety belts. The body had energy-absorbing crumple zones at the front and rear. Even the door locks had a safety design. The 144 also meant the introduction of a triangle-split dual-circuit brake system. The car had two brake circuits and, if one of them failed, 80% of braking effect was still available. The 144 came with two different engine outputs, the B18A developing 85 hp with a horizontal carburettor and the B18B developing 115 hp with twin carburettors. The version with the more powerful engine was called the 144S. The 140 Series also signalled the introduction of a new numbering system for Volvo's cars. The first figure in the designation was the model, the second showed how many cylinders the engine had and the third showed the number of doors. The Volvo 144 was given an excellent reception by the mass media and customers alike. The 144 was chosen as Car of the Year in Sweden. A new sports-oriented Amazon, the 123GT, was introduced. The engine was the same as the one in the 1800S and the gearbox was a four-speed with overdrive.

1967

In the US the 144 complied with the new safety regulations before they had even been made public. In June a two-door version, the 142S, made its appearance. It was somewhat lighter (and cheaper) than the four-door. The Volvo 145 Estate was introduced later that year. Technically speaking, this car was virtually identical to the other models. The tailgate was made in one piece and opened outwards with the hinges located in the roof. Volvo now had three estates in its range - the P210 Duett, the Amazon/120 Estate and the Volvo 145. The Amazon was now equipped with the split steering column and a new safety steering wheel which collapsed in the event of a collision. All versions now had brake servo. From the autumn all twin-carburettor cars destined for the US had a system for exhaust emission control. The production of the four-door version of the Amazon was phased out at the end of the year - the Volvo 144 being a  worthy successor.

1968

The Volvo 164, a prestige version of the 144 was introduced.The engine had six cylinders and an output of 145 hp. The front had been extended to accommodate the large engine. A vehicle which had been specially developed for use as a taxi, the Volvo 144 Taxi, was presented. This car was available in black or white and had an automatic gearbox. The interior had been specially designed for taxi operations. In August the B20 engine was introduced in the Amazon and the 140 Series. This engine was a development of the B18 and had a higher output and improved torque. The B20B had the same exhaust emission control system as the one Volvo had introduced on US engines the year before. The Amazon was equipped with the same type of dual-circuit brake system as the 140 Series. The 123GT model was no longer available on the Swedish market. The 140 Series set new sales records. In Sweden it was the best-selling car. In Great Britain, Volvo's sales rose by 70% during the year. An assembly plant with the capacity for 2,500 cars was opened in Malaysia.

1969

In February the last Duett was produced. This car had become a virtual legend during the years Volvo had produced it as an estate and van. The Volvo 145 Express, an estate with a raised roof, was introduced by way of a successor. At the same time the estate in the Amazon series was phased out. In the autumn a number of minor improvements to the new 140 Series models were presented. They included head restraints on the front seats, safety belts for three passengers in the rear seat and an electrically-heated rear window. The new features on the Amazon were limited. The only Amazon still in production was a two-door version with two engine alternatives. Volvo started to plan a new proving ground at Hallered outside Gothenburg. The site was 6 million sq.m in size and the proving ground was due to be completed in 1972. Volvo purchased Svenska Stalpressnings AB in Olofstrom, a company which had been producing bodies for Volvo since 1927

The 1970’s Under construction

The 1980’s

By 1983, output from Volvo had reached over five million cars, and included the 760 series, which was first launched in 1982 to sighs of derision from most of the popular motoring press. These somewhat angular cars were powered by a 2.8 litre V6 diesel from VolksWagon, or turbocharged 2.3 litre four pots. 

A spacious estate followed in 1985.

The Geneva auto show of 1985 also saw the launch of a Bertone-designed 780 coupe, based on the 760 wheelbase. Although not exactly a sports model, it did preface the introduction in 1986 of the Volvo 480ES, a front-drive hatchback which was conceptually rather similar to the P1800 ES. The 480 used a 1.7 Renault engine, and was built in the Netherlands at the Volvo BV plant.

