The Volvo PV36 Carioca was a luxury car built between 1935 and 1938. Its streamlined body followed American fashion, and it was the first Volvo to have independent front suspension, but it was expensive and sold in small numbers.
Volvo PV36 at a glance
| Production | 1935–1938 |
|---|---|
| Type | luxury saloon |
| Styling | influenced by the Chrysler Airflow and Hupmobile Model J |
| Suspension | first Volvo with independent front suspension |
| Engine | side-valve, shared with the traditional Volvos built alongside it |
| Price | 8,500 kronor |
| Built | fewer than 500 |
| Name | Carioca, a person from Rio de Janeiro and a fashionable dance |
Based on one source, the English Wikipedia article on the PV36 Carioca.
History of the Volvo PV36
The PV36 was Volvo’s attempt at the streamlined style that American makers had introduced in the early 1930s. Its body was visibly similar to the Chrysler Airflow and the Hupmobile Model J Aero-dynamic, a natural direction for Volvo because much of its senior engineering staff had worked in the United States.
The name Carioca describes someone from Rio de Janeiro and was also the name of a dance popular in Sweden when the car was launched. Underneath the modern body, however, the PV36 used the same side-valve engine as the traditional Volvos that were still produced alongside it, so the mechanical package was less advanced than the styling.
An expensive experiment
The PV36 was costly: at 8,500 kronor it was well beyond most Swedish buyers, and Volvo built fewer than 500 cars. The last one was not sold until 1938, three years after production started. Its main technical contribution was the independent front suspension, the first on a Volvo, which pointed towards the more comfortable cars the company built after the war.
Design and features
- Streamlined body: American Airflow influence on a Swedish car.
- Independent front suspension: a first for Volvo.
- Side-valve engine: carried over from the traditional models.
- Low volume: fewer than 500 cars in three years.
- High price: 8,500 kronor put it out of reach for most buyers.
Volvo PV36 versions
- PV36 Carioca: the only version, a four-door luxury saloon.
The PV36 was followed by the Volvo PV51 and later the PV60. More cars are in the Volvo collection.
Sources
- Volvo PV 36 Carioca, English Wikipedia: styling, suspension, engine, price, production
