1968 Volvo Amazon Estate Goes for a drive 

This is the car that inspired generations of army tank drivers to claim that their company vehicles were built like a Volvo Amazon. We're talking unbreakable here. I absolutely love em.

My dad had the Volvo 122S, I loved that car and I cried the day it went, my dad had brought new cars and Fords till the day the Ford Consul 375 dad had bought brand new from Dales of Falmouth was 10 years old and dad thought it was time for a change as it was quite rusty. I don't know the full story but near were dad worked at the time in Carlisle there was a car dealership, The salesman showed dad a white Volvo saloon, it had about 70 thousand miles on the clock and dad said 'it's done a lot of miles', the salesman said 'it's a Volvo it's just run in'. It had only one previous owner, the owner of a local coach company, the bonnet had been replaced as apparently one of the coaches had backed into it. The car was very fast and I remember loving it as we passed other cars. Dad had it for about 10 years and I still remember that day when dad took it to the local Volvo dealer for some work to be done on it and being told it would cost much more than the car was worth to put right, I think it was something to do with the differential but the day before it had flown along as it always did. Dad took me and my two brothers in the evening to the dealership and through the closed gates we said goodbye to her, she really was part of the family. Her registration was FRM 333C and it is one of my wishes that one day I drive a VOLVO 122S or a 121 that then as a child I could not drive and remember dad driving and all the happy memories she gave us.

Opening quarterlights disappeared long before air con became common. Security issues killed them, they were too easy to break & get access to the inside door handle/lock

A car that's "the complete package": one that has lots of room, durable quality, comfort and is fun to drive. I also seem to have read somewhere that amazons were quite succesful as rally cars, it obviously shows in this review. Really loved this one, made me smile. Top work!

If you went on a campsite anywhere in the UK the late 60s early 70s the campsite will be full of these Amazons very sturdy very well built cars

Thanks almost entirely to Matt and his furiousdrving video, I bought this Amazon a year and a half ago. It is a wonderful car, a dream to own and drive, starts first time, comfortable driving speed of 60mph, no issues. I am undergoing cancer treatment and have to buy a sensible automatic, so very sadly the Amazon is now for sale. I have put it in a car auction with Charterhouse Auctioneers/Sherborne held at the Haynes Motor Museum on July 6th. It is also online with Easylive. If you are seriously interested, please get in touch and even come for a spin. Bella

I think one of the best looking Volvos in the all history of the brand... My dream amazon is a 123GT (the coupe) dark green with charamel interior and some engine modifications. Beautiful video and car

We had one of those when I was a kid. It was so cool !! (unlike the 2dr sedans) I remember once I had to sit in the front, despite being 4-5 yo, because my dad had folded the rear seat to load some kind of machinery into the rear. I don't know what it was. And, I don't know how they got that machine in and out of the car, because that thing was huge! up to the roof! and made of metal, must have wheighed half a ton or so

Yet another "Why didn't I buy one while it was affordable?" car lol.

My grade 11 Geography teacher, Mr. Richardson, at FWCI, in Thunder Bay, Ontario, had a 66 Volvo 123 GT. What a car, what a teacher!

Very nice. Don't forget these did compete quite successfully in rallies. This is from an era when the elk test measured how many you could fit in the back. Very cool.

"Overdrive works! Of course it does, it's a Volvo" Well, actually, it's the same Laycock-De Normanville D-type overdrive as fitted to the Triumph Spitfire and several other British cars...

My father had the same creamy/white colour LHD Amazon estate in late 80’s. The twin carb B18B engine was so smooth and quiet, you wouldn’t hear it running and there was little or no rust on the body. Being old Volvo, LHD and on UK plates it was considered too much of an oddball in Ireland to be of any value and was sold off for a few hundred pounds. It ended up being a roadside sign for a pancake/tearoom café and I was sad to hear it was burned by vandals sometime later. A beautiful forest green Amazon estate came up for sale for €5k a couple of years ago about the week after I had just bought my Volvo 144. I wasnt allowed buy another Volvo.

