The return of number 34

English translation of the story "34:an rullar igen" on the P1900-sidan pages 32-33 in PV-Entusisten # 3 1998.

By Bengt Sahlström

In the mid 1960:ies, Swedish singing-star Per Myrberg had a hit with a song about his house which was going to be demolished. The house’s location was number 34 of an unspecified street, hence the title "34:an". But with the number 34 of Göran Lindström, the opposite is the truth. After two years of restoring, his P1900 (chassis no 34) is ready for new adventures.

The car of his dreams

"I wanted to own one of them ever since that day in 1955 when I saw a prototype in Skellefteå", says Göran Lindström. But for a normal high-school student, a Volvo Sport was an impossible dream even if you happened to be related to the local Volvo dealer. But fate had it different.
One Friday night a tired and weary Göran came home as the telephone rang. The late Bengt-Åke Johansson, a true car-enthusiast, was wondering if Göran had read the last issue of the auto magazine Classic Motor?
-Nope, Göran replied.
-They have a P1900 for sale, said Bengt-Åke.
-You’re kidding, said Göran who had all but given up his dream of owning one. "I thought all of them either belonged to museums or collectors".
The price-indication in the ad seemed reasonable so there was no need to think twice. Göran ran for the phone, but was unable to get through to the seller Per Hall in Mjölby. In fact there was no answer until next morning when finally Mrs Hall broke the news that her husband wouldn’t be home until after 7 PM. "I had tickets for a show that evening", Göran remembers, "and being rather stingy with money, I didn’t like the idea of giving a rain-check".
Meanwhile he contacted another P1900-owner, Lennart Norberg in Piteå. Certainly Lennart was aware of the car’s existence, in fact he had even seen it a year ago or so in Östergötland and knew that it was a sound object for restoring. Lennart said it was painted in an orange 1970ies Volvo coating. He also knew that the interior was in black vinyl. Moreover neither the front flasher lights nor the rear lights were original. The latter originated from a PV 544. But considering its scarcity, the car was quite good.

How to buy a pig in a poke

At 9 o’ clock Göran returned home and two (very long) hours later he finally got through. Oh yes, a lot of people had called! A Dutch guy was interested and a Swede was on his way for inspection.
"But has anyone actually bought the car yet?" Göran wondered. As it turned out, no-one had.
"Good, then I decide right here and now that I’m buying the car! You’ll get the money first thing on Monday."
And thus, the deal was closed. Although the car had not been inspected yet, Göran enjoyed a good nights beauty-sleep with normal pulse. On June 3 1993 Göran was registred as the car’s fifth owner and according to the register, the car had been in constant use since December 12 1956!
Mr Hall arranged for transportation and shortly afterwards the dream-car arrived in Umeå. Dusty… - but fine. "I actually found it really nice" Göran says. He was satisfied, and after applying a good rubbing and polish, the car was driven for two seasons.

Two years of restoring

1995 was decided as the right time for initiating the process of restoring the car. Actually both the original rear lights and front flasher lights were included in the deal so no vital parts were missing. The car was disassembled in Umeå where a good friend, Anders Orrstjert, took care of the chassis. As it turned out to be in good condition, hardly anything apart from a good cleaning and a new coat of paint was required. The original B14A engine had vanished, as figures, but Per Hall had fitted a new B16B Sport engine complete with a 4-speed M40 gearbox instead of the totally misplaced B18 engine that had replaced the original engine. Needless to say, the B16B driveline was accepted also for future use.
The body was handled by Sigge Larsson in Luleå. He is employed by a company who specialises in plastic fabrics, mainly for the use in truck interiors. According to Göran, the outcome was a body smoother than ever. In order to acquire this standard, the car was given a layer of dark blue coating which mercilessly revealed any imperfections. But finally after loads of puttying and grinding, the choice of colour was obvious: original creamish off-white.
One sad detail however is that the chairs are not original. The ones currently fitted are from a Fiat but since they are comfortable, and also quite practical since they can be folded to facilitate rear seat access, Göran has kept them. For the record it should be mentioned that all interior work has been done by Smålandshantverkaren in Gothenburg. In May 1997 everything was ready and Göran’s Volvo Sport could continue ripping tarmac.

A satisfied owner

Göran Lindström loves to drive his car and says it’s a nice one for the summer. "I’m very satisfied although I’m also aware of the developments in the auto industry", says Göran.
"Even the doors works rattle-free and have a perfect fit!". The teenage dream of Göran’s has come true and only minor details remains before "project 34" can be declared complete. Correct bumpers have been located and currently awaits final adjustments prior to a new layer of chrome. A sunshade has to be fitted and lastly the interior door-handles have to be found somewhere. But after that, the already completely satisfied Göran Lindström in Umeå will be even more satisfied.

Original text and photography by Bengt Sahlström
Translation by John Boija