Volvo 140 celebrates 50 years

By CARSIFU | 17 August 2016


GOTHENBURG: On 17 August 1966, the Volvo 144 was presented in the midst of an ongoing manhunt.

In eight years, no fewer than 1.25 million cars were produced – creating Volvo’s first million seller.

Almost 400 journalists were in attendance at the Lorensberg function rooms in central Gothenburg on 17 August 1966.

The new Volvo 144 was to be presented, unveiled by raising a dividing wall behind which three pre-series models of the new Swedish car were waiting.

The cars used at the press show in Gothenburg had been lifted into the premises the evening before by crane, hidden in large wooden crates.

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Naturally, the entire procedure was supposed to be as discreet as possible, but this proved difficult since a major manhunt was underway to catch two police killers.

A nationwide alert had been issued and as the wooden crates were being lifted into the function rooms, the police received a tip-off that both fugitives may have been in the audience at the adjacent cinema, which had to be evacuated.

The 140 series was well suited to the ideals of the 1960s, giving precedence to function.

It had a spacious interior and large windows.

Scandinavian design, with its clean and simple lines, is a popular approach today and the 140 series is a prime example of its expression.

The 140 series entailed several important advances in both passive and active safety.

The chassis was extremely resilient to twisting and was fitted with crumple zones and a protective roll cage.

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The brake system was advanced with disc brakes both front and rear together with a dual-circuit system with twin hydraulic circuits at the front.

Later, the 140 series was also fitted with headrests, retractable seat belts and seat belt reminders as standard.

The Volvo 140 series had a conventional design with a front-mounted engine and rear-wheel drive.

Initially, the series employed the tried and tested 1.8-litre four-cylinder B18 engine from the Amazon, producing 75 hp DIN – or 96 hp DIN with twin carburettors.

The 1969 model had the 2-litre B20 engine, producing 82 hp and 100 hp DIN respectively.

As of the 1971 model, there were also versions with electronically controlled fuel injection, producing 120 hp DIN.

When production of the 142, the 144 and the 145 came to an end in the summer of 1974, a total of 1.25 million cars had rolled off the production line.

The model series became the company's first million seller and helped further Volvo’s position as an international player.

Its replacement, the Volvo 240, borrowed much from the 140 series chassis and went on to become Volvo’s most mass produced model, with some 2.8 million cars in 19 years.

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