Germany: some moneybags bought one of these and had our local garage do a full resto on it. Took months. Beautiful car. Then it took it out on the Autobahn and blew the engine.

Yes you are right they never had carpets like that (owners did a good job)..they left the factory with a plasticity mat that you could get in with snowy boots and nothing soaked in.

As a modern v70 volvo estate owner...I bloody luv the split tailgate n hinged number plate...why didn't they keep this feature on modern Volvo's?

Great review of an amazing car. That Red Block is the same as all the others through until the end of 940 production. In 74, it went to being an over head cam unit. Rather than reengineering the block, Volvo simply fitted a balance shaft in place of the cam. Simplicity at its best. When you take off the timing cover of your 740, the 3rd front seal is that shaft. If you don't know when last the front seals were done, best to do them. It only takes maybe an extra half hour to do the front main, front cam, and front balance shaft seals. These are the easiest of cars to work on and work with. Huge potential in them. For their time, about the safest car you could get. Friends of my folks had 2 from 1967. The first was wrecked when it was 2 months old. They were a 5 hour drive from home, in another province. The bought another to get home. That one lasted into the early 1980s. The rust finally killed it at 280,000 miles.

The grab handle is called the “Jesus bar”

My grandfather used to have one like this (I am a Swede). He was a farmer, and the car did a lot of heavy work. He was also a hunter, so yes, there is plenty of room for bodies in the back. Easy to work on and repair, everything is accessable. This is one of the extremely few cars I would actually like to own. It is now a classic, but it can still handle heavy work - so it is also practical.

I believe, being a 1968, this got the steering wheel from the 140. Earlier Amazons has a different wheel. This car seems to have all the right mods, lovely! I'm more of a Saab guy, but a well fettled Amazon has got so much to offer. It's probably one of the best classics you can get, with their parts availability, lots of character, good looks, nearly indestructible mechanically, and just easy to own and live with.

Glad you're a Volvo fan now! I owned a 760 Turbo estate for many years, clocking up over 200k miles. Best car I've ever owned, reliable, rust free, and very comfortable.

Brilliant review! I grew with Amazons, my father was very successful with a 122s on the concours scene in the 90s. I now have a ‘breathed on’ 123GT. It’s the only classic I’ll ever own and ever need. Love the styling, the robustness, performance, common sense engineering and overall charm. This wagon looks like a great example. Thanks for the comprehensive review - brilliant!!

Damn, thats a nice car!!! I have had the pleasure of driving quite a few Volvos (PV544, P1880/SE and the moderns) - but never an Amazon. It look so cool, and that sound - Fantastic 👍🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪 GREAT video !

What a beautifully maintained Volvo. In the early 1970s Dad owned a used 144 which was then replaced with a used 145 auto estate. Each car was incredibly tough and practical and the 145 Estate had the ultimate accolade for any of our family cars, Mum liked to drive it too! Ps What a wonderful sound too!

Hubnut loved the Amazon when he tested one a year or two ago too...... Lovely video of a lovely old car. I saw one a few weeks ago, well worn but still going strong!

I used to have one of these in the mid 70s. It cost me £85. It had some bodywork damage when I got it, but engine was OK. I had to do the brakes shortly after I got it, but I couldn’t get one of the drums off to replace one set of shoes. It was pretty reliable overall. It’s big advantage was the amount of stuff you could get in it. And I could have slept in the back comfortably (but never actually had to). Eventually I sold it for a bit more than I paid for it, so I couldn’t complain - very useful for my needs at the time.

I'd love one of these perfect daily classic

What you missed in the safety description is the way the engine is mounted. It is designed so that in case of a frontal collision the engine slides under the car instead of into the cabin.

