My marriage is such that my lovely bride keeps a spreadsheet of my auto brochures so she doesn’t buy me something I already have when holidays come around. Yes, some of the best gifts are the surprise brochures she finds in small lots on eBay, and no, she doesn’t have a sister. Recently, she picked up a PV544 catalog for me, as it’s one of the cars I won’t shut up about when I see it, and even though she isn’t personally sold on its beetle-back styling, I think she’s coming around (not really). Even if she’s not (she’s not), maybe you and your spouse like the anachronistic looks of the tough little Volvo. This 1959 model is unfortunately on the opposite end of the country from me in Washington, and our indomitable Barn Finder T.J. found it, this time on craigslist. The seller says that it’s 99% original and is “fairly firm” on its $11,500 price tag.
The 544 was a lot of things: an economy car, a “family sports car” (according to the brochures), and a rally car that managed to win the notoriously difficult East African Safari Rally in 1965. An important part of all three is its engine, the B16B four cylinder. The “16” stands for 1.6 liters (1.58 to be exact), and the “B” denotes the twin SU carburetors; it all adds up to 85 horsepower and 87 lb.-ft. of torque pushing around just over a ton of Volvo. The transmission is a fully-synchronized four-speed manual, and the electrical system was a little behind the times (at least when compared to American cars of 1959) in using a six-volt battery.
The interior of the 544 isn’t perfect; the seats may need recovering to be truly nice and the door panels are a bit wrinkled. On the other hand, cracked and crumbling dash pads seem to be the order of the day for ’50s and ’60s Volvos, and this one looks perfect.
The dirt and vegetation in the trunk reminds me of using my family heirloom ’65 Mustang to cart my lawn mower around to my two high-school lawn mowing jobs; the mower fit perfectly in the trunk (and no, the car wasn’t very nice at the time).
One complaint: Why do sellers hose down the car and leave it wet in advertisements? Parts of the car are drying, and they don’t look particularly dull, and for $11,500, a buyer will want to know what they’re getting. Aside from that minor quibble, this looks like a nice 544 for those who appreciate them, and it appears to be owned by a “Volvo person” (look at the Duett behind it!). If you’re on the west coast and like something a little off the beaten path, this might be it (and it gives your spouse a gift idea, too).
Such a nice and unmolested PV544. Hoping it’s not too rusty underneath.
One minor thing is perhaps that the B16 came already in the earlier PV444 and carried over to these early PV544. But with the PV544C (model year 1962) they got the legendary B18 engines and 12V electrics. But don’t let that detract you from this one. The B16 was a sweet engine, and in the 85hp version for sure peppy enough for the PV. And for the electrics, if 6V was good enough for us Swedes in the frigid winters, why shouldn’t it work fine for a hobby vehicle?
You know, I ( we) owe a debt of gratitude to the site. If not for these visual reminders, those memories could be lost in the abyss. Memory is a powerful thing, and while my car was a black ’58 444, bought for $50 in 1972, this still is close enough to instantly transport me back FIFTY + YEARS, like it was yesterday.
Not 99% original, as that looks like a 12volt battery, and not sure what is on the + post. Converting a 6 to 12 is a bit of a chore. I see they ditched the 6 volt coil with that shielded cable to the ignition, an anti theft measure, I believe, you couldn’t “hotwire” the coil. Can’t see it, but probably a 12 alternator, bulbs, radio, if any, it is a hassle. I too had many cars with 6 volt, in Wisconsin winters, and operating properly, never had a problem.And why is the radiator chain and window shade always missing. As my 1st real car, it provided ample cruising capabilities, and the 12v battery in the back seat, provided the juice for the KRACO 8 track player in the glove box. A wonderful find, a bit steep price, but hey, they aren’t $50 anymore.
Oops, almost forgot, the stick will kill the deal,,, :(
My first car after Army discharge in 1960. Kept it until buying a 122.
I also had a 544 bought from a neighbor for $50 when I was seventeen. Had a bad clutch and I had no money, place, or knowledge to fix it. It sat in front of my parent’s house for six months until Dad had it towed away. Always thought it could make a cool hot rod because of it’s resemblance to a ’48 Ford.
