It was my first car in 73 High School... it was my parent's car and was given to me when I got my license... it was the family car ... and I beat the hell out of that motor and it never quit .. it had dual factory carbs... I also installed an 8track player in the glove compartment and 2 round 2way speakers on the back deck under the window with was perfectly angled for speakers
I drove a ‘60 in Detroit in 1972-6. Used to blow off Pintos on green lights easily. You could point the front end into a parking spot and then pull the rear end to the curb. The long shifter made for quick starts. Loved it.
I bought a red ‘65 544 as a student in 1969, and put about 30 000 miles on it in the next 3 years until rust finally claimed it (the vault wasn’t rust proof in salty Nova Scotia 😅). It’s the car I’ve had the strongest emotional connection to - just a joy to drive on the two lane blacktop that was more common them. But it also did road trips, from Halifax NS (where they were assembled btw) to northern Quebec and south to Boston - it had the legs to be a strong and reliable long distance cruiser. The overall basic quality and finish of the car was always evident, and the sound of a tough four cylinder motor has been an ear worm ever since.
Our neighbor (when I was a kid, Ohio- in the 60s) had a couple of these & I never knew what they were until probably more than 15 years later!!! I thought they were some kind of "family size" VW back then, but eventually realized it wasn't. Many years later I recalled seeing 'Volvo' on it and there it was. I've ALWAYS wanted to drive one... but have been in Wyoming since 1969...have never seen one out here! Looks like a nice, low center of gravity & fairly wide wheel base - good for cornering? 😊