Volvo Trivia

"Volvo: They're Boxy But Safe"
- Dudley Moore, from the movie Crazy People (1990)

Since Volvo's evolution from a ball bearing manufacturer in 1927 until today, their mission has been to build cars that are durable, safe and reliable. They have sought out and used the finest materials, been on the leading edge of safety research and development, and used proven formulas for construction.

The steel used in the building of Volvos is Swedish steel, respected as the purest and strongest for industrial use. The metal is galvanized and used in rolled sheet form, and stamped in large portions to minimize seams that are potential points of weakness or rust pockets. All metal edges are finished with a bend or lip to structurally reinforce the panel.

The finished bodies are dipped in a cathodically charged bath to remove impurities prior to priming and painting. Silkens brand paint (over $200 a gallon) is used when applying the 75 pounds of primer and color. About 100 pounds of undercoating is used both in and under each Volvo.

Every weld on a Volvo will support the entire weight of the car.

Although the Volvo name is synonymous with safety, it didn't happen by accident (sorry). Volvo car founders Gustaf Larson and Assar Gabrielson said in 1927 “An underlying principal in everything we do is, and always will be, safety.” Pioneers of such features as 3-point safety belts and controlled deformation areas, Volvo has been a leader in automotive safety.

An accident investigation team was established by Volvo in 1960, where a Volvo engineer responds to any Volvo accident within a 100 km radius of Gothenburg to do an on-site evaluation to determine how to improve Volvo safety from evidence of real-world collisions.

Energy management, directing the force of the collision away from the occupant has been a focus for Volvo, designing rigid side impact areas, a safety cage and stress relief locations to dispel energy has been the result.

In 1944, Volvo used laminated windshields in all their cars to prevent injuries from flying glass in accidents, it was 25 years before the U.S. government required them here.

In the late 1990’s, Volvo built the most advanced and largest crash research center in the world located in Gothenburg, Sweden. The safety center contains 4 primary resources: A conventional crash test facility, new crash simulation sled, the Volvo Traffic Research Team, and a NEC SX-4 super computer that can perform 6 virtual crashes in 24 hours.

Volvo's continuing safety research will most likely shape the automotive safety world much like it did in 1976 when the U.S. Government bought 24 Volvos, conducted their own crash tests, and used the results to set uniform safety standards for all new cars sold in America.

The use of Garrett Turbochargers, multi-piston 4 wheel disc brakes, and fuel injection is “state of the art” in modern day performance cars; Volvo has been using these items as early as 1967.

Volvo's dedication to building reliable transportation put them under the hood of their cars using 5 main bearing, 4-cylinder engines with increased oil pressure as early as 1963, 4 wheel disc brakes became a standard feature in 1967, and they started using electronic ignition in 1975. Volvo was one of the first manufactures to use turbo charging in commercially produced cars and continually use them since 1981. Today Volvos entire line of cars offers turbo charging as a reliable efficient way to increase performance and maintain economy.

Volvo has often been thought of as a counter-culture vehicle, a car for the more avant-garde. The practical car image Volvo has appeals to the more “intellectual” crowd, in fact almost 85% of buyers have college degrees. However, some earlier Volvos were actually respected for their performance. In 1958, a Volvo won its class at Pike's Peak in Colorado. Endurance races at Lime Rock Raceway in Connecticut were won by Volvos in 1957, ’58 and ’61, and in 1959, news anchorman Walter Cronkite co-drove a PV444 on to a B division class win and 3rd overall.

More recently, a Volvo turbo wagon in 1994 held the highest sustained average speed record for a standard production wagon, reaching speeds of up to 150 MPH. With the accolades that the new “R” cars are receiving, you can expect Volvo's name to be heard in more performance-related crowds in the future.

Name recognition has always been very positive for Volvo “the car for people who think”, by being consistent rather than trying to be the car of the hour. Volvo has maintained their course through the constant challenges in the automotive industry and the popularity they are enjoying now is the result of the foundation laid in 1927.

However, Volvo is not resting on its laurels, they continue to be the world leader in durability with an engine that has a 1 million mile life expectancy, with features like the new Rollover Stability Control, and reliable twin-turbocharged engines with self-diagnosing onboard computers.

With the new valuable resources Ford Motor Co. brings to the mix, and their history of not meddling with their subsidiaries research and design they may have to change their logo to: “Have you driven a Fjord Lately.”

- Thom Stein