Volvo Amazon 123 GT - An Astonishing Tale Of Missed Opportunity 

I’m almost scared to say it, but here goes. This allures to me more than any supercar. Just a humble family car, tuned to perform well in competition, does more for me than any special no limits dreamcar that never even raced. And I think that a road legal car doesn’t need over, oh, 300hp? to be fun. As Jay Leno said, he doesn’t like cars that go zip-zip-zip and you’re at 200mph. He likes cars that provide the journey towards the goal. I agree wholeheartedly.

I had a friend who was finishing his medical degree at UNSW. It was British Racing Green, with everything highly polished and tuned to perfection. He allowed me to drive it down the north coast of NSW from Newcastle to Sydney. It handled superbly and I have never forgotten that afternoon drive to this day and I am 75 now. These are very hard to find now and I probably would not be able to drive it as I have Metastasized Prostate Cancer with bone lesions - makes it hard to sit in a car properly. The memory of that day is fabulous.

"Cheaper than psychiatry!" - WTF!!! I'm rolling on the floor with laughter…

In the 60s, with longtudinal engines and gearboxes, 4th gear was direct, with the input and output shaft locked together, rather than driving via the layshaft. That made it quieter when cruising. Modern transverse engines and gearboxes always take the drive out of the "other" shaft, like a motorbike. So you can have as many ratios as you care to fit.

They were so popular here in Canada that an assembly plant was built in Halifax Nova Scotia. Tough as they were, road salt killed many before their time. They did hold up better than most contemporary cars. Brilliant little sports sedan, particularly in this GT spec.

My uncle in Salzburg had one as well as a P1800 back in the sixties. I was very impressed as a kid visiting from Guernsey (with our 35 mph speed limit) that these Volvos easily did and kept 180 km/h on the autobahn!

Brings back memories, my father bought his first new car in 1968 and it was a white Amazon. I was born in in1970 and if we made a long trip and drove back home in the evening I always fell asleep because of the whining sound of the gearbox, especially if he brakes with the engine and downshifts.

The Volvo Amazon and the Saab 96 occupy the same area in my mind. Volvo is still a brilliant manufacturer whilst Saab has gone to the wall. Its hip to be square!

I grew up with Volvos, 140s and 240s, but later on 7-series and a 960. Watching this made my heart feel all warm and fuzzy. I do love me an Amazon. Such a good looking, and incredibly robust, car. ..and then a 123GT… Yum! This got me way more than most expensive super cars.

A friend of my father had a brand spakning new Amazon 123 GT, they took a vacation with the car to UK one summer and felt that they had the coolest and quickest car around. In London they ended up next to a little open sports car at a traffic light, and reved at it a bit, When the light turned green they were left in the dust by a embarising wide margin. Not feeling so cool anymore thay later realised that the little car was a AC Cobra...

Fun Fact: Theo van de Rijt, the driver of the DAF TurboTwin that crashed in Dakar in '88 and good friend of the family, has completely redone an Amazon to bear metal. Its a gorgeous beige example! Thanks Jack for another great video. Greetings from the Netherlands

I drove my ‘66 1800 for 17 years, have no idea how many miles or kilometers it had because it was equipped with Smiths instruments which if fortunate were good for about 10,000 miles; finally gave up with repairs. Smiths, a good example why there are no British car manufacturers today. Volvo repaired my car for the first three years and I repaired the car for the next 14 years. Still, it remains my favorite car of all those I have owned.

Sven "we built a great car olaf , what bits shall we keep for the new model" Olaf "The seat belts"

Now, Jack... The PV544 was actually the first car with 3-point belts standard, in 1959. But seatbelts had been around since 1949, available as an option on Nash cars in the USA. Ford USA offered belts as a $9 option in 1956, as part ot its "Lifeguard" safety campaign that was well-intentioned but a total bomb with the buying public. The seats were done by Volvo in-house, not by Recaro, and were the same as those on early 140-series cars. That ZF steering box might have benefitted from adjusting and some fresh lubricant...try THAT with your "modern" rack-and-pinion! And, yes, you can move the seats back, as there are additional holes in the rails for taller drivers - remember, Swedes are bigger than many people (think Eric Carlsson). These 123 GTs were quite good cars, with a stiffer structure than most cars of the day. They did quite well in both rallying and in amateur saloon car racing, even in the States. On paper, the car could not compete with the Alfa Guilia Super...but in the real world it held its own much better than you might have expected. And, it didn't rust away before your very eyes (that said by an Alfisti who's owned several Guilia Supers, in various states of corrosion from none to ghastly). I'm more enthusiastic about Webers than you are, and the best set-up for one of these Volvos was a single 45 DCOE with 38mm choke tubes, on a longer-tubed manifold than the standard. This added about 10 bhp and was very easy to tune; it gave you notably better mid-to-top range power. I love the exhaust note!

