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Volvo 145 Almost four hundred journalists were in attendance at the Lorensberg function rooms in central Gothenburg on 17 August 1966. The new Volvo 144 was to be presented, unveiled by raising a dividing wall behind which three pre-series models of the new Swedish car were waiting. Rumours about Volvo’s new model had been circulating for several years and what the press now finally got to see was an austere and modern vehicle. Parallel to the unveiling in Gothenburg, the new model was also revealed in Oslo, Copenhagen and Helsinki. The cars used at the press show in Gothenburg had been lifted into the premises the evening before by crane, hidden in large wooden crates. Naturally, the entire procedure was supposed to be as discreet as possible, but this proved difficult since a major manhunt was underway to catch two police killers. A nationwide alert had been issued and as the wooden crates were being lifted into the function rooms, the police received a tip-
off that both fugitives may have been in the audience at the adjacent cinema, which had to be evacuated. Back in June 1960, Volvo’s management – with CEO Gunnar Engellau at the helm – made the final decision on the basic directive for the new car. The P660, as the project was designated, was to be larger than the Amazon, but of the same weight and price class. It was to fulfil strict safety requirements and comfortably carry four or five people. Moreover, the car was to have the same wheelbase as its predecessors, the PV 544 and the Amazon. Unlike when the Amazon was developed, several different chassis versions were planned from the start. With the 140 series, Volvo introduced a naming scheme in which the first digit designated the model series, the second digit the number of cylinders and the third digit the number of doors.
Mass production of the 144 started two days after the presentation, on 19 August 1966. In 1967 the two-door 142 was launched, and in 1968 production of the 145 estate began. A closely related model was the 164, which was launched as the 1969 model. It shared many chassis components with the 140 series, but had a 10 cm longer wheelbase and a longer front to fit the straight six-cylinder B30 engine. Yet another chassis version was launched in 1970. This was the spacious loadcarrying Volvo 145 Express, on which the roof was raised from the B pillar and back.
both front and rear together with a dual-circuit system with twin hydraulic circuits at the front. This provided a three-way partitioning of the circuits, so that if one circuit failed both front brakes and one rear brake would still function. What’s more, there were reducing valves to prevent the wheels locking during heavy braking, a solution first employed by Volvo. A split steering column and a dashboard with a collision-protected frame were other safety features. Later, the 140 series was also fitted with headrests, retractable seat belts and seat belt reminders as standard.
Chief Designer Jan Wilsgaard was also the man behind the Amazon’s elegant lines and, despite the differences, likenesses can be seen between the models. There was a strong desire for a grille design reminiscent of the Amazon’s. The shoulder that widened the doors below the side windows was also similar to that on the Amazon, although on the 144 this feature was even more pronounced. Like the Amazon, the 142 and the 144 had vertical tail lights.
The Volvo 140 series had a conventional design with a front-mounted engine and rear-wheel drive. Initially, the series employed the tried and tested 1.8-litre four-cylinder B18 engine from the Amazon, producing 75 hp DIN – or 96 hp DIN with twin carburettors. The 1969 model had the 2-litre B20 engine, producing 82 hp and 100 hp DIN respectively. As of the 1971 model, there were also versions with electronically controlled fuel injection, producing 120 hp DIN.
The 140 series was well suited to the ideals of the 1960s, giving precedence to function. It had a spacious interior and large windows. Scandinavian design, with its clean and simple lines, is a popular approach today and the 140 series is a prime example of its expression.
When production of the 142, the 144 and the 145 came to an end in the summer of 1974, 1,251,371 cars had rolled off the production line. The model series became the company‘s first million seller and helped further Volvo’s position as an international player. The legacy of the 140 series is, however, greater than this, stretching all the way to 1993. Its replacement, the Volvo 240, borrowed much from the 140 series chassis and went on to become Volvo’s most mass produced model, with some 2.8 million cars in 19 years. PR
The 140 series entailed several important advances in both passive and active safety. The chassis was extremely resilient to twisting and was fitted with crumple zones and a protective roll cage. The brake system was advanced with disc brakes
Model: Volvo 145 Variants: Express - commercial version with a raised roof Produced: 268,317 Body: 5-door estate Engine: 4-cylinder, in-line, overhead valves, 1,778 cc, 84.14 x 80 mm, and 1,986 cc, 88.9 x 80 mm, in several power versions. Transmission: 4-speed manual or 4-speed manual with electrical overdrive or 3-speed automatic. Brakes: Hydraulic, disc brakes on all four wheels. Dimensions: Overall length 464 cm, wheelbase 260 cm.
This design of the rear section has since become a well-known characteristic of all Volvo estates.
The cargo volume was more than 2 cubic metres and the floor of the cargo area was completely flat.
