The 144’s brand new airy, boxy and upright body seemed so out of step with American design in 1968. Modern Scandinavian design had finally hit the automotive sector; given that prior Volvos had been heavily influenced by American design. It was a bit of a shocker, when I first saw it. But it had excellent space utilization, and one sat so upright and comfortably in it, with splendid visibility. But little did I imagine in 1968 that this basic design would be built for a quarter of a century. And that I’d still be admiring (and shooting) its clean lines a half century later.
Apparently the 142E sport sedan did get FI in 1971, and then it was available across the line in 1972. But the twin-carb 118hp version was also still available too. Hmm. I did not remember that obscure detail.
I certainly remember other aspects of these cars very well. A friend of my older brother bough one of the first 1968s available, a 144S, and I remember vividly him coming over to show it off and take us for a ride. He was an enthusiast, and caned the B18 engine that came in the early versions on a very brisk ride into the countryside. very memorable indeed. It seemed light years more modern than the 1963 Buick Special he traded in for it. The owner of this one has put an upswept extension on its long shifter.
Nice 14o Series Volvos are getting a bit thin on the ground, so I had to peel off a few shots of this very period-correct schoolbus yellow one. I assumed it was a 144E, as I thought fuel injection became standard across the board in 1971. Along with the new grille and a few other minor changes. But this one says 144S on its front fender, and a bit of checking confirms I was wrong.
This really takes me back, my first car was a 1971 Volvo 144S wagon in this same exact color scheme.
That paint color is great at hiding dirt and is quality paint as well. In my recollection, the carburetors were the weakest link in the vehicle and the fuel injection was considered a massive step forward
My first car was a 1971 142 (dual carbed.) By the time we got it, it was $300 o.b.o. in 1990, with a blown headgasket. My dad taught me to replace the head gasket on that, and we drove it around for 6 months until it through a rod through the block. I remember the wing windows had the hardware glued to the glass (like most rear view mirrors..) Also, the first gear was geared really low.
After the motor self destructed, we took the rear bumper off, and put it on the front of a 1967 Scout, which we purchased to replace the Volvo. Recently, my dad found an old box in the basement with the hubcaps, and one of the lifters we picked up off the ground. Know anyone who needs a set of four hubcaps?
+1 my first was a big bumper 145. Hated it then. Miss it dearly.
The 240 was one of the few foreign cars that I remember being somewhat commonplace in late 70s-early 80s Chicago. I still see one from time to time, and if one ever came up in good shape I’d probably try to grab it.
I don’t think I’m going to be able to avoid owning a classic Volvo for much longer. Even though I’d enjoy a 544 or a 122 better than a 144, this is a fantastic example of Swedish minimalism. It’s always fascinating that Sweden buys up so many ’50s and ’60s American cars, because our cars seem to be the antithesis of their design philosophy. I guess that they are nostalgic for something they rarely saw, just like some of us drool over their Volvos and Saabs from the same time period.
Visit Sweden: it’s like upstate NY in parts and modern Sweden is partly based on American ideas brought back in the (I think) 1890s-1920s. US cars fit in very well unlike in Ireland or Britain (they look so uncomfortable there!)
I sold my ’57 Chevy to a buyer in Sweden.
I had a 1968 142 for a while in the 90’s. It had 300 000 miles on it with a rebuilt engine. You didn’t have to plug it in when it was -30 out just pull the choke and she would fire right up. The long throws for the shifter and loose front end made it feel more like driving a tractor than a car. I loved going out on a winter day passing SUV’s spun out in the ditch as I rowed through the gears. Eventually the price to fix the front end and body rust relegated it to the scrap yard.
In 1980, when my Mom’s beloved ’72 Montego was totaled, we needed a cheap car quick, and somehow we ended up with a used ’74 Volvo 145 wagon. What a steaming pile that car was; it was prone to electrical problems and vacuum leaks and I remember it spending a lot of time in repair shops, plus at least one family vacation was aborted due it overheating and had to be towed home. As if that wasn’t bad enough, it was orange-we called it Awful Orange; I was so jealous of my friends that had Country Squires and Vista Cruisers and we were stuck with Awful Orange; I hated that car. Thankfully my Dad had a reliable ’71 Satellite that was even kind of cool because at least it had the rumble of a V8 and us kids knew that it was a distant cousin to the General Lee. 2 years later, my Mom got a decent government job and we bought a pretty new burgundy Delta 88 in the summer of 1982 when the Volvo was unceremoniously traded in.