I used to have a B20 about 24 years ago. Also a red 2 door. One of the nicest cars I ever had. It was one of the last production month (May 1970) and precisely as old as I was (May 1970). Good memories! I sold it in the state of “needs restauration or for parts”. From the registration records I know it must have been restored quite recently, because it is now insured. Love to see it back one day. Great car, drove beautifully and sporty.

You have my old 444 CUCMBR there! Exciting!

Brings back fond memories of my 123GT. Haven’t seen one on the road for many decades

Had a 1969 2 door 121 B20 in the mid 70s. Drove it all over the UK doing lighting for concerts. Got stopped for speeding returning home from a Pink Floyd gig in Southampton. Cops were driving a Volvo and spent 20 minutes looking over the car admiringly, but still got a ticket. Diana Ross hired a Broadway director, and when he saw my car, asked if he could travel with me. I would drop him off at the Savoy in the early hours after shows.

I have a soft spot for Swedish cars. Thanks Jack!

I must say that Volvo did make great cars in the 60's but also all the way up to the early 90's at the end of the 240 range. I own a 1986 Volvo 245 (Swedish tank) that is now turning over 390,000 miles still not burning a drop of oil. These cars were always overbuilt.

I had a 122S that was lovingly named the "Big Red Oil Burner" which was totally incorrect but a great name never the less. Loved the big light on the dash for Warp Drive in 3rd & 4th !!

I remember the 120 & 122S back in the day but had no idea of the 123 existence until today.

Cars from pre 1970 had great character and although rust proofing left a lot to be desired, they were simple to tinker with - without a computer or expensive tools. Love your narrative style and list of cars. Keep it up.

In the 60s 3 cars stood up above all others for quality build and reliability the Volvo the Peugeot 403 and the Lancia, my cousin had a Lancia 2000 it was a brilliant car very solid looked good and was brilliant to drive like Italian cars are, the P1800 Volvo engine was marinized too, because it's specific fuel consumption was the best at the time with reliability to match all these 3 cars were excellent in their own ways thanks Jack

My earliest memories of my Uncle Don is he always had a Volvo for winter and Thunderbird for summer...and he had an Amazon in my earliest memory later the square Volvos

Every friday i grab a coffe and watch these. A walk down memory lane. My neighbour had exactly this car and as a kid i would listen to it start up and burble. What a memory! Thanks Jack

My dad had one of these when I was a little boy, an actual 123GT. I never had an idea how rare these were. It was a cool car. I haven't seen one in a long time. I still remember the long gear lever and that it had a high beam switch on the floor. Thanks for showing this one!

This is probably the most surprising car review of yours I've seen. Great car for its day there were a few around 70s 80s but now I understand why there were people who loved them.

Jack, you're a very nice guy, unlike other reviewers you don't take yourself too serious, which is fun. Txs a lot.

That volvo sounds brilliant! What a lovely old school engine tone. Great looker too

Great review. My dad had three Amazon’s during he sixties. The last one was a red 122s 2 door he drove for two years. He was an elevator mechanic. In 68 and 69 he worked in Stockholm 500 km from our home. He drove home almost every weekend for two years starting at lunchtime on friday and going back to Stockholm late sunday afternoon. With 5 months of winter and the types of roads Sweden had in those days the Amazon was really put to the test. Like my father of course. He had at least 7-8 Volvos after that but I think this car was his absolute favorite.

A friend had a 122s which he ran with whatever Michelin was the tire-du-jour of the time and (I think) Konis. It was amazing how many ostensibly more "sporting" cars he could show his back bumper to. Though I later owned a P-1800, I always lusted for a 123 GT which was pretty much unobtainable. This brought back memories.