Absolutely splendid, it's in wonderful condition. A real gem of a vehicle, and a great practical classic. Thanks for doing this video Matt. I went on their website and notice as well as this stunner, they've also got a Mk1 Granada Ghia! Fans of The Sweeney like myself and I'm sure many other Furious Driving members, would be drooling also over such a rare find! I wonder if they'd be kind enough to let you film that one if it's a car that you'd be interested in? The downside is the steering wheel is on the wrong side, but being a French example it had a better chance of surviving, due to our rubbish winters here in Blighty!

This is the video that made me want an Amazon. I bought a 130 (the 2 door) in January. I’ve been enjoying driving it all summer. Thanks Matt!

I've been drooling over this one for a few weeks now. Only eleven years ago there was a nice dark grey one for £4,500 at a local show,he who hesitates etc.Still,sitting in my nice old T5 wagon watching this.

Love this video and your channel - never miss an upload. I do find the bodies in the boot references jarring though.

The black toggle is for the overdrive and the yellow one is for the fog/spot lights. The DEFR logo is for defrost. The rev counter is as that fitted with the 123GT and was an extra on this car and the later 122S. There should also be what looks like the pull chain for a loo but is in fact a radiator blind to facilitate fast warming on winter days in colder climates!! I think that the engine upgrades are what was fitted to the 123 GT the car Volvo used in their rally team and as supplied to the Swedish Police Force in estate and coupe (2 door) form. The car brings back a number of memories as I knew it’s first owner. It would have been sold by Seymour Horwell main Volvo dealers in Newton Abbot, Devon and may have been registered to either Ken Watkins or Western Machinery & Equipment Co Ltd.

These were common in California, still in the 1980s. A friend of our family drove one, dark blue. The majority of cars I have owned have had Quarter lights/wind vents. Fords in the U.S. had seatbelts as an option in 1956.

Could this be the best looking estate car ever? It certainly is a handsome piece of design. I have to say you really suit this and I love the way, albeit with some upgrades, it's still a very useable classic. What a great noise too.

Lovely, charming little car. Whenever I see an Amazon it puts a huge smile on my face.

Love the Amazon's. Lovely and durable cars. There was a police force in the uk who had one of these Volvo estates back in the day and there was some controversy because they bought a vehicle that wasn't UK built.

After seeing Guy Martin's crazy wagon I am totally in love with these things. I have always been a wagon lover, in fact my dream car in high school 1997 was the 850 sportswagon. Thanks for this video. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

These must have been one of the very first cars to have adjustable lumbar support on both front seats as standard, and those seats are properly comfortable too. Headrests were available on the later Amazons, and you can see where this one has the fitting for them built into the front seat frames, but I believe they were only ever an option. A number of Volvo parts specialists, however, can supply the necessary parts to fit them if they're a requirement for you, and, if your car still has the original interior trim colour scheme, as replacement seat covers and interior trim parts are now available in colours that weren't standard back in the day, then there's a decent chance you can find a set in the right colour for your car... I love the Amazon estate, definitely my favourite of the range, and that one has all the right mods to make it a very useable and reliable car. An interesting point with the Amazon is that cars that came from the factory with the overdrive gearbox got a shorter rear axle ratio than the standard 4-speed cars, so converting a standard car to overdrive makes a lot of sense now as it makes them much happier to cruise at motorway speeds comfortably... Sadly, the days of cheap Amazons are long gone now, but this really is a car that you could buy now and still be driving when it's time to hang up the car keys for the last time. There really isn't much you can't get for these cars now, so as long as you keep the rust protection in good shape as they can rust in odd places, they're very capable of being eternal cars. And the styling is just achingly cool...

Looks like a genuine useable classic, love seeing someone respectfully upgrading a car.

I love it, perfect technical upgrades and the overall look 😍 I'm 24, I grew up around old Volvos in Finland :) I have literal anxiety about the electrification and the hideous taxes they plan for fuel driven cars. My Volvo history is three 740's and some rallies in a 200hp n/a redblock 240.

