The PV444 and PV544 were a series of small, economical cars produced by the Swedish automaker Volvo after World War II. Over 18 years, exactly 440,000 cars were built through 1965, with the 544 coming out in 1958 as an evolution of the 444. The seller has managed to accumulate four of the machines that range between 1957 and 1960, plus one of unknown vintage. Fresh out of barn storage, these Volvos are located north of Vancouver, Washington, and available here on craigslist. The seller prefers to sell them as a package deal for $9,995. Thanks, Matt H., for the lead on this quartet.
Designed to provide value to its owners, the PV earned a reputation for being strong and rugged, but the styling began to look outdated as the 1950s rolled on. The PV would be Volvo’s first unibody car and was also the first Volvo in 20 years to come with a 4-cylinder engine. The cars weren’t widely available in the U.S. until 1956 with a 1.6-liter engine that was good for 70 hp using twin side-draft carburetors.
The 544 was an improved version of the 444 with a curved one-piece windshield that replaced two panes of flat glass used on the older car. It also had larger taillights, a ribbon-type speedometer, and a 4-speed manual transmission that replaced the 3-speed over time. The interior was revamped to carry five passengers instead of four. We’re told that both models were so popular with owners that the company ran advertising late in their run asking said owners not to be mad at them for discontinuing the cars!
This collection consists of one 1957 PV444, a 1959 PV544, a 1960 PV544, and another PV544 that the seller doesn’t know the model year for. Three of the cars have drivetrains and the lucky buyer will also get to carry home extra doors, trim pieces, engines and transmissions, glass, and various odds and ends. For Volvo fans, especially ones who really dig the PV444/544 cars, this might be considered a gold mine.
Is this considered a “Volume” of Volvos?
Outdated looking? Yes, but this design continued until 1966. Volvo owners still loved them, even if it screamed 1940s.
Slide a small block in there and twist ‘er up. Good luck
Cheers
GPC
That’s what the engineless one’s for…
“twist her up” is what the chases typically does when you add a small block with out a full chassis underneath”. Ask me how I know? A built B20 is about the limit of what they can handle without a new frame.
Prices are starting to climb but you can still find a good one with thoughtful updates for less than 10K as was mentioned above.
A mechanic friend in Anchorage dropped a Chevy V8 in with no real problems at all, and used it as his daily driver. I don’t know for how long; he was still doing that when I left about 18 months later.
A year later I bought a ’59 544 off a lot in San Jose, and wound up commuting daily from La Honda to Palo Alto, very briskly. Fun car! Even more fun when I put a 4-speed box in.
The popular set up for these back in the day was a rover/Buick V8 with 122 disc brakes in the front and a overdrive if you wanted to cruise.
I love the feel of my’64 , but I would never build one this way. Very good ones are often below 10k, in my case a great original was 2300.00 ten years ago.
Look from left to right and watch the Volvo deteriorate before your very eyes.
Baby 40’s Ford sedan. Saw one with a fabricated grille that made it look like a 46-48 Ford.