Tag Archives: Belts

Bi- Parting Tailgate – Volvo Amazon Estate / Station Wagon

Last week I looked at the Volvo Amazon, no sooner had I written the blog than I came across this Estate / Station Wagon version with Dutch plates.

Volvo Amazon, Silverstone Classic

Unlike most modern vehicles of this type the Amazon had a two piece tailgate, the bottom half opens down to form a loading platform while the top half opens up a feature common to many US Estate Station wagons. Like the Mini introduced in 1959 the rear licence plate is conveniently hinged at the top so that one can carry longer loads with the tailgate down without attracting the ire of traffic law enforcement agencies.

Volvo Amazon, Silverstone Classic

The Amazon Estate / Station wagon was launched in 1962 seven years after the original Amazon Saloon / Sedan, and shared with it’s 3 box sibling body work made of phosphate treated steel to improve paint adhesion and heavy use of undercoat and anti corrosive oil treatment.

Volvo Amazon, Silverstone Classic

Between 1962 and 1969 Volvo manufactured 73,000 Amazon Estate / Station wagons.

Thanks for joining me on this bi-parting tailgate edition of ‘Gettin’ a lil’ psycho on tyres’ I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Design Mash Up – Volvo 120 Amazon (131)

Looking back it is a sobering thought that when my four grand parents were born at the turn of the 20th century the invention of motorcar was somewhere between 10 and 15 years old and of them neither of my grand mothers ever learned to drive and only one of my grandfathers ever owned a private car and that only for five years before he died aged 63.

Volvo 120 Amazon (131)

Nearly 60 years later I on the other hand was lucky enough to be born into the age of mass consumption by the time I was just four my parents not only had their first new car but all of their friends had new cars too !

Volvo 120 Amazon (131)

Of those friends my parents had I soon adopted two, Ted and Syd, as my Uncles, both drove brand new grey 2 door Volvo 120 Amazons which had a factory code 131 denoting 2 door single carb versions.

Volvo 120 Amazon (131)

Volvo’s original intention was to call the model Amason, however manufacturers, of one of the most irritating sounding 2 strokes ever, Kreidler already had the Amason name registered and so the name Volvo Amason was restricted to Sweden by agreement.

Volvo 120 Amazon (131)

In today’s parlance the Amazon design would probably known as a design mash up with the bonnet lines seemingly inspired by the 2nd generation Chrysler New Yorker, the grill design seemingly from the 1955 Chrysler C-300 though designer Jan Wilsgaard claims he was inspired by a Kaiser Manhattan he saw in the docks in Gothenburg. Interesting strap line for the linked Kaiser advertisement in the light of Volvo’s reputation from 1959 until the late 1990’s.

Volvo 120 Amazon (131)

During a production run of over 600, 000 units produced in Sweden, Belgium, Canada, South Africa and Chile from 1956 to 1970, in 1959 the Amazon became the first car to be fitted with three point front seat belts as standard. The seat belts fitted in Uncle Ted & Syds cars encouraged my folks to get some after market seat belts for our more modest Austin A40 Countryman, an act that probably saved their lives a year or two later when we were involved in a 30 mph collision with the side of a truck.

Volvo 120 Amazon (131)

After 3 years of abuse at BBQ’s on the beaches of Larnica, Cyprus most Sundays and nearly 25 years further good service the last time I saw Uncle Syds Amazon it was rapidly deteriorating into a rust bubble in the mid 1980’s despite the fact that the engine was other wise mechanically sound. The 1970 model shown here seems to have faired considerably better.

Thanks for joining me on this Amason edition of ‘Gettin a lil’ psycho on tyres’ I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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