Volvo Amazon

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Volvo Amazon
Manufacturer	Volvo Cars
Production	1956–1970
Successor	Volvo 140
Class	Mid-size
Body style	2-door coupe, 4-door sedan, 5-door estate
Platform	FR
Engine	B16 B18 B20
Designer	Jan Wilsgaard

The Volvo Amazon is a Swedish mid-size car made from 1956 to 1970 by Volvo Cars. It was introduced as an alternative to the Volvo PV sold since 1947.

Compared to the PV the Amazon was a very modern car and featured a wider range of body-styles. It is also notable for being the first car to feature three-point seat belts, and the first to have any kind of seat belt as standard equipment.

The Amazon is known for being a reliable car. Of the 297,000 sold in Sweden 35,000 are still registered and it's believed that around 15,000 are still in use. This reputation for reliability led writer Rosie Thomas to choose the car to compete in the Peking to Paris classic rally.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] History

The first Amazon rolled out of the factory in October 1956. The model number of the Amazon is 120. 121 was the base model with a single carburetor 66bhp engine. The 122S introduced in 1959 was the performance model equipped with a dual carburetor 85bhp engine. It included the 130 (two door saloon), 120 (four door saloon) and 220 (4-door estate wagon) models.

In 1967 came the 123GT that was a 130 with high compression B18B engine, M41 gearbox, fully reclining seats, front fog and driving lights, alternator, fender mounted mirrors, special steering wheel, dash with a shelf on the passenger side, limited slip differential, and other cosmetic upgrades.

The design was clearly inspired by American cars of the early 1950s, it was heavily modelled on the Chrysler New Yorker saloon and the Chrysler 300C hardtop Coupe. In an interview the designer Jan Wilsgaard said he was inspired by a Kaiser he saw in the harbour.^[1]

It originally came with Volvo's new B16 engine, a 3-speed manual gearbox and rear wheel drive. In 1959 the sport model, Amazon Sport, was released and later the same year the Amazon became the first car with a three-point safety belt. In 1962, Volvo introduced a two door version, an elegant four door combi (wagon), and the new B18 engine, but the two tone paint job and upholstery were no longer available, making interiors rather drab until the introduction of color-coordinated embossed vinyl upholstery and door panels in 1965. The new gearbox selections were the three speed M30 (briefly offered with an automatic electric clutch), the four speed M40 and the M41 with four speed and overdrive. In 1965 the Borg-Warner BW35 three speed automatic transmission also became available.

In 1966 production of the Volvo PV ceased and the Amazon Favorit was introduced to replace it. In 1967 came the [123 GT] that was even more of a sports car than the Amazon Sport. The engine was a tuned B18 from the Volvo P1800. In 1969 the displacement of the old B18 engine was increased and the engine was called the B20. This had been introduced in 1967 in the heavier Volvo 140.

While the car was sold as the Volvo Amazon in Sweden, it was marketed using the model number in most other countries, or more in general as the Volvo 122. The reason for this was that "Amazon" was already a registered trademark in one export market, Germany.

Production ended in 1970. A total of 667,791 were made. It was replaced by the Volvo 140.

A grey Amazon memorably featured in the 1976 film All the President's Men about the Watergate scandal, as the investigative reporter's (Woodward and Bernstein) car.

[edit] External links

• Volco Classics All about Volvo Amazon / P1800 / PV
• Norsk Volvo Amazon Klubb
• Svenska Volvo Amazonklubben
• Brickboard 120-130 forum - discussions related to ownership and repair of Volvo 120/130/220
• www.vclassics.com - lots of stuff (check out the Tech Archive section)
• Swedish Embassy - information and sarcasm in a convenient package (no, it has got nothing to do with the Embassy of Sweden)
• Amazonet - Homepage about Volvo Amazon

Volvo Cars, a subsidiary of the Ford Motor Company since 1998, road car timeline, 1960s-present  v • d • e
Type	1960s										1970s										1980s										1990s										2000s
	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
Small family car	544																66
																	340
																								360
																											480																					C30
																												440 / 460
																																					S40 / V40								S40 / V50
Compact executive car	Amazon / 120 / 130
								140								240																	850						S70 / V70			S60 / V70
	Duett																									740						940
Executive car									164															760								960							S/V90	S80								S80
																260
Sport		P1800		1800S							1800E		1800ES						242 GT			240 Turbo														850 R			S/V70 R			S60/V70 T5			S60/V70 R
Coupé																			262C									780											C70								C70
Crossover																																												XC90