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c economist suntribune thursday sept 5 2002 19 when i look back at it now i should have tried to save my badly smackedup 544 sedan the car that gave volvo its worldwide fame and fortune but i was in no mood to think rationally after my altercation with the 1968 chrysler new yorker whose driver had made a sudden left turn in front of me in an instant i had not only lost my trusty steed but one of the most impressive and enjoyable cars ive ever owned the cop attending the accident scene suspected the distinguished- looking gent who perpetrated the illegal turn had probably been downing a few but this was back in the prebreathalyzer days of the early 1 970s so his degree of intox ication was uncertain today i can only reflect on its unique place in automotive history my dearly departed swede looked similar to its predecessor the pv 444- that was originally dis played in stockholm in 1944 however due to steel shortages full production didnt commence until 1947 in carstarved sweden it was not unheard of for owners to part with them for more than dou ble the list price the 444 looked like a pocket- sized 1940s ford tudor and was often referred to usually with affection as the humpback it featured an unusualforitsday unitized construction instead of the more common bodyonframe method fully independent front suspension and a twopiece lami nated windshield the 444 quickly gained a rep utation as a sporty sedan that was virtually indestructible despite swedens mostly unpaved high ways by the late 1940s the car had also become popular with the racing and rallying crowd success fully competing in events all over the globe before the end of its more than 200000unit produc tion run the 444 had also become the basis for a station wagon called the duett convertible and sports- car models a thoroughly refreshed version of the original designated the pv 544 began arriving at volvos worldwide dealer network in 1 958 although closely identical to the 444 there was a fancier mesh grille onepiece windscreen larger rear window and a more modern interior under the hood a 60- horsepower 16litre engine was mated to a bulletproof fourspeed gearbox an automatic transmis sion was never offered my personal pride and joy was a bluish gray 62 544 equipped with the improved 1 8litre engine and twin su carburetors that churned out a reliable 90 horses i had acquired it through a bank ruptcy sale for not a lot of money an important consideration since i was an impoverished student at the time still i was forced to part with my stereo and a few other earthly possessions before securing the pinkslip the most desirable aspect about my nineyearold pur chase was that it had recently arrived from the west coast and was virtually rustfree in my corner of the world most cars half its age had already come down with a bad case of terminal rockerpanel can cer or worse upon first sitting behind the wheel only the volvos pointy hood was visible through the wind shield with the fenders completely hidden from sight the rearview mirror also yielded little in the way of useful visual clues and the gun- slit back window was simply creat ed an enormous blind spot but the engine purred like a contented cat and the shifter with its unbeatable synchros was magic in my hands i could hear and sense lots of mechanical whirring and buzzing noises inside the largely insulation- free interior yet the car felt as tight as a drum the 544 felt tippy in the turns but the suspension hung on for dear life and it steered arrow true without any of the vagueness that plagued my old mans corpu lent 69 mercury this fivepassen ger sedan possessed the soul of a sports car the winds of change had already begun blowing through volvo long before my 544 had even been assembled in 1 956 the company introduced its 120 series of twoand fourdoor sedans and fourdoor wagons this model dubbed the amazon in europe was every bit as rugged and durable as the 444 but its larger size bigger fourcylinder engine and contemporary shape gave it wider acceptance among fans of the marque by the early 1 960s the 122 as the export version was called had become an increasing ly more popular rival to the 544 it also became the favorite of teams on the rally circuit who began to have great success with this tough customer the last of the nearly halfmil lion humpbacks left their gothenburg sweden home in 1965 they will always be revered for their unique albeit quirky styling their reliable funtodrive nature and anviltough drivetrain mine became a wreckingyard parts donor and i eventually moved on to other cheap wheels but at least the memories of my all-too- brief experience with the 544 remain unbreakable b malcolm gunn is wheelbase communications chief road tester and historic writer wheelbase is a world wide supplier of automobile news reviews and features volvo unbonville demo pre0wn dont delay all vehicles must 2002 s40 ser metgraph leather stock 22098 2002 s40asr desert mettaupe cloth stock 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