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Photo Gallery: Inside The Volvo Museum

Hannes Oosthuizen By:
Saturday, September 22nd, 2012 01:50 pm GMT +2

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It will be surprising to some people that a Volvo Museum even exists, but then it’s often forgotten that this Swedish company has a rich history that stretches back more than 80 years. The Volvo Museum in Gothenburg is therefore surprisingly large and well-stocked not only with motoring history, but also aviation, trucks, buses, construction equipment and even marine engines. Plus, there’s a section dedicated to the Ocean Race which even houses a golf simulator and a putting green!

What I like most about this museum is that, unlike many modern car museums, it avoids displaying cars in a clinical fashion. The halls feature interesting artifacts from the past and even a recreation of the founders’ (Assar Garbrielsson and Gustav Larson) original office.

There are Volvos here that I’d never seen before, including the one-off Philip concept, the 1935 Carioca and a drop-top PV 61. As a lover of jet fighters I also appreciated being able to get up close with the fearsome (and far bigger than expected) Draken J35J. The museum also houses the later Viggen.

If you ever find yourself in Gothenburg, I really can recommend this museum. It is open on most days (except public holidays) and there’s free parking. Adults pay 60 SEK (around R80) and children 6-12 years pay 25 SEK (around R30). Visit www.volvomuseum.com for more information.

1927 Volvo OV4 - one of the very first Volvos. It featured a steel body on a wooden frame and was powered by a 2,0-litre, four-cylinder engine that gave it a top speed of around 90 km/h.
1928 Volvo Bus - not very aerodynamic is it!
This 1946 Volvo PV 60 was presented to the King of Sweden, King Carl XVI Gustaf on his fiftieth birthday in 1996.
This 1935 Volvo TR 704 was purpose-built as a taxi (TR designation) and had seven seats. Power came from a 3,7-litre in-line six-cylinder engine.
This rare 1935 PV 36 Carioca (only 500 built) featured very aerodynamic looks for the time, which was perhaps also the reason why the public didn't like it.
One of the most famous Volvo models, the PV 444, changed the company's fortunes. When it was originally presented, the company had hoped it would sell 8 000 units. In the end, more than 200 000 were produced.
The PV 60 was Volvo's first post-war car, but several were sold as bare chassis (PV 61), of which most became trucks and delivery vans. However, a few were transformed into elegant convertible models by the Nordbergs coachbuilders in Stockholm.
This one stopped me in my tracks. Very American in its looks, this is the 1953 Volvo Philip prototype. Only one was built and it featured a Volvo-developed 3,6-litre V8 engine coupled with a Danish automatic transmission.
The one-off 1953 Philip prototype from the rear. Its V8 engine developed just under 90 kW.
This rare beauty (only 67 made) featured a glassfibre body with curves inspired by the Chevrolet Corvette of the time. It had a 1,4-litre, four-cylinder engine.
This is one of three prototypes built, and the design that eventually became a production reality. Penned in Italy under the roof of the Frua design company (ironically by a Swede!), the P1800 was made famous by Roger Moore in The Saint.
The P1800 went into production at Jensen Motors in England in 1961 before production was transferred to Sweden in 1963. In the end just under 40 000 were built.
This interesting-looking car was the prototype (again by Frua) for what became the 1800 ES, but the style was considered too radical.
Volvo and station wagons have been synonymous for many decades and in my mind this '69 Amazon was one of the prettiest. It had a 1,8-litre engine. Just over 73 000 were built.
The unique rear end of the 1800 ES was also the inspiration for the C30. Just over 8000 of these cars were built.
This 1972 safety car prototype featured a number of interesting features. In this view you can see the massive rear-view camera!
This 142 racer was the 1973 Volvo Cup champion.
In 1973 the Volvo 144 gained bigger bumpers to comply with American crash regulations.
The Volvo 66 was based on a DAF model. (Volvo bought DAF in the '70s)
Sadly, people still think of this kind of vehicle when they think of the electric car. This Volvo concept is from 1976.
This rare Volvo 262 C model was styled by Bertone. It was powered first by a 2,7-litre V6, then a 2,8. Only 6 622 were built.
This 1983 Volvo LP2000 concept was an exercise in weight reduction. It was built mainly from aluminium, fibreglass and magnesium. It used a three-cylinder direct-injection turbodiesel that could run on a variety of fuels, including pure vegetable oil!
The 265 (offered with a six-cylinder engine) cemented Volvo's position as a leader in estate cars in the '70s and '80s.
This prototype 760 Turbo model was developed when Volvo became interested in competing in group A racing in the early '80s. It had a turbocharged 2,3-litre engine that developed around 220 kW. Due to regulations (it would have raced against 3,0-litre models), Volvo did not produce this model.
Check out the side-exit exhaust!
Another Volvo I had not seen before, the 760-based 780 coupe (body by Bertone). It was produced until 1990 and 8500 were built.
The most famous Volvo racing car ever? This 850 Estate was raced by Rickard Rydell in the 1994 British Touring Car Championship (BTCC).
Yes, there are jets in the museum too. This massive Saab Draken J35J jet fighter had a Rolls-Royce Avon engine built in Sweden by Volvo Aero.
The distinctive Volvo 480 ES nearly made production as a cabriolet model too, but due to safety reasons it did not. Pity.
An iconic 850 T5-R, in its distinctive yellow war paint.
This concept car was penned by Peter Horbury and featured interesting composite wheels. Styling reminds me a lot of the VW UP!
There's no information on this vehicle, apparently built by a Volvo employee. It looks like it uses a fairly recent Volvo drivetrain.
This would turn quite a few heads, no?
Kenyan Joginder Singh raced this PV 544 in the 1965 Safari Rally.

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PLEASE NOTE: The opinion expressed in this article is the author's own and publication does not mean it is endorsed by the CAR magazine editorial staff or RamsayMedia, publishers of CAR magazine.
  • Charles J Hellyar

    Actually on my way to meet the Volvo owners who are touring SA at present. C

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