My Grandfather had that very car, fond memories

What a very tidy vehicle for its age. I suppose we got them in Australia. I'm not sure I've ever seen one, but I would think that such a robust machine would have been very suited to Australian conditions. I like the styling and, having been a Passat estate owner now for some years, there's a lot to be said for that practicality. I'd own one of these in a heartbeat. As always, a very interesting video. Thanks.

Someone may already have posted it below but hells bells Mr Furious even I know that DEFR stands for defrost and not deferral...Stunning car by the way...

Totally agree on the speakers, I would have to find some period speaker grills, even some 70s grills would look better.

Saw an Amazon and smashed like before even watching the video. Great stuff Matt!

6:23 They used a compressed fibre timing gear from the factory, not plastic. They didn't go out of time so much as they would just crumble one day!

Interesting that you made a comparison to the P6. If I'd been asked I might have wondered if these were in the same market niche as the Landcrab. I've only once driven one, which I went to look at thinking of buying it. The car I went in was my 2000TC P6, and my opinion at the time was that the Amazon was very agricultural by comparison. It's probably a bit silly that P6s are valued at only half the money of an Amazon. I don't doubt that I would have grown to love the Amazon, but driving a P6 immediately beforehand is probably the wrong thing to do.

18:20 On the heater controls DEFR is not deferral but defrost. Gorgeous car, perhaps the ultimate practical classic.

A guy I knew in Geneva had one of these when I stayed with him in 1970, in the same colour too. I remember it being a very comfortable car and nothing like as noisy as the one in this video. It was however a nearly new car. I remember the more modern boxy shape estate had just been introduced and the 121/122 was now old hat, but still a very nice car.

These videos are becoming dangerously professional 😄

PV544 was the first Volvo to have the seat belts. Bench seats could be spec'd in 4 door cars and were popular in some markets, Africa, Cyprus etc, between '62 and'64 models. Column change so 4 in the front and 4 in the back, with no seat belts. LOL. Very few of those left now. Factory Estates never had overdrive but they had the low back axle. Were considered a Commercial in some ways. OD a popular conversion and now days essential if you want a bit of peace on the motorway and you prefer to cruise with normal traffic. Upholstery colour is "Tan". These comments from an owner. See the timing gear failure on my channel!

Just subscribed. Just brought home a 1993 240 sedan- triple black with 157 k miles. Wow. What an adjustment. Looks fab, looks expensive in a retro way. Feels a bit slow on the highway up hills. Could use new tires. Steering drifts a bit. Has potential . Will be used primarily for rock band transportation. Wagons welcome. Vikings welcome. Greetings from mtw and 99 in LA. new Volvo drivers.

YES!! I've always wanted to see a review of this. I had a ride in one in Norway when I was on holiday as a kid.

lovely car. I remember riding in one of these, that my uncle owned. He had it for a good twenty years!

3:25 - Actually the top hatch can be locked at various angles including nearly shut with the hatch support on the right hand side. :)

Thats a beautiful car. I'd love to own that. The interior is stunning...the seats, the dash. And the steering wheel gets a 10 out of 10 from this steering wheel fanatic! Cracking car 😊👍

Thanks for the heads up on Nordic Noir, good call. Great video as always 👍

The Philips AC480 radio in this car is a late 1970s model. I know because my dad's Citroën DS had a similar one (next to the original 1960s LW/MW radio) in 1979. The Turnolock system was a crude mechanical preset, in the days before electronic tuning. These radios are highly sought after today, though a radio without FM is virtually useless...

Oh gosh Matt, that would be one of my alltime dreamcars! A truly interesting video as always.

Always loved the Amazons. So stylish.

Always liked the Amazon could see myself having one of these along with a rover p5 coupé in the garage

The first foreign car to be used by a UK police force; Northants Constabulary in 1968 as I recall. The force had a big motorway commitment and wanted an estate car. As I recall it came down to two contenders, the Volvo and the Humber Super Snipe Estate. The Bobbies favoured the Humber but the Chief Constable went for the Volvo. The press went bonkers!

