Modern Classic: Volvo PV544

To qualify as "modern classics," we're choosing vehicles that are comparatively affordable now and that we think will increase in value over time. These are cars that many people would love to have: head-turners, trend-setters in their time, cars that people still see that make them smile, cars that were definitive in their own right, stylish and fun to drive. We're focusing on cars that are at least 25 years old so they can be registered and insured cheaply and aren't subject to annual inspections.


Tastes may vary, as may peoples' own definitions of "affordable." Our theoretical limit is $50,000 for a car in good to excellent condition, which rules out many of the traditional exotics. This month's selection is the Volvo PV544.

History
Volvo produced its first cars in 1927. Although strongly influenced by U.S. makes, nearly 30 years passed before the Swedish automaker mounted an American invasion, and they did it with a car that looked decidedly outdated. Capitalizing on Sweden's neutrality during World War II, the PV444 prototype was first shown in 1944. Actual production began three years later, but U.S. imports didn't arrive until 1956. By that time, Volvo's first entry looked very long in the tooth.


Volvo plunged bravely headlong into a market that was crowded with diverse brands, all trying for a foothold. A measure of the Swedish firm's confidence (or indifference) was that the conservative PV444 and its lookalike successor, the PV544, resembled a slightly shrunken 1946 Ford Tudor. But competitors like the Borgward Isabella TS and the Auto Union 1000, while newer-looking, weren't so beautiful either.


Basically a carryover from the earlier PV444, the PV544's unit body received a one-piece windshield, larger flip-out side windows, a bigger rear window, a new instrument panel and countless other improvements. About the size of a later Ford Falcon, with a revvy, 1.6-liter, 85-bhp pushrod four, the dated-looking (but very tossable) fastback was advertised as "packing sports car performance in a family sedan."