Still In The Family: 1961 Volvo PV544
It was old when it was new! That’s a statement that you could make in reference to a lot of things and some cars in particular. It’s very apropos for this 1961 Volvo PV544, located in Smithfield, Rhode Island and available here on craigslist for $2,500. Thanks to FordGuy1972 for this tip!
If you think back to 1961, there are a lot of cars that really stood out, many for all of the right reasons. The ’50s were over, tail fins were being mitigated; light, low, airy, wide and powerful were the way forward for the go-go ’60s. And then there was the ’61 Volvo PV544 – suddenly it’s 1947! Pontoon fenders and all. The PV544 was introduced in ‘58 as a successor to the similarly styled PV444 (which did in fact date to ’47) and manufactured through ’66 so it looked dated at its introduction and more so by the time this example rolled off of the Lundby, Sweden assembly line in ’61. Maybe someone forgot to tell Volvo it was now the ’60s. So, what was the reason for maintaining the yesteryear design and what was the draw to this model?
The seller’s listing tells us next to nothing about this Volvo. It does state, “Solid, but some rust and rotten metal. Left rear fender has been removed.” I guess that’s what’s going on here though the fender looks attached and patched (sort of). Thank goodness for black duct tape. There are no images of the engine but research tells us that ’61 was the first year for the B18, 1.8 liter, OHV, in-line, four-cylinder engine, good for 75 HP. All we know about this PV544’s running prowess is, “It exists and runs with its original parts.” Existentialism counts for something, I guess.
Beyond the fender boo-boo, there is evidence of rust bubbling through around the rear wheel as well as in the rocker panel area. Owing to the fact that the seller has stated that rust and rotten metal exists, I’d want to look this Volvo over from stem to stern to check it for integrity.
The interior is cheerful, the two-tone red and white upholstery contrasts nicely with the black finish. What can be observed seems to be in pretty sound shape, especially considering its 59-year age. As is frequently the case with old cars for sale, the requisite box of whatever is present and accounted for in the back seat.
So, what’s the upside? Well, one family-owned and 61,000 miles. Beyond that, there are Volvo enthusiasts that will appreciate this PV544. This model has a solid legacy as a rally car and they are renowned for their safety and durability. It’s unfortunate that there isn’t more information about this Volvo in the listing, it’s really light. This car is located in Rhode Island but has a Florida tag so the story on that would be interesting to know too. If you are a Volvo aficionado, would you consider investigating this ’61 PV544 a little further or does the scant listing and physical condition tell you to keep looking?
Comments
I think an open-hood picture would show a B-16. Just sayin’. A picture of the floors and floor supports would make all the difference as to save-ability.
RJ: I pulled the following from the Volvo website; it indicates that the ’61 had the 1,778 CC (1.8 liter) which I believe is the B18 engine; either 75 (single carb.) or 90 HP (dual carb.).
https://www.volvocars.com/intl/cars/heritage/heritage-models/15-pv544
More pics!
Chances are it isn’t too bad with the rust but you do have to personally check.
The B16 is a sweet little motor , and my ’61 felt close to my ’64 which I found here 10 years ago in black over red. I drove it a few weeks ago in the nice weather in pretty much the same original condition I found it in.
I agree. The more pics of the car, the better. I don’t mind patina if it’s simply on the surface. That can easily be cleaned up and repainted, that would make restoration easier than if there are rust holes wherever you can see.
Sweet would make a great EV swap – HSR Motors for all you need .
I would go for a 318 Poly head Swap! Perfect vehicle for a Poly head…
Your joking 😀😝😅
I’d drop a Cummins in it!
Assuming there’s a Cummins Diesel that would fit under its hood.
would u trade for a 53 chevy two door bel-aire . it is a project car.
My ’61 had a B16 and a 6 volt system. Late ’61 brought on the B18. You will note this one does not have the Sport script.
Small detail, the PV444 design was finalized and first shown to the public in 1944, not 1947 but production took a few years to get fully underway – Sweden was neutral in WW2 but had supply issues.
My 1st car, a black 1958 PV444. For all I know, could have been one of the last 444’s, I trashed it anyway. Paid $50 bucks in ’72 from a junkyard, needed a coil, and I had my 1st car. btw, it was a pain putting a standard coil on it, as the positive wire was in a shielded cable, an early Volvo anti-theft device, I believe. I read, the B-18 came out in ’62, and would have a “B-18” badge on the trunk, so this, unless swapped out, should be a B-16. Pretty stout cars, I wouldn’t let that rust concern me, more like other wearable parts could be a problem. They didn’t handle the best, stop the best, get the best mileage or power, but probably the most dependable foreign car for the time. Great find.
Awesome looking “old” car! I’ve always preferred old cars any day than new cars. I find this, and the 122S “Amazon”, more attractive than what’s being offered by Volvo today. I think cars 60+ yrs ago were built way better than they are today.
if this were not across the country and more local, I would be giving it a look see. If the mechanicals are decent and the floorboards/frame are decent, this would be a very good buy.
Since the Volvo PV444 and 544 were unibody cars, rust in the rocker area can be a VERY big deal, as far as structural integrity is concerned. As previously noted, this is most likely a B16 car. There is a huge difference between the two engines – the B16 has 3 main bearings, the B18 has 5, and is able to withstand various power upgrades. Simple things like camshaft change, head work, headers, can easily net 140+ HP, with solid reliability and street driveability. I’ve owned 2 B18 and one B20 powered cars, and all had over 160 K on them. The B20 was at 217K when I sold it – a 144 4 door that needed more than I was willing to spend for suspension bushings, steering rack, etc, and the fuel injection was going to need work as well. The guy I sold it to put the engine ( with carburetors ) into an MGA basket case, and drove it for years.