But even though ours was a turd, I understand the following for these cars. RWD, easy to work on, a pretty sturdy frame, and from what I read on here about them, everyone else had a good one except us. Give me a coupe with an LS engine and maybe I’ll change my mind.
As a youngster I liked the Volvo 544 and the Amazon, even though they were pretty scarce in 1960s London. The 144 however I hated on sight, mainly because of the high nose – low tail profile. I hated the Rover P6 for the same reason.
A Volvo will teach the difference between reliable and durable.
I know there were many models based on this body, but to me they’re all essentially the same car. (Here come the brickbats.) I’d love to find a late 240.
The later the better. The enviro friendly wiring insulation in early-mid 80’s 240’s will self-destruct, they will start themselves in the garage or catch fire or whatever happens when wires are bared.
The M47 (5 speed) trans will work well if filled when the car is tilted as far as it will go without tipping, just put the plug in and then tighten with the car back down. They made the fill plug hole too low. Not the only euro thing like that, my old Guzzi rear drive has the same issue. With Redline MTL it will shift nicely on cold mornings and last a while, although the MTL will still wear out so you’ll be working under a car tipped at 45 degrees periodically.
You will still have the copper to brass terminal fuses that need periodic rotating to keep working, glass fuses solve that but sometimes won’t work because of other circuit issues.
The brake line octopus located nearly inaccessibly underneath the car that will let the brakes fail if the “safety switch” leaks.
The ECU’s that were made at the new Bosch plant in Mexico with bad solder, not to mention every relay likewise, and the instrument panel boards. All of which I resoldered at least once.
And the blower motor, that’s a whole day to remove everything inside the firewall to get to it, and the replacements from Electrolux still use plain bearings that aren’t greased well from the factory. Parts store ones are even worse but not $250.
And every piece of interior plastic trim will start to frag after a while at the slightest touch, be good with plastic welding and glue.
The window motors and switches will need frequent attention. The main 25A fuse link under the hood needs to be checked and possibly redone, car will stop instantly when it gets disturbed.
The stock alternator is weak, find a good one from a 740/760 in a junkyard and do some soldering in the regulator (can’t remember exactly what I had to do to make it connect) and you’ll be good there.
Make sure the windshield doesn’t leak, if it does use the newer seal from the last models and make sure the rust below isn’t tragic.
While you’re in doing the blower motor check the cables (yes) on the wiper mechanism to make sure they aren’t worn.
The AC will work well with 134 conversion but have a shop do it. And put an 80’s/90’s GM fan on the radiator and remove the belt fan for a little more oomph, but keep an eye on the temp gauge and carry a spare thermocouple.
Lots more, but I’d need to drag out my service book and that would make me weep.
Yep, it’s not a Honda. But the seats were better and the feel of it was wonderful when it worked.
Oh, and i still have a set of blue winter floor mats for a 240, need to sell those off.
These are all over Portland. There is a specialty Volvo shop with these and P1800s in their parking lot on Interstate blvd.
Glisan and SE somewhere near Powell.
There’s been a similar period (1968/9) white 164 round the corner from me the last 6 months or so.
My parents bought a 1967 Volvo 144S with double carburators in 1973 and drove it untill 1984. We loved it. It was dark blue with matching blue vinyl interior.
It was very a dependable and strong cars, which would get you home safe even through the heaviest snowstorm.
I am sorry we didn’t save it, because I later found out it was the first series 144.
I never tire of looking at 240s. It’s fundamentally an intelligent car and thoroughly engineered. The design could easily still sell in the manner of the Defender. After all its peers have gone, the 240 carries on. It’s a car for life.
+1
As a young kid, I was always puzzled at all the lights on the front corners of these – like a couple of them were afterthoughts. The 1973 redesigned seemed so much better.