I had a ’60 Volvo in white that looked just like this ’59, (but it was a bit beat-up looking with pitted chrome and faded paint) with the same engine and all. It didn’t have a thermostat for the radiator, and there wasn’t one available. Instead, it had a roll-up canvas cover for the radiator that you pulled up over the radiator in the winter to get the engine warm, that was done by pulling a spring-loaded beaded chain on the dash and then setting a chain link in the slot on the chain pull to keep it there, which pulled the canvas cover up over the front of the radiator. When the temperature gauge got to where it needed to be, you simply let the chain back out and the canvas cover would roll up on its own below the radiator. It wasn’t as convenient as a thermostat, but it worked fine. – I think many semi diesel trucks still have this feature. – My ’60 Volvo also had a manual choke activated from the dash, which also worked fine to get the engine started easily.
I don’t see all that on this ’59 Volvo either. Maybe they came out with a thermostat that fit this engine, and an automatic choke, and so those were removed. That’s the only reason why I can figure they aren’t there on this one – and others I’ve seen lately online.
My ’60 Volvo looked like crap, but it ran great and its 1600cc engine had plenty of power to move it down the road at any speed, and with the 4 speed all sync manual tranny, with that high-torque engine, it easily got up to highway speeds on on-ramps too. I really enjoyed driving that car, but gave it up as a trade-in to a foreign car auto shop mechanic to buy a ’63 Austin Healey MkIII he had recently restored that I loved way more. (Note: the mechanic wanted the Volvo for its engine to use as an inboard motor for his boat. He said it was the very best 4 cylinder engine ever designed, and its high-torque feature made it perfect as an inboard boat engine.)
They all had thermostats (I had a 1958 pv-444). The window shade was for subzero weather.
Howard, I agree on the memories.
The first car that I have any memory of is my Dad’s 544. It was red and I specifically recall holding onto those straps that you can see in a couple of the pictures.
If it weren’t for these cars being featured here on BF, those memories would be lost to time.
I bought my ’64 544 on BF in 2010. It’s still all original except for the dash cover and cardboard interior panels. It’s one of a few old cars you can strap yourself into an original 3 point belt. It’s my only keeper.
Great car! Just keep it and take care to drive on Sunday!👍
When I was in high school a friend had a 544. It was his go to school and work car while his MGA was being attended to. My 1st and 2nd cars were a 1965 Mini Cooper and a 1956 A-H 100.4. Something about British Sports Cars that you always needed a reliable back up car. Mine was a 1962 VW Beetle.
Memories, My first car after college was 1960 red PV544 great fun car, lots of power and fun to drive.
If you’re looking for an East coast Volvo, my late mother in laws’ is for sale. Yes it’s a 59′ 544. Red with red and white interior.
Where are you located, I’m interested.
me, too!
Reply: peter havriluk — Well, my ’60 Volvo P544 did not have one. Since it was a high mileage car when I got it, I changed out the radiator hoses, among several other things like spark plugs, brakes, etc. When i took off the hose housing at the block to change out the thermostat, there wasn’t one there and it didn’t have the indention in the block or hose housing for one to sit in – just a gasket that I replaced. The parts house said there wasn’t a thermostat for it, so that was that, and the canvas radiator curtain was there for that function.
My 544 was a bare-bones no-options model – not even a radio – just a blank there in the dash. — Maybe later, Volvo made a replacement hose housing for the P544s to hold a thermostat, but mine didn’t have one. And maybe some P544’s came with an automatic choke, but mine didn’t – the manual choke was activated from the dash. If early models came with those features, my ’60 was left out of the mix, which I very highly doubt. More likely, there were later modifications for the P544s supplied by Volvo to give them more modern functions.
And logic says: If the canvas radiator curtain was ONLY for sub-zero degree use – then HOW did American and English auto makers manage to produce cars that operated just fine in sub-zero degree weather without a radiator curtain? Maybe because antifreeze radiator coolant was invented in the mid-20’s and became widely used by the 30’s – particularly in areas with sub-zero degree weather. SO there was no worry about the radiator fluid freezing up and the engine thermostat worked just fine in keeping the engine at the optimum operating temperature.
And so; are you saying the Swedish people who built cars to exacting specs to last forever with passenger safety in mind were too stupid to know about antifreeze radiator coolant – even as late as the ’60’s?!!. I don’t think so! The main problem with engine water thermostats is they can corrode shut or the thermostat bi-metal spring wears out/break and the valve shuts when that happens – causing the engine to overheat – and when that happens at highway speeds – it’s most usually “curtains” for the engine — a major car repair expense. The Swedish probably thought that was too much of a gamble – and stuck with the canvas radiator curtain for the same function until the buying public didn’t want such antiquated things in their cars, and Volvo changed over to using an engine water thermostat in their later models like everyone else.