This was my very first car.. I was 18 then. Mine was a 1969 - 122S with B20 (2liter) engine.. what a car! Many of my friends were so impressed that bought that same car. Then, the next cars were 142E.. and then 164E . Comfortable, solid.. but no fun anymore. Next I switched to Saab 99GL, the fun was back, and only drove Saabs ever since. My 9'-5 is 16 years old, looks like new, drives like new, and I pamper it like the most precious I own and drive. I can't see what could replace it, nor could afford it.. and, no, not a Prius. Great but boring.. lol

They had their moments with the 95 850 T5R and 96 850R. Both great cars and the ultimate sleepers

The Amazon was one of volvo's best designs for the time in my opinion along with the P 1800. They still race in historic rallies as I suppose this one does. I have seen two videos this year of Gt's been given the beans around Olton Park and they go very well even in wet conditions. Thanks Jack for a great review. The older cars are much more my thing though I know you like to showcase 'future classics' too which is fine. 👍👍

Had a white 123GT in mid 80s. Good fun. Drove it from Notting Hill to Antibes and back. Fast by hairy...

Shades of Rover P4 in the styling. Nice

Back when I sold new Volvos (for Linn Glasgow) we kept a lovely white 123GT in the showroom. Two fun facts you missed are that the two foglights are actually one foglight and one driving light. Also, the thing has an LSD.

An old fella by me, has a lovely, blue Amazon. He's also got a golden brown P1800, a blue V8 Rover P6, a P5B & an old Jaguar XJ12.

Am taken Aback just watching you going thru the gears !!!! 🤓!!!

I love your channel. You’re so knowledgeable on so many cars, like Marisa Tomei in “My Cousin Vinny.” But I love that you’re always smiling and seem to love what you do!

Jack, 50 years ago I used to travel a 100klm round trip to work in a Volvo 122 as part of a "car pool" arrangement with work colleagues, I thought it went rather well for a 1.8 litre engine carying four substantial adults in comfort. Also had friends at the time who owned a P1800, in a beautiful "baby blue" colour, I always thought that the styling of Volvos was a bit "curious" they sort of went against the popular styling but made nice solid well engineered cars. They were certainly capable of using that extra odometer digit many times over.

The B18 was ultimately developed into the B20 with fuel injection in the 140 series during the 1970's.That together with the 6 cylinder 164 was the peak for Volvo.These weren't slow by the standard of the day still with easy to maintain pushrod design.Then it was all downhill with the OHC and Renault V6 2 series then the move to front wheel drive.

I m swedish had two Amzon back in the days, loved them .... and still do

I had a friend who dailied an Amazon for years . We lost touch but I still see it out and about Cool cars

I had a 124 for a few years in the early 2010s as my daily driver and I loved it (mostly). Of course it was getting old by then but it had many features that kept it up to date. Mostly the disc brakes up front and the twin carbs and extractors but then I bought a 1970 244 to scavenge parts from. So in went the 2 litre engine and the 5 speed gearbox, the collapsible steering column, the headrests and retractable seatbelts. So good but in the end just an old car with enough problems that I upgraded to something newer. If I had buckets of money and space I’d still own it.

There were some really fast Volvos after this one ; 164E ; 244 Turbo ; 850 R ; ... all very quick for their time !

My apprenticeship mentor bought one of these from a scrapyard for £30 in 1978 and traded it in for an Orion Ghia in 1990 after years of trouble free motoring. During that same period my mate's dad (a farmer) bought a Volvo 164 brand new in 1971 and has now had it totally restored. It had tge most whisper quiet engine I've ever heard and truly luxurious inside too.

A class mate of mine in the 1980:s, had an Amazon, in which he had "tinkered" with the engine, seeing it produce a "little" more than 200 HP. Somewhat self-consciously, he called it "The Red Danger."

For the North American market, the amazons were built in Halifax, Canada.

Very popular in classic rallying & for good reason, Swedish & strong! A late friend used to rally a 122GT &, of course the earlier 544 Amazon is still campaigned my many people.

Great video, fantastic to see such a seminal car in amazing condition being driven as was originally intended. It is most enjoyable seeing you review cars that are not the same as everyone else and brining your own passion and interest to cars that most of us are never going to be privileged enough to get to drive.

My neighbor used to work at Volvo. He worked on assembling the line from 1967-1984. It's nice to hear how they used to do it, and he himself owns a pv444 and an Amazon.

Great video !! Would love to see a P1800 on your channel. Had a 1969 white one with red interior many years ago. Never should have sold it. Thanks for another excellent video, Jack.

