The Volvo PV51 is a
car
A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people rather than cargo. There are around one billio ...
introduced by
Volvo
The Volvo Group (; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distribution and sale of truck ...
in December 1936. It was replaced by the mildly restyled PV53 in 1938.
This car remained in production until the end of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
PV51-52
The Volvo cars were quite expensive compared to their imported competitors. The PV51 was the answer to a request from Volvo’s dealers to offer a smaller and less expensive model. The rear end of the body was similar to the
Carioca, but the front was new and the interior was simplified, to cut the price. The PV51 had to make do with a
live front axle.
In early 1937 the de luxe model PV52 was introduced. The equipment list included twin
sun visors, twin
windscreen wipers, a
watch
A watch is a timepiece carried or worn by a person. It is designed to maintain a consistent movement despite the motions caused by the person's activities. A wristwatch is worn around the wrist, attached by a watch strap or another type of ...
, a
heater
Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC ) is the use of various technologies to control the temperature, humidity, and purity of the air in an enclosed space. Its goal is to provide thermal comfort and acceptable indoor air quality. ...
and
armrests on all four doors.
In March 1938 the PV51 Special and the PV52 Special were introduced. On these cars the
spare wheel was moved from the bootlid to the boot floor. The cars had an expanded boot to increase the luggage space.
Versions
* PV51: 1936-38, 1754 cars built, base model
* PV52: 1937-38, 1046 cars built, de luxe model
* PV51 ch: 1936-38, 205 cars built, commercial chassis
PV53-56
In the autumn of 1938 the PV51-52 was replaced by the PV53-56. These cars had a new front end with a wedge-shaped grille, modified
suspension and
steering
Steering is the control of the direction of motion or the components that enable its control. Steering is achieved through various arrangements, among them ailerons for airplanes, rudders for boats, cylic tilting of rotors for helicopters, ...
, uprated interior and
dashboard
A dashboard (also called dash, instrument panel or IP, or fascia) is a control panel (engineering), control panel set within the central console of a vehicle, boat, or cockpit of an aircraft or spacecraft. Usually located directly ahead of the ...
. The types 53 and 55 received a cover with a spare wheel pressing rather than the full boot and floor mounted spare of the PV54 and 56 (and PV51/52 Special).
After the outbreak of the Second World War production continued, mainly to provide transportation to the
Swedish Armed Forces
The Swedish Armed Forces (, literally ''Defence Force'') are the Military, armed forces of the Kingdom of Sweden. It consists of four separate military branches, the Swedish Army, the Swedish Navy, the Swedish Air Force and the Home Guard (Swed ...
and for other official functions. Most of these war time cars had a
wood gas generator mounted on a
trailer behind the car, since the engine had been converted to run on this domestically sourced fuel. Thus equipped, power output dropped to around .
[
]
Versions
* PV53: 1938-45, 1204 cars built, base model
* PV54: 1938-45, 814 cars built, base model with larger boot
* PV55: 1938-45, 286 cars built, de luxe model
* PV56: 1938-45, 1321 cars built, de luxe model with larger boot
* PV57: 1938-45, 275 cars built, commercial chassis
Gallery
File:Black 1937 Volvo PV 51 in Lysekil (cropped).jpg, 1937 Volvo PV51
File:Volvo PV51 Cabriolet 1937.jpg, 1937 Volvo PV51 Cabriolet
File:Volvo PV51 TV Pickup 1938.jpg, 1938 Volvo PV51 TV Pickup
File:Volvo PV52 dash.jpg, Volvo PV52 interior
File:Volvo PV54 3670cc 1939 moving.jpg, 1939 Volvo PV54
File:Volvo PV56 Sedan 1939 3.jpg, 1939 Volvo PV56
References
*''Volvo Personvagnar-från 20-tal till 80-tal'' by Björn-Eric Lindh, 1984.
*http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z6292/Volvo_PV%2052/default.aspx
Notes
External links
Volvo Cars Heritage.Storvolvoklubben
{{DEFAULTSORT:Volvo Pv51
PV51
Rear-wheel-drive vehicles
Cars introduced in 1936
1930s cars
1940s cars
Cars discontinued in 1945