This 1965 Volvo PV544 reminds us that outside of the classic air-cooled Volkswagen Beetle, Volvo once made one of the more iconic car shapes the industry has ever seen. Looking like a cross between the 1946 Ford Super Deluxe that Biff Tannen drove in Back to the Future Part 1 and the aforementioned Bug, the Volvo became a hit not for its looks but for its surprisingly robust performance. This Volvo PV544 listed here on Facebook Marketplace is supposedly a one-owner example that comes with a treasure trove of spare parts and two parts cars.
For $1,500, that seems like a fair deal and you should be able to build one solid runner out of the stockpile of parts and cars. The one-owner status is an interesting aspect to the whole deal, as many collectors specifically seek out cars with low owner turnover. While this Volvo will need plenty of love and likely require a financially reckless restoration, ending up with a true one-owner example of a car that often changed hands many times due to its impressive durability may make it a car worth saving. It’s in Virginia, so hopefully rust isn’t a major issue outside of surface-level patina.
No matter what happens, that upholstery pattern has to be saved and replicated in whatever form this car takes post-restoration. The combination of a white exterior with that red tartan-style cloth is a killer combo, and I hope it comes back to life. I can’t tell if that’s a hole in the floorboard or just a tear in the rubber floor covering; either way, it will have to be repaired. The seller notes that the PV544 turns over but has no spark; even if it’s terminal, there’s lots of good spares out there, and opportunities for OEM+ upgrades abound.
The “see through” driver’s floor might be an indication of what’s underneath.
Seasoned viewers will know, if it’s something I had, you’ll probably hear about it. Renault, Packard, Diamond T, or any truck for that matter, and yes, Volvos. Before the “Asian Invasion”, small cars were few. The Bug, of course, Renault, a smattering of Fiats, maybe a Mini, but Volvo was actually quite a popular car, perhaps because of its vintage Ford looks. While my 1st “real” car, well, technically the 4CV was the 1st, but I never drove it on the streets, probably just as well too, was a 1958 Volvo 444, that amazingly, one was featured here a while back. While the guy across the alley had a 544, my car was simply a $50 beater from a junkyard, that ironically, had no spark too. We dragged it home with a chain, I’ll spare you the harrowing details of THAT ride, a new coil, and BAM,,,1st car. Somehow we accumulated parts from several cars, mine had a B16, but a 3 speed. A 4 speed was found and installed, after cutting the longer input shaft, stupid kids, hey, it worked, and I drove that car all over creation. It was a 6 volt, so I had a 12v battery in the back seat for the KRACO 8 track, it didn’t handle the best, poor brakes, but had a heater, and you never forget your 1st,,,um car,,,that is.
This car? Unless someone is actually familiar with these, and it was pristine, maybe a chance, but to restore one is not on many peoples minds. Shame, Like most of my vehicles, I never drove junk, and these were just the best cars. Got the name out there for the much more successful 140 series.
Howard A,
Did the 6v 444 have that armored cable between the coil and the ignition switch like the 544?
I see that it has the ankle vent option