Details of Cars

Volvo PV60: the first post-war Volvo six

VOLVO

Volvo PV60 at the World of Volvo museum
Volvo PV60 at the World of Volvo museum. Photo by Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net)., CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The Volvo PV60 was the first car Volvo produced after the Second World War, built from December 1946 to 1950. It was a large car with a 3.7-litre six-cylinder engine, and its body was easily mistaken for a late-1930s Pontiac.

Volvo PV60 at a glance

Volvo PV60 key facts
Production 1946–1950
Development started 1939
Shown to the public September 1944, alongside the PV444
Engine 3,670 cc inline six, 90 hp
Transmission three-speed manual with column shift
Wheelbase 2,850 mm
Length 4,725 mm
Built 3,506, of which about 500 became PV61 trucks and vans
Later six-cylinder Volvo the 164, almost two decades later

Based on one source, the English Wikipedia article on the PV60.

History of the Volvo PV60

Volvo began work on the PV60 in 1939 and showed the car to the public in September 1944 together with the smaller PV444. It was meant to appear in 1940, but the war delayed it, and production did not start until December 1946; most cars were built in 1949 and 1950.

Volvo PV60 at a classic car event
Volvo PV60 at the Classic Motor Days. Photo by –Nightflyer (talk) 07:12, 30 May 2016 (UTC), CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The car was powered by a 3,670 cc inline six producing 90 hp, driving through a three-speed manual gearbox with a column shift. Its wheelbase was 2,850 mm and its length 4,725 mm. The brochure described it as a clean-lined coach in European style, but it bore a strong resemblance to a 1939 Pontiac, with a front that was almost impossible to tell from the American car, although the Volvo was 10 cm shorter than the smallest Pontiac.

End of the line

In total 3,506 PV60s were produced, about 500 of which were built as PV61 trucks or vans. The smaller PV444 suited the post-war economy far better, and production of the PV60 stopped in 1950. From then on the largest model in Volvo’s range, and the closest in size to the PV60, was the PV800 Series taxi, which in 1950 gained a version for private use called the Disponent. It would be almost two decades before Volvo offered another upmarket six-cylinder car, the 164 of 1968.

Design and features

  • Inline six: 3,670 cc and 90 hp, the largest engine in Volvo’s range.
  • American-influenced body: close to the 1939 Pontiac in appearance.
  • Column gearshift: a three-speed manual with the lever on the steering column.
  • Commercial versions: about 500 chassis became PV61 trucks and vans.
  • Short life: five years, overtaken by the smaller PV444.

Volvo PV60 versions

  • PV60 saloon: the standard six-cylinder car.
  • PV61: truck and van versions built on the same chassis.

The PV60 replaced the large pre-war models and was followed in size by the PV800 Series; Volvo’s next six-cylinder car was the Volvo 164. More cars are in the Volvo collection.

Sources

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