Still a lovely, elegant, almost timeless piece of design; always a pleasure to see a 1- or 2-series around.
In 1986, I was out of work, in need of a car, and couldn’t afford to buy anything decent. My dear friend Mike gave me a ’71 144S wagon, formerly owned by his ex-wife. Forget now how long I drove it, 6 or 8 months maybe, but it did make several successful round trips from NYC to Boston to visit my girlfriend (now wife). However, it failed on the last one; northbound on I-84 in Manchester, CT, where the cockpit filled with smoke, and “Tantor the Love Machine” breathed his last….
“out of step with American design in 1968”
The rejection of longer, lower, wider…
This photo I found is of an earlier one with the kind of heater controls (I don’t know what to even call those things) I remember them having instead of the little knob forest of the one in the post. Also the awesome horn ring. This appears to be some deluxe limo version, which I don’t think we got here. Wood (or maybe wood grain stuff) on the dashboard and a different shift linkage that brings the shifter back to a non-old pickup truck location, and a squared off console to go with it. It isn’t the chop top Bertone model, which came years later. And it looks like an official factory photo.
Anyone know the story of this one? Can’t find a photo with any explanatory caption.
That’s a 164, pre-1972. “Remote” (upright) shifter, woodgrain dashboard appliqué, and the same vertical edgewheel controls for the vent/heat/defog as the subject 144 has. You can’t see them in the pics, is all; the “knob forest” is the cigarette lighter, the hazard flasher, and the blower control.
Ohhhh. I forgot about the 164 with the different grille and 6 cyl engine etc.
Nice find! I still see 240s every few days here in Sacramento…three years ago, I’d see one daily…but 144s are very rare here.
I saw a late-model (by that I mean early ’90s) Volvo 244 or maybe 264 just a week or two ago driven locally. It was a dark colour and looked to be in good condition. What really struck me was how boxy and upright it was compared to today’s vehicles. Always liked these things.
It looks just like mine, which I wrote about in a CC a couple years ago, only with four doors. I need to find this car over in Whiteaker. Thanks for the photos, Paul.
In 1996 I decided to buy another car and found a 1970 144S in an impound auction for $125 + $20 for keys and it ran O.K. in spite of totally worn out engine I never could get any power out of .
BW # 35M slush box but it was comfy and handled like on rails when going down hill .
Just too dang stodgy so I let it go after a year or so .
Good cars just like most other Volvos .
-Nate
Ha! I had one of the 1st cars imported to the UK when I was at uni, it was a 144S with the twin carbs. It served me well but after it stood for a year when I was away at Oxford all sorts of issues started their ugly heads; I’ve already decided to move to Austria so it was gifted to someone I knew for the princely sum of ₤20 – I did not have the time to start bothering with it and I knew it would be more than one or two days’ work. Said person then proceeded to invest thousands in what turned out to be a perfect restoration.
As I’ve written before I grew up in a Volvo family and owned a 122S as my first car. But when I totaled my Alfetta in 1978, a friend sold me his ’69 142S (B20, carb’ed) and I hated it. Sold it back to him within a few weeks. I don’t really remember why, but to put it in context, I went back to driving my Vega GT which I had kept alongside the Alfa. In hindsight, those pre-rack&pinion, long-shifter Volvos were pretty sloppy drivers, unmodified. There is a handful of “resto-modded” 142’s in my town today, and they are stunning designs with tasteful lowering and slightly lower-profile and wider tires. I’ve always preferred the two door profile but the 144 is fine. I find it very ironic that these cars established the perception that Volvo’s were boxy, because this is one of the most handsome sheet metal boxes ever built.
We had a 1973 144E (meaning it had fuel injection) – with the B20F engine. That was the one with the redesigned dashboard and the US DOT 5 mph bumpers (the 1974’s were even bigger).
Boxy, roomy, huge trunk (though with a high liftover).
If colors ever make a comeback, I hope that butterscotch isn’t offered.
There’s a 144 that I see in Richmond from time to time. Photographed it 4 years ago and I saw it as recently as a couple months ago. The cleanliness of the original boxy design is still striking.
240’s are still very common on the ground here, though the lion’s share are the ’86+ composite lamp versions.