My old boss back in the 1980s had one of these great car built like a tank the thickness of the steel body panels was amazing

I very much like the fact that Volvo used the same designer from year 1700 to 3000 and it can certainly be seen in their cars! Wonderful examples of motorhooding there.

Lovely example. Re: the stereo. I think that one of my parents' cars had one like it, maybe the 1980 Talbot Horizon. 🤔 Static rear seatbelts obviously have been added later, they look like they came from a 1980s/90s Mini.

That's my kind of car. I hope some day you'll do a review of the Peugeot 504 - preferably manual transmission - also preferably estate version... Great review, thanks.

nearly bought one of these about 7 years ago for £900 - I passed because it was a restoration job and I was worried about the cost of spares etc. I grew up in the 70's and 80's with volvos as our family cars, loved the 240 estates, I like the car, but I really don't like that strip speedo, don't like it in any classic, but great video, thanks for posting

That's a keeper, a truly exciting and usable classic. Plus it can only go up in value!

A Classic Volvo. I think that every Volvo will be a classic. They have been selling them with a 20 year guarantee since the 1980s and if you think about, they don't show rust until 20 years. That upholstery is indeed a very warm colour. Sounds very fruity too, twin carbs, that'll do nicely.

Great video, my aunt still has the saloon version.

That car looks like great fun. I really think you should buy it Matt. There is definitely something special about a Volvo. I had a 960 and a V70, and they are just such likeable and dependable cars.

Who'd have thought back then this would someday get reviewed on an internet & phone? In the 70s these were regarded as 'old' Volvos. They had a good name for durability. And always seemed to come in either this color or white. We had a used 164 with that same orange/tan interior. It too was a 4 manual with electric overdrive. You got a bit of a lurch when that od engaged and disengaged. Volvos an electric Chinese car these days. Who'd imagined that back then?

Here in Canada, I own a US-spec 1968 Volvo 122s two-door that was built in Göteborg. I'm currently restoring it because some minor repairs revealed areas of the car that had been neglected or poorly repaired in a 1990s restoration. I'm not sure if this is a US-spec or 122s level related thing, but the lower portion of the dashboard has padded knee protectors. Mine also has factory headrests. The lever to open the door is a dark plastic instead of chrome, which is odd considering the window lever is chrome. Steering wheel is the same as in the wagon in this video, and the seatbelts were replaced with a later Volvo inertial reel set. I'm trying to go back to the original static belt to install for car-shows, but it's extremely difficult due to Volvo having only produced the "toaster" style for a very brief time before making them impossible to order even in service (the part number automatically re-directs to the later inertial reel design). The carpets the owner put in are the older "Amazon" branded design. My later car has a boring regular carpet without any branding. Even in stock configuration without all the suspension upgrades, these cars indeed have a very smooth ride. Even my modern car enthusiast friend who couldn't care less about classics was impressed.

Headrests came on the 1969 models of Volvos and as 1970 was the last year for the Amazon it didn't last long ( not counting the ones put together in South Africa some times afterward) The first Amazon that came with front discs lacked the servo and you had to step on the brakes to stop it as the reducers for the rear axle was there already, I think this was only one or two years before they installed the servo as standard. The 140 had discs all around and servo from the start in 1966. There was a third seat for the booth as extra also for the Amazon if I don't remember it all wrong. I was a PV544 fanatic and disliked the handling on the few Amazons I ever tested, maybe the bushings was bad on those because the rear axle lived it's own life and wanted to explore the ditches more than following the rest of the car. My car after that was an 1971 142DL that I put in all sorts of upgrades, one was the overdrive from an Amazon, standard equipped Amazons and 140 had a second stick on the other side of the column for the overdrive. But as my M40 gearbox lacked the switch in the lid that only allowed to put the overdrive in action in 4th gear I initially had 8 gears, (three of them unuseful as the gearing was similar to the next manual gear and you needed quiet high speed to engage the oilpump driven overdrive, the excenter for the pump is on the outgoing driveshaft.) Later I put one of the grounding indicators for backup lamps so the the gearlever rod for third and fourth gear contacted it in neutral and third gear, then via a relay that only let power pass if the solenoid wasn't engaged I could have the overdrive only engaging in fourth gear.