I’m with Doug… the B16 is not the desirable engine at all … Parts are high, or not available… no one prefers the 3 main bearing engines.
Yes, it’s unibody, and lived in one of the heaviest salt state all it’s life..
on the plus side, it has a decent looking dash top ( NLA) and the upholstery looks decent too. Pictures of the underside of the floors andthe ‘trough’ area at the very rear of the trunk would be a MUST to determine whether it’s forever salted or not.
At the risk of being a wise-a** i must correct or rather remind ;) mr Doug on that the 144 had a steering box, not a steering rack(-and-pinion) (that came with its upgrade to the 240 series),otherwise on the spot :). To destroy one of those engines, you have to be determined and deliberate. The B16 was in its initial form marked as B4B, the main difference being a slightly smaller displacement as far as i know. Legend has it that the Volvo engineers had a close eye on a Chrysler straight six that was bought specially for the project when they constructed the B4B. The B18 was very much the work of a danish marine engineer and so the story goes that the Volvo Penta marine version was actually the first version made, making the car engine an adaption of the unit instead of the other way around as normally. Comparisons are often made with the 1946-48 Ford because of the similarly styled body, but being a unibody it was more influenced by a german same-sized car with a close matching silhouette called Hanomag Rekord. There is still a few real american connections of sorts – the speedometer cluster of the early PV444 is a hand-me-down from the pre-war Pontiac and the rear brake hose is the same found on said Ford. As for the PV544, it got pretty much the same upgrades as the 121/122 “Amazon” (this name was only uses officially for the pre-production cars as some german motorbike maker claimed to have bought the european rights for it, anyhow swedes seldom referes to them as anything but “Amazon”) – You´re more likely to meet a “Amazon” 2-door sedan (introduced a few years after the 4-door) in swedish traffic any day of the year than a 140-anything although just a few are daily drivers, but then again the “Amazon” was dropped from production around five years before the 140 line… This propably says just as much 50 years on about the genuine love of this model than any lack of durability in the successor which started out with just about the same underpinnings. The PV444/544´s are by now mostly the special interest of old die-hards who often keeps more than one PV in their garages and takes them out only in the summertime, still quite a lot of basket cases around in swedish barns and backyards. Propably more of those than running cars, i gather.
The story of the MGA basket case resembles a common approach back in the seventies over here, as the Volvo engine is such a slide-in also in the MGB, not appreciated so much by true purists :D. Maybe consider the opposite for the PV544 in the ad, as for the MGB´s of late being offered with an aluminum Rover V8 (of reworked Buick origin)? I talked some with a guy who made that kind of a swap for his wife´s summer fun car, albeit with Volvo 140 axles for improved safety as well.
A guy in my high school class had one of these. I noticed it cause it looked very much like my 47 Ford tudor. When I went to check it out, there under the hood sat a 401 Buick nailhead. I wasn’t in the bunch this guy ran with so I never found out what trans he was running or anything more about it. I know it could lay rubber for what seemed a mile and a half LOL
Oh, i should add that serious thought was given around circa 1960 to a concept for a second re-generation of the PV series – the PV644, furthering the changes even more. This however never made it further than into a scale model but some daring model – like, just what any teen kid with a fresh drivers licence would have asked for.back then… but not their fathers. X-D With a recessed upright “luxury car” grille resembling the 1960 Valiant (or the upcoming 164, the conept propably triggered that nose job) making a cut-out in the hood front end and an early version of a tunneled-in rear window out back. I guess it´s a matter of taste (or the lack of) if this factory customizing job should have been released. Could have become the Edsel equvivalent of Volvo? At least the mere rumour of the car made for a intriguing car magazine article, “spy sketches” and all (actually nicer than the actual design) about the new “sporty” PV that never came along
with a proposal from the magazine guys that the other swedish car brand Saab ought to take this on as a challenge, they even got a matching sketch of a stylishly low-slung “Saab” made by an american ink artist to tempt the Saab guys, no such luck… The two b/w archive pics of the concept model should be around somewhere on the web.
Come to think of it, an aquaintance of mine here in Sweden once told me that he knew a guy back in the mid-sixties that gutted a PV444 and managed to shove an old Buick engine into it, obviously sent to the junkyard soon afterwards when car safety inspections was made obligatory in Sweden. I said no way, that must have been a totally made -up bench racing tale but he told me like, “Look man – beliieve it or not but i rode shotgun in that darn thing! It was totally wild!” ….Now i guess he spoke the truth. Except for that as he recalled it, it was the older Buick straight eight, protruding back into the transmission tunnel about the perimeter of the dashboard and using up most of the legroom…. :-S
In 1962 a class mate and neighbor got one of these, his dad bought it for him, Ralph Pettit was a tall lanky fellow and he drove that little Volvo hard soon blowing the engine. His dad was okay with that, but bought Ralph a 58 Ford Fairlane 2 dr hdtp. Ralph drove the Ford hard but never blew its v8 engine. I was quite jealous as my dad wouldn’t buy me a car.
God bless America
Great car and priced right.
Hi, I’m pretty sure the ’61 Volvo 544 was the last year with the 1600, 3 main bearing, 6 volt system. The ’62 544, introduced in, I believe late 1961, features the more powerful 1800cc, 5 main bearing, 12 volt system.