This particular factory came into Volvo ownership when the company acquired a 75% stake in DAF's car division. Volvo had started negotiations with DAF as early as 1969, and gained its controlling interest after a series of financial moves. In 1976, DAF's four-cylinder Variomatic -transmission 66 model was rebadged as a Volvo, heralding the introduction of the rather mundane and unexciting 340 series. By 1981, the Dutch government had invested sufficient capital in the company to reduce Volvo's stake to a 30% share, which Volvo were pleased about as the models associated with this venture was seen as a backward move by many motoring analysts.

Throughout the 1980’s, Volvo launched several new models, including the extremely popular 240, the 740, the 760, the 940, and the 960 (later to become the S90). These cars were very rectangular, and because of the model line up Volvo became known in motoring circles as the brick maker, however,  most of this model line up were classed as luxurious and the build quality was often remarked upon by motoring journalists at the time.

The 1990’s

As Volvo entered the 1990’s, there was much speculation surrounding the company  regarding a possible merger with Renault. The deal was to take advantage of economies of scale and maximize the benefits of joint activities in purchasing, utilising shared componentary, shared platforms and so on in order to reduce product costs. The planned merger would have put the Renault-Volvo group as the third largest manufacturer in Europe with a 12.3% market share.

In the event, the link-up never took place amid rumours that the French Government didn’t like the idea of foreign involvement in one of its prized car makers.

1992 heralded the introduction of the 850. The 850 marked a huge turn around in design principles for Volvo. Unlike its previous large cars, the 850 was designed with front wheel drive and used an all new five cylinder engine.

Top of the range was the 850 T5 with a turbocharged 2.3 litre engine. Performance was astounding, and surprised many critics and drivers alike.

The 850 was the first car in the world to have side airbags, too. The car still had Volvo's traditional angular styling, albeit updated to look more like a house brick,  but had the performance of a real sports saloon.

Volvo entered the T5 estate in the BTCC (British touring car Championship)) where it competed very succesfully against more sportier,more expensive branded cars (The S40 eventually replaced this car in racing and didn’t match the 850 competition wise.)

By the late 1990’s, Volvo had dropped the 3-figure model names and extended its range.

The biggest shock was a Volvo with curves. The S/V40 range was the result of a joint venture with Mitsubishi. The styling of the car was much more up to date than its predecessor the 440. In fact its rumoured that the initial S40 looked very Japanese and that Volvo toned down some of the styling to get a more European look.

The V40 wagon was named most beautiful estate car by an Italian magazine three months after its launch.

The 850 was given a face lift in 1996 whilst two new models were introduced, the S70 sedan and the V70 wagon.

These two cars advanced Volvo technology by adding 4-wheel drive to the list of options availiable on Volvo cars. A variant of the wagon, the V70XC, was created to battle the now growing sport-utility market. It's  kerb height was lifted and plastic side mouldings were added to try and give it a more mach look to compete with the influx of Japanese models

In 1998, Volvo introduced two new cars. The first car was an off-shoot of the S70; it was a coupe named the C70. This car was announced as beautiful by the majority of the press hacks, and easily competed with rivals BMW and Mercedes. When the convertible edition was launched Volvo were astounded by the public response, indeed, they couldn’t keep production commitments.

The second car that was introduced by Volvo was the S80. Again, the competition couldn’t believe how many curves this model had, after its launch it was noticeable how many other manufacturers adopted curves on their model line ups.

The S80 was built on an entirely new platform. The S80 was the replacement for the S90, but was totally different in every way. For one, it was extremely good looking, with no angles, all curves. It introduced two new safety features: whiplash protection and side impact curtain airbags. It became Volvo's safest car ever .

The S80 recorded huge sales across the world, and it was the first Volvo ever that was really able to compete with BMW and Mercedes, other than the C70.

In 1999 Volvo was trying to maintain its independence in a market dominated by huge global corporations but this was becoming increasingly difficult, and in 1999 it was finally receptive to a takeover from the Americans. Volvo was bought by Ford Motor Company, and became one of its Premier Automotive Group (PAG) brands alongside other acquisitions, Jaguar and Aston Martin.

Volvo USA

Volvo club UK

Chapman Motors California

MSN Motors

Channel Four UK

Lots of personal www sites to do with Volvo models.

Music: Blown Away by ELO

Written by Jeff Lynne