3:09 didnt know split tailgates were even a thing back in the 1960s! Thought that came from landrovers. This volvo looks very sturdy for such an old car.

In Scandinavia, where I come from, the Volvo Amazon was very common back in the day. It was not a luxury car, more a competitor to a Morris Oxford or Landcrab than a Rover P6, which was a luxury car here. Because the Volvos were sturdy cars that lasted long, in the eighties and nineties they were still relatively common as transport for people who needed a family car but couldn't really afford it. So you could see a lot of them broken down by the roadside. Also because of they way they are constructed (recirculating ball steering with a lot of rods - live rear axle control arms with dampers mounted mid-way between axle and body) when the rubber bushings get old, the handling which was never razor sharp, deteriorates into absolutely awful. So I've always regarded the Amazon as a pretty crappy car. It's funny, because in the UK the Volvo Amazon was always seen as a "cool car" and today, when only restored and well maintained cars are left on the roads I can absolutely see why. Back in my childhood my uncle had a 122S which he would regularly drive in excess of 100 mph on regular roads (legal back then), so I guess they handled quite well when new. I thankfully did not have a good view out of the window bacause of the high waistline but I was scared nevertheless, particularly since much of the driving was done on the wrong side overtaking the slower trafic.

Matt, you missed a trick not wearing the knitted Swedish jumper! 😃 I do love these cars and will be checking used prices.

Hi Matt,nice drive video a very clean classic Volvo Amazon, certainly don't see these on the road now.a tidy example.

Always interesting reviews mate, can't say Volvo's ring my bell but back in the day they made cars like this with...curves!😲 Who'd of thought? Stop the madness!

What a lovely car Matt, bags of character and personality.

Love these estates! Can you also review the mk2 Mondeo? I grew up with that

I've got the Volvo bug after purchasing my Mk2 V70 2.4 Turbo. Literally the best car I've ever owned...❤

Fine family estate back in it`s day. The Volve V90 Cross Country is a great great great great grandson! Did i miss a generation!?

The Volvo was one of the first car manufacturers to have a laminated windshield installed, also the 3 point seatbelt was first installed in a Volvo as with many other safety features,

Isnt DEFR, “Defrost”?

The sound of that engine ! Learnt to drive on a 1980 200 series If you dont know the old Volvos you would not understand

The safety roll cage which protects, all the people inside the car was first used in the 140 series, showing the strength, reliability of it*s cars, also I don*t know if it is still done, if there was an accident where a Volvo was involved, a crew would be sent to the scene to investigate as to how it happen, and how they can improve on their cars

A real beauty, love it 👍

What a early morning treat for my birthday! If you can send this stunning car to Edinburgh Please. Excellent review, another car to add to the garage of dreams.

Never drove one, but the saloon, always looked 'right' in my eye.

Beautiful machines and the start of something amazing, great vid!

Loved this. More Volvo please. If you can track down a 262C you'd be a super hero! (actually you already are - brill channel)

Love this! from 2 240 drivers in L.A.

That has a B18B, A meant single carb, B was twin carb when it comes to the 4cyl engines

Here I am enjoying your video! :) Who would have thought that Volvo wagon could be exciting lol

I am a Volvo fan and have a 345DL. I love the Amazon.

I think that bench seat thing is a myth. The 140 also had the handbrake on the door side and so did the porsche 924 aswell as many english and italian older cars as I remember. I think it's mostly because they hadnt yet streamlined the production for both right/left hand drive. Might also be slightly easier to maintain if the cables are not obscured by the exhaust.

Great video, Matt. Would love to see you test the Lancia Aprilia or Mk 1 Granada at Percival's.

i have owned a few triumph 2000's ( some estates ) and a few rover P6's & i wish i'd bought one of these 20 years ago .. if there is one thing i would love to see make a return .. 1/4 lights