The Volvo 145 quickly became an extremely popular estate and played an increasingly important role within the 140 Series.
opel rekord p2 One car, four variants. No other model line in the mid-size class at the start of the 60’s was as diverse as the Opel Rekord P2 launched in 1960. Alongside two and four-door sedans, Opel, a pioneer in the field of station wagons since 1953, also offered Caravan (station wagon) and delivery van versions and, from 1961, for the first time a coupé bodystyle. With optional “luxury“ appointments for the sedan and the coupé powered by a 44 kW/60 hp, 1.7-liter S-engine, Opel was aiming at new customer target groups who valued comfort and sportiness in this vehicle segment. Sales success proved the company right: with 786,411 vehicles (including 32,026 delivery vans) produced between 1960 and 1963, the Opel Rekord P2 became the biggest-selling car in the mid-size class. For a time it also occupied the number two position in the German car registration charts. About 200 journalists from daily newspapers, trade journals, radio, television and weekly news round-ups attended the premiere of the new Opel
Rekord at Rüsselsheim’s civic center in August 1960. Compared with its popular predecessor, the Olympia Rekord P1 produced from 1957 to mid1960, the new Rekord P2 had a fashionable trapezoidal shape and was also more restrained in the lines of the body. (The ‘P’ designation stood for the most important styling feature of both model series, the panorama windshield). “The slight bulging, curved shape and lines have been replaced by a striking emphasis on the horizontal,” said a press release at the time. “For the design of the new models, Opel started with the interior. Its dimensions were established before the body was formed.” Within almost identical exterior dimensions, passenger and luggage compartment space had been enlarged. For the first time, passive safety elements, such as a steering wheel with a lowered hub and a padded upper dashboard, were key priorities for the new vehicle’s development engineers.
Alongside the two and four-door P2 sedan, there was now also an exceptionally versatile Caravan version with a fold-down back seat. In 1953, Opel was one of the first German manufacturers to introduce a station wagon variant in the previous Olympia Rekord. The P2 fast delivery van was based on the Caravan, with enclosed rear bodywork instead of side windows. It was aimed at tradespeople and small businesses. “The new Rekord – a car just as you like it,” promised the advertising. The Rekord P2 had a three-speed manual gearbox as standard with the shift lever on the steering column. A four-speed unit, available from spring 1962, and a semi-automatic “Olymat” transmission were optional extras. The standard engine was a four-cylinder, 1.5-liter “short-stroke” motor developing 38 kW/50 hp. The stronger 1.7-liter version, with 40 kW/55 hp, was available for a surcharge of 75 Deutschmarks. Opel surprised the car world at the IAA in 1961 by revealing a new P2 model variant. For the first time in the history of the Opel Rekord, it now also included a factory-built coupé bodystyle. The two-door coupé had a stand-alone appeal and featured luxury appointments as standard, including fresh-air-heating, individual seats, velour carpet, headlight flashers, reversing lights and a two-tone horn. The 44 kW/60 hp, 1.7-liter S-engine could accelerate the Rekord P2 Coupé up to a
top speed of 140 km/h. “Rekord Coupé – a loveable car” was the advertising slogan used by Opel for this elegant and sporty model. In all, 33,816 customers bought the Coupé which provided the inspiration for a whole new genre of vehicles at Opel. Coupé versions of the Kadett and later Rekords and Commodores were to become permanent fixtures in Opel’s product programs. A top-of-the-range model for the P2 series was introduced in June 1962. As with the Opel Captain, at that time the best-selling six-cylinder car in Germany, a luxury “L” version of the Record sedan was now available. It was fitted as standard with the 44 kW/60 hp, 1.7-liter S-engine from the coupé,, the optional four-speed gearbox, heating, individual seats which could be folded down, decorative wheel trims, a chrome exhaust pipe cover and much more. The price for the “premium class luxury and performance” was 7,935 Deutschmarks, while a standard, four-door P2 sedan carried a price tag of 6,960 Deutschmarks. With the arrival of the Rekord P2, Opel became a popular brand for the car-buying public. In the mid-size class the Rekord was first choice, and in the car registration statistics it remained for a long time in second place. By the time the P2 series was replaced in fall 1963 by the new Opel Rekord A, 786,411 units had been built. PR
One car, four variants. No other model line in the midsize class at the start of the 60’s was as diverse as the Opel Rekord P2 launched in 1960.
Italian star-designer Marcello Gandini designed the Lancia Stratos at Bertone.
lancia Stratos
Successful car: The stratos won the World Rally Championships 1974, 1975 and 1976.
