The
Volvo Amazon is a Swedish-built car, the first one
being rolled out of the factory in October 1956 as an alternative to
the Volvo PV.
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The Amazon is known for being a reliable car. Of the 297,000 sold in Sweden
35,000 are still registered and it's expected that 15,000 are still in use.
When originally introduced, the car was called the Amason (with an
's'), which derives from the fierce female warriors of Greek mythology, the
Amazons. Volvo modified the spelling to Amazon and used the name for the range
up until 1961, when it initiated its new tri-digit nomenclature and the line
became known as the 120 Series.
The model number of the Amazon is 120. 121 was the base model with a single
carburettor 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. It originally came with Volvo Cars'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, a four
door combi (wagon) and the new B18 engine, but the two tone paint job was no
longer available. The new gearbox selections were the three speed M30, the four
speed M40 and the M41 with four speed and overdrive.
In 1966 production of the Volvo PV ceased and the Amazon Favorit was
introduced to replace it. In 1967 came the Amazon 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.
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.
Volvo Amazon
| Manufacturer |
Volvo Cars |
| Production |
1956–1970 |
| Assembly |
Torslanda, Sweden
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Successor |
Volvo 140 Series |
| Class |
Mid-size |
| Body style(s) |
2-door coupe
4-door sedan
5-door Station wagon |
| Engine(s) |
B16
B18
B20 |
| Transmission(s) |
3-speed manual
4-speed manual
4-speed manual with overdrive
3-speed automatic |
| Wheelbase |
102 in (2591 mm) |
| Length |
173 in (4394 mm) |
| Curb weight |
2400 lb (1089 kg) |
| Designer |
Jan Wilsgaard |
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Source
Volvo Amazon Wagon 1966 |
Wiki Source
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Comments Questions & Answers |
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Did Volvo ever do a limousine version of the 122/Amazon? I
created this with paintbrush. Its an educated guess as to how it might have
looked.
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