This is the holy grail for us Volvo nuts - the 123GT. I had several of the normal versions, the 122S aka Amazon and they were great cars. They didn't have a tremendous amount of power but their handling was so well balanced you could throw it into a corner and it would always come out straight ahead and dare you to do it again. They were also very easy to work on and I learned a lot about doing it myself from my Volvos. Long may they run.

I seem to recall that the later RWD Volvos were still competent handlers though, they kept the same basic Suspension design as the Amazon (which in itself is quite similar to classic Alfas, much like the Amazon bodyshape which is pretty much an exact copy of the 1900 Berlina with a Chrysler front grille) well into the 90s, though by that point it was highly outdated. I think some of that livelyness was lost when Volvos started to grow in size and weight, but 140s and 240s are still very popular choices for rallying even today. And lest not forget that the 240 Turbo won the European Touring car championship back in 1985 I think

Addendum: Volvo had another go in the early 1970s with the 142 GT and the 142E. Neither got much attention beyond the buff books, and the production numbers were low...but they were still interesting. Volvo also made the excellent 164 at that time; it was easily the best buy among the "senior" European cars at the time. For just a bit more money than a 2002 BMW you got a big 6cyl sedan with tons of room and a HUGE boot. I had a chance to drive one from Texas to California, and it was a splendid road car, quiet and capable of running 85mph all day with no issues and 24mpg with the overdrive. I tried to get my then-wife to consider one...but she was a Jaguar girl and wanted no part of anything so utilitarian. She described it as "agricultural", but she was a ballet dancer and had never been on a farm in her life, so her opinion was not well-founded.

Really surprised! And that engine sounds so sweet from the inside of the car! Never thought the Amazons were this good. Now I know why so often we see these in Classic rallying…

It still ranks as one of my favourites and I am on the lookout for a decent example. Excellent review, thanks

The P1800 and the Amazon are my favourite Volvo of all time. The Amazon has a slight look of the early Rover coupe, I think, and I love those too

Currently working on a Canadian made 21’ cuddy cabin with a pair of aq170(b30) Volvos sporting triple solex downdrafts each. Sure look pretty with the chrome package and sure move that boat along nicely.

There's a chap who loves his work! Another great video

My first car was a '67 Volvo Amazon Herregardsvogn (Estate) with a modest B17 back in 1989. Pretty unconventional for a 18 year old, but I loved the car!

Back in the 1960s we had an Amazon, a fantastic car. Ours was a Rudd Speed car, an officially approved tuned verson before your car was made. For its day it was very fast and with the improved suspension and brakes a great cat to drive.

Dad still has a Volvo Amazon, bought new by my grandmother in the late 1960s. Not quite a daily driver anymore, but it does see some use. Learned to drive in it 😎.

There is a movie featuring the Volvo 123 GT called "Swedish Auto," starring the lovely January Jones of "Mad Men" fame. Excellent little movie.

Oh baby this is sweeeeeet!. BIG fan of 60s-70s Volvos. I had the use of a 73 240 wagon one summer as a teenager and drove the pi$$ out of it and it begged for more. That Amazon has a great exhaust and induction note.

Love it ! I bought a crashed 123GT and put the engine & transmission into my Amazon wagon. Turned a few heads on the highway for the speed it held with ease.

Excellent video, you are very well informed on this car. I’ve owned a 123GT for 6 years now and can honestly say, it’s the only classic I’ll ever need ❤ The styling and build quality from 60s Volvos was way ahead of its time. The engineering and durability of the B18/B20 inline 4 pushrod engine is unsurpassed for its time. Mine is now tuned to 230bhp/205lbft, 11.5:1 on Weber 48DCO. Only downsides to Amazon ownership is steering not great as you mentioned, the exterior trim is a pain to fit/line up, and the rev counter on the 123gt is too small for serious driving. Great video. Followed 👍

I restored 5 of them, and drove one with the no 46 Red color over years. Best and reliable car ever. Simple technics, always running.... Now I get a 245 station wagon

I love the old volvoes, all the car you could ever need.

Great video, showing that you can have a lot of fun driving a "normal"car. But of course it is nice as well to have videos of cars that not many can afford.

Loved my 122S, but had to stick my hand up under the dash to unjam the windshield wipers, and if i wasn't paying attention trying to start it, I would break the key off in the ignition. The trunk latch was shyte, and fenders rusted, but I got to teach all my friends, and girls to drive standard

I always understood that the Amazon models that started alongside the p444 models was designed by a subgroup of volvo employees in their own time and then persuaded the mangement to adopt it. My Uncle had a 122S in the early 60s that he loved.

