By 1967 the Volvo Amazon, or what was known in the U.S. as the 122S, looked old. Its styling was a 1950’s holdover dating to its 1956 introduction. But it is an iconic look that was replicated 660K+ times in two-door, four-door, and station wagon body styles – they were popular! The seller includes a long list of improvements that have been bestowed upon this Volvo to make it a competent daily driver, so let’s look her over. This 1967 122S is located in New Westminister, British Columbia, Canada, and is available here on craigslist for $12,500 CDN (about $9,900 U.S.) Thanks to Mitchell G. for this tip!
What initially caught my attention with this Volvo is its color – I’m a sucker for green. Interestingly, the seller states that this car was originally finished in green but it didn’t sell, so it was repainted navy blue. In later years, the Volvo was returned to green but paint patch-work has left this Volvo mismatched. That said, the included images don’t reveal any inconsistencies. This Volvo’s sheet metal is nice and straight, there is no indication of crash damage or rust – the seller does mention that the trunk’s spare tire well is starting to sprout some corrosion but the floors are solid. Painted bumpers are a matter of taste, they work perfectly with some designs, not so much with others. There is a link listed that is supposed to take a prospective buyer to a collection of high-resolution images but I couldn’t get it to work. There is, however, a thorough article about this car here on Jalopnik.
This Volvo has a rebuilt, replacement engine in the form of a Volvo B20, two-liter, four-cylinder, in-line engine that should be good for an original rating of 118 HP, though it has been helped by its rebuilt, dual SU carburetors, header, and 2″Simons exhaust system. The original power plant would have displaced 1.8 liters. The seller adds, “Mechanically this car is very well sorted, and handles very well“. The replacement engine works through an overdrive-equipped, four-speed manual transmission. The suspension, brakes, and rear axle have undergone extensive parts replacement, the listing provides all of the specific details. The mileage of 28,900 KM (about 18K miles) is correctly listed as an “odometer reading” so the actual mileage is unknown and how much the new engine has accumulated is not disclosed.
The best feature of the interior is the rare Volvo, dashboard-mounted tachometer which is perched upon a new dash cover. The upholstery is in fantastic condition and shows no sign of wear. The seller mentions that he has replaced the door seals and windlace – it’s a fantastic environment and hard to find anything out of place.
The seller claims that this Volvo is “collector plated and in excellent condition.” This is probably the nicest 122S that I have reviewed in a long time, it’s unfortunate the high-res images are not accessible, it would help to identify the TLC that the seller claims this Volvo needs. He poses a question and I’ll end with it, “Nice price or no dice?”
It’s adorable, but I don’t like painted bumpers, no way, no how.
Had a ‘67 220. That is the wagon version of this car. Some parts are becoming hard to find for these. The amount of new parts in this one cost a bit. The seat covers and foam are easy to find, in tan or black. This green is a little harder to find. The dash pad looks like a replacement.
If it were me, I would ask for underside pictures. These do tend to rust. Also complete pictures of the rear area.
C
I enjoyed mine very much and found it easy to own.
Actually it’s a 1967.5. Early ’67 models, built before 12/31/66, had a single-circuit master cylinder, but the law requiring dual-circuit brakes was effective 1/1/67, hence the ‘67.5 model. Or else the owner upgraded a ’67 to the ‘67.5 brake setup.
And if it was sold new in Canada, it’s quite likely neither an Amazon not a 122S, but a Volvo Canadian. That was the name and badge applied to this car if it was assembled (from CKD kits) at the Volvo factory in Halifax, NS.
Chromed bumpers only and rust inspection always on these. The green interior is cool, but the unoriginal green outside is not good for me. It’s a shame for a car with good mechanicals like this.
Well worth the price, IMHO.
That’s a decent looking car, but an awful lot of green, not the dollars but the color, interior, exterior and bumpers…
I so want to replace that three foot long shifter with a Mopar pistol grip yanked out of a rusty Cuda. But then again, I want a lot of things.
If I may, I have driven many cars in my 71 years-long life. I have never had a more aesthetically marvelous moment as resting that round gearshift knob at the base of my fingers and pushing forward with a long straight arm’s throw from second to third. It can’t be described. It can only be experienced. The action reports not a sound but fluidly walks into a firm resting place needing no guidance but only needing that push.
It is best experienced after having taken the engine to red line which, by the way, it happens to enjoy.
The older I get the more I like cars like this one. Not to keen on the.painted bumpers but could live with them until I could find some or rechrome the ones one the car. Nice looking car and I bet fun to drive.
The original “green” the seller is referring to actually is a pastel, yellow green. So yellow that I call the color yellow, not green. Seems like that’s the only color these came in, although they did come in pastel blue, white, and I have seen some British racing green ones (much darker green than this). I’m looking at a 1965 Wagon today in fact. It’s a California car that lived most of its life in CA,NM, a brief stint in TX where the restoration started (full repaint in that original ‘green’ aka yellow color with a white hood). Some assembly required.
got some maintainence prts, but pooched the dash pad. Want the wagon but it’s a lill small even at that. Some of my longest owned vehicles (20 & 18 yrs) can’t say anything against the company particularly during its earlier yrs (pre late ’80s). Unfortunatly MB began their slide as well…
I have seen 122s with over 300 thousand miles that look as good. not saying this one looks bad but there famous for going a million miles