One of the earliest Volvo Amazons in Sweden is one of the highlights on the 2 June listing at Bilweb Auctions.
Built in September 1957, with chassis number 1163, and in a stunning condition after a thorough restoration absolutely true to the original specification.
The Amazon has a very special place in the hearts of the Swedish people. A car created when the welfare state was formed and a natural part of the street scene far into the 1980s.
Jan Wilsgaard was only 23 years old when he designed what was to become the Amazon. He had been recruited three years earlier, directly from school, to Volvo´s first design department. In 1960 he was appointed head of design, a job he had for 30 years, ending with the Volvo 850. Wilsgaard created, apart from the Amazon, car that became symbols for Sweden and Swedishness: the 140, 240 and 740.
Customer deliveries of the Amazon started in February 1957, but the initial production volumes was very low.
7 months later, 2 September 1957, this two-tone painted car - red body with a roof in light grey - left the production line in the Lundby factory in Gothenburg. It had a 1.6 litre B16 A engine, specifically designed for the Amazon, producing 60 horsepower. The gearbox was a 3-speed without synchromesh on first.
The car was sold in Kalmar in the South of Sweden and stayed within the same family until 1984, when a new owner started a restoration that ended up unfinished. In 2018 aVolvo enthusiast in Stockholm, with a number of high class Volvo restorations behind him, bought it.
At the time, a number of early car specific details were missing: for example the gear lever knob with a V emblem, the two-piece handle on the tailgate and the tiny trim detail on the B-pillar.
With the help of an extensive network of Volvo enthusiast all over the Nordic countries, all missing parts could be located and the restoration finished in 2020 - with a superb result. The engine, gearbox and rear axle had been restored, as well as brakes, the carburator and the cooling system. A professional paint job was done and the upholstery refurbished according to the original specification.
Since then, less than 100 kilometers has been put on the clock.
Bilweb Auctions has estimated the value of the Amazon to between 280 and 320 000 SEK.
31 MAJ 05:53 MATHIAS BJÖRKMAN
First model year Volvo Amazon in stunning condition
One of the earliest Volvo Amazons in Sweden is one of the highlights on the 2 June listing at Bilweb Auctions. Built in September 1957, with chassis number 1163, and in a stunning condition after a thorough restoration absolutely true to the original specification.