One of my old bosses had the estate version back in the 1980s. Lovely car it was built like a tank👍

There's an Amazon in storage in my town and it'll never happen but it's such a bucket list dream to purchase that and fix it up into rally trim. It's just a different kind of fun I'm sure.

We were farmers back in the day.. father bought121 1965 model in 1966...my uncle bought a 122s In 1966..... never drove it waznt aloud...😂.only when my cousin bought fathers car I finally drove it 👌 today I still think it's a handsome car and built like brick s..........e ..loved the way interior door tops molded into dash and the endless gearlever🤪

Excellent video 👍 Our daily driver back at our farm here in Sweden is a Volvo 210 Duett 1966. A fantastic small delivery van/ estate mix ❤

Keep in mind that Volvo was often called a truck maker that made cars. I test drove a 240 back in the '80's and commented that it drove like a truck. Not fun to drive. But they do have some breakthrough cars. The Amazon being one of them. The 850 being another. It's funny that I have owned a Volvo Estate for some time. It is not the most fun to drive, but as a truck that I don't need a commercial drivers license for, it's pretty good a hauling stuff.

Great review Jack! I think you’ve captured the essence of its fifties rawness!

I believe the 123GT introduced in 1967 (not 1968) and last ones produced had the 2 litre engine instead of the 1.8. I had a green one when I was 21. One of the best cars I ever had. My mates called it ex army because of its shape and colour.

I always loved those cars!

Great car, great video. Haven't seen you have as much fun in a car in a while. More old cars please.

Thanks Jack 🙏🙏, always good to have a 'Prancing Moose' on the channel! If you can get one of their later, boxier ones, that would make a great comparison!

I drive my 1970 145 most days, great intake growl, pushrod sounds and such a good ride on Mexican cobblestones and topes , also sad that the p1800 and 145 where the peak.

They were great cars, another excellent and interesting video.

What a great car! Would love to know what it’s like to drive with wing mirrors on the end of the bonnet. Great review as always Jack.

In Sweden this was the car to have when I was a kid. We had a dark blue one, but the normal 4 door. Thank you for a great video once again ❤

Jack thanks you for this very interesting and informative video, as others have said these are often overlooked and mis-understood. I own and race a Volvo Amazon in the UK HRDC Touring Greats series, it gets lots of attention and is really good fun to drive although it cannot hold a candle to the more powerful and highly developed Lotus Cortina's it gives the Cortina GT's and Alfa Guilia Supers a good run for their money. The engines are very simple and bomb proof and availability of parts is excellent both here and across Europe. I also have a 123GT look alike which is actually a 122S that I bought as a "spare" body shell for the race car but turned out to be far nicer than I expected and thus we have spent some time and effort getting it readied to tackle some regularity rallies here and in France. There are a lot of Amazons and P1800s in historic rallying as they are a tough, reliable machines and easy to prepare with simple upgrades. Nice to see some good positive reactions to your video, keep up the good work.

I have rallied against these cars. Ridiculously thrashable, reliable, fast and easy to drive quickly! Brilliant!

Point of order- My volvo 444 had seatbelts in 1955

Love ribbon speedos,forgot all about those.

Great video Jack, your a man after my own heart with the SU's. Just one point though about Volvo's not being exciting to drive after this; now I'm guessing you've never driven a 240 Estate with roof rack, camping gear for two weeks and the rest of the luggage, four kids and a big missus down the M5 at night at over 100mph, now that's real scary esp when you get to the curvy bits.

Always loved this model, distinctive and classy.

Great video on a great car, Jack! Still miss my 74’ Volvo 140. Prior to that the family had the Amazon. Both excellent cars. On more modern rubber they drive remarkably well for their age.

Rare to see a 123GT that hasn't been turned into a rally car

Hello Jack, I think the Swedes went nutty overall around the early 1990s!

Yet another great and interesting upload! Thanks.

I had what I thought was called a ‘68 122S - didn’t have the hotter engine, had high back seats, the electronic overdrive…I loved that car and drove it pretty literally into the ground as the body and miscellaneous bit rusted off by the later ‘80s. Easy to work on, really steady, and yep fun to drive.

7:52. Thats a small boy driving for the first time... :)