Model: Lancia Stratos variants: HF (stands for „High Fidelity“) and Stradale (Street-version) engine: v6, 2419cc, 195 HP Transmission: 5-speed manual Homologation: 1974, FiA: Group 4 Dimensions: Overall length 371 cm, wheelbase 218 cm Weight: HF: 880 kg, Stradale: 980 kg.
Mercedes benz O322 in the impressive bus development history of Mercedes-Benz, the O 322 is an important link between two outstanding vehicle generations. With a production volume of 959 units between 1960 and 1964, the Mercedes-Benz O 322 itself may not have been a great success, but it stands between the Mercedes-Benz O 321 H and the O 302 – each boasting five-digit production figures. A third successful bus model – the regular-service O 317 – also played a major role during this period. The O 322 nevertheless ranks high, as the transition from the buses with rounded bodywork contours in the fifties to the modern, generously dimensioned people movers with rearmounted engines. Around 1960, the majority of regular-service urban buses were still variants of the large multi-
functional model series, covering everything from regular service bus to touring coach. examples of this approach are the Mercedes-Benz O 321 H series from 1954 and its successor, the O 302 series from 1965. in-between, however, there were specialists like the O 317 of 1958, a thoroughbred regular-service bus with a horizontally mounted engine between the axles. At the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1959, Mercedes-Benz presented another urban bus, the O 322, production of which started in August 1960. With a length of just under ten metres and a wheelbase of 5.1 metres, the O 322 was a distinctively compact and easily manoeuvrable bus. A lightweight, vertically arranged six-cylinder in-line engine from the 300 series worked at the back of the bus, generating – initially – 110 hp from just 5.1 litres.
On principle, the exterior appearance of the O 322 resembled that of the O 317. The large, divided windscreen, rounded, small-radius roof edges and doors fitted flush with the outer skin accounted for the bodywork‘s modern and clean lines. On the other hand, the side windows were clearly larger and therefore more elegant than the O 317‘s small windows, and the O 322 no longer had bulging wheelarches. The vehicle‘s distinctive, square face was matched by its rear-end design. Both front-end and rear-end design were adopted for the Mercedes-Benz O 321 H and later on for the O 302. The new regular-service bus offered surprisingly generous space: 32 seats and room for 50 standing passengers. The O 322 was even permitted to carry a total of 100 passengers during the rush hour. Passengers boarded, and alighted from, the bus through a double-wing folding door at the front and a four-wing folding door in front of the rear axle. At the front door, passengers were able to enjoy the convenience of a broad door cutout, made possible by the steeply raked windscreen. There‘s also a lot to be said about the O 322‘s engineering. Mercedes-Benz opted for the innovative air suspension all round, without additional leaf springs. This system had been introduced to large-scale bus production two years earlier and first installed in the O 317. The work of the O 322
drivers was for the first time made easier by a small detail feature which can today be found on every urban bus: the bus stop brake operated by means of a small lever in the instrument panel. It conveniently secures the bus during a short stop. Drivers also benefited from the vehicle‘s ease of manoeuvrability, the excellent all-round view and a turning circle of just 18.4 metres. Among the other new features of the O 322 was a hydrostatic fan drive. The fan did not rotate at all times but was only engaged at coolant temperatures upwards of 84°C. The Mercedes-Benz O 322 of 1960 was therefore a modern bus, breaking new ground with its detail features. In spite of this, demand was somewhat restrained because this model was an additional regular-service bus variant tugged in between the successful O 321 H and O 317. The O 322‘s short career ended after only four years. Its successor was an urban bus version of the famous O 302 series which set out on its successful course in 1965. A few years later, in 1969, regular-service bus development started heading in a completely different direction when production of the highly specialised standard O 305 bus began. This model starts a new chapter in bus history, continuing right through to the state-of-the-art MercedesBenz Citaro urban bus series of 2000. PR
Passengers boarded, and alighted from, the bus through a double-wing folding door at the front and a four-wing folding door in front of the rear axle.
Quellennachweise: Titelbild, Seiten 1-4 (Volvo 145): Volvo Car Group; Seiten 5-6 (Opel Rekord P2): Opel Automobile GmbH; Seiten 7-8 (Lancia Stratos): FiatChrysler Automobiles; Seiten 9-10 (Mercedes-Benz O322): Daimler; Titel- und Rückseite: Volvo Car Group. Impressum: Herausgeber/Redaktion/V.i.S.d.P: Roman Steiner, Stötthamerstr. 12, 83339 Chieming. E-Mail: kontakt@retrokiosk.net, Fax: +49 3222 3945980, impressum.retrokiosk.net. Retro Drive ist ein nicht-kommerzielles Projekt. Genannte Marken gehören den jeweiligen Eigentümern. Alle Rechte vorbehalten. Technische Angaben beruhen auf Informationen der Hersteller und sind ohne Gewähr.