The Svenska Volvo PV-klubben almanac 2005
The text for each months picture
are published in English translation here

2006 almanack texts here
2007 almanack texts here 

Cover

Storgatan (Main street) in Mönsterås in the middle of the 1950:s. Up front the machine driver Bengt Lindberg from Skepptuna in Uppland county has parked his 1951 PV444CS. Behind the PV is a 1952 Studebaker. The car just passing the walking bicyclist is a SAAB 93.

Photographer: Unknown

January
After the introduction of the Amazon in August 1956 a number of tests were performed. One of the tests was made to find the best ground clearance. Volvo engineer Per-Erik Östman went up north to the woods outside Brunflo in Jämtland in December 1956 to perform the test.

Volvo dealer Bilbolaget in Östersund provided a 1956 PV444K as a reference. Behind the wheel is the salesman John Eijvergård.

Photo Per-Erik Östman

February
TLars-Olof Strängborn owned this P1900 with chassis number 23. The picture was taken at the Skarpnäck field south of Stockholm in the early sixties. Mr Strängborn bought the car 1960. He used it both as a racecar and every day car and had it trimmed by exchanging the B14A engine for the stronger B16B with a lightweight flywheel. The carburettor was replaced by a larger one, and a four speed all synchronized gearbox was fitted.

The first owner of the car was the Volvo dealer in Umeå, mr Rune Gabrielsson. He put a steel hardtop on the car as he found the roof leaking. The hardtop was manufactured by Hägglund & Söner in Örnsköldsvik.

To the left from the P1900 is a Porsche 356 owned by C-G Hammarlund.

Photographer Unknown

March
The car on the picture is not a Duett but a car with a body built on Volvo´s PV445 chassis delivered with engine, gearbox, rear axle, front fenders and dashboard. The name Duett was not used until 1953 when Volvo introduced theirown estate.

The picture was used in one of the first sales brochures for PV445 in 1949.This very car is actually the very first with chassis number 1. The body was most certainly manufactured by AB Svenska Järnvägsverkstädena in Linköping. Only one body like this was made. The picture was taken at the Guldhedstorget in Göteborg. The Fruit and Sweets shop is now replaced by a food shop.

Photo Volvo

April

In 1950 Volvo engineer Per-Erik Östman took his wife Britt with him on a test ride in the new PV444. He also visited with Volvo dealers in southern Europe. Here they have stopped  on the road between Lania and Larissa in Greece to take pictures and smoke. The car is a 1947 PV444A.

Photographer Unknown

May
At last it is time for break with coffee and soft drinks during the holiday trip with the children and grandchildren. The trip was made in the summer of 1965  and the goal was Röros in Norway. To the left Hjalmar Pettersson from Grangärde. The youngster is grandson Kaj Hjalmarsson, 15 at the time. His dad Lennart is behind the camera. The car is a 1958 PV544A that Hjalmar bought in January 1965.

Photo Lennart Hjalmarsson

June

Every summer the Pentecostal movement in northern Sweden has a week with tent meetings in the village Husbondliden north of Lycksele, Västerbotten County. During Lapplandsveckan about 10000 visitors use to come to the "village between the lakes". The 1953 PV belongs to factory owner Åke Rönnberg from Jörn, some 100 kilometers from Husbondliden.

The picture is from the mid 1950:s

Photo Nina Lundberg

July

This holiday picture from Gräbbestad camping site is from the summer of 1957. A wide range of different car makes can be spotted under threes and behind tents. Besides assembler Evert Eliasson´s 1953 PV444ES to the left, and ms Lilian Karlsson´s 1956 PV444 KS there is a 1956 Opel Kapitän and a 1948 Buick Super Eight under the threes.

Behind Ms Karlsson´s PV is a Chrvrolet "two-ten" from 1955 and behind it an Alvis TA21.

As you can see it was a common habit to cover the tires during hot summer days in order to avoid tyre explosion caused by heat.

Photo Almquist & Cöster, Hälsingborg.

August

Promotion picture for Volvo´s new Estate, the Duett. The picture was taken at the Sankt Sigfrids plan in Gothenburg. the Duett has red interim licens plates and thus brand new. You can tell it is one of the very first Duett´s produced by the thin type of flash lights in the B pillar, by the early type of bumper riders and a lock can be spotted on the fuel filler door.

To the left, behind the bicyclist, is a Jovett Javelin.

Photo Volvo

September

The Gulf management in Sweden decided in the early 1950:s to have all their petrol stations photographed. This station somewhere in Skåne was shot by Gulf representative Henry Hansson from Ystad. He also placed his PV444ES in the middle of the picture. Behind the PV there is a Wolseley 4/44

Photo Henry Hansson

October

Wholesaler ICA`s  driver in a Bedford has to wait for his load of fruit until shop owner Karl Dahlin from Norrtälje has loaded his 1947 PV. The picture was taken 1955 by the Stockholm Central station. To the left of the PV is a Commer lorry .

November

In 1962 the family Pleijel went on a combined holiday and study trip to England. The picture was taken at a railroad crossing in Newark upon Trent Nottingham. The trip was made in a 1953 PV445 DH.

Photo Anders Pleijel.

December

Göte Pettersson and I. Norlén from the Västerbotten Motor club make a short air trip during the Swedish Rally to the midnight Sun 1958. The picture was taken in the little village Gravbränna north of Östersund.

The rally started in Saltsjöbaden outside Stockholm and the goal was in Östersund. # 138 was a PV444LS from 1957.

Photo Bengt Weilert

Research and picture texts: Magnus Björkquist and Dan Jansson
Graphic design and coloring: Göran Blomquist.
Printing: PrintGraf Stockholm 2004.