Hi,

I'm looking at a 1967 2 door for restoration...engine problems, decent body, interior is rough.

The number on the firewall does not indicate that it is a GT but it has mirrors on the fenders, large fog lights and reclining seats. Could this be a GT or were you able to add these options?

If the VIN doesn't indicate that it's a GT, it very likely isn't. Wing (fender) mirrors could have been added at any point in time, and the seat recliners were available as a dealer installed option.

Does it have any of the other 'GT' equipment? Steering wheel, limited slip, relays, tach, dashpad?

Best,

Cameron
Rose City

There's no overdrive, I guess it just has a few extra options.

You refered to relays and steering wheel. What are the relays for on the GT and how does the steering wheel differ from the standard?
Thanks MIKE

Mike,,I have owned two true gt'S and not claiming to be a expert but i think I can help you out here...There have been some sighting of so called 123gt's with different and non original options installed over the years. If you dig into them you can find out for sure.We all have seen the dash and tach setup which you can locate on ebay from time to time, along with the three spoke wheel.One of the biggest differances is the wiring harness in the engine compartment.The relays for the driving/spot light,fuse box for these lights and fuse for the hood and trunk light, Voltage regulator and horn relay are mounted on the right side inner fender.This along with the 4:56 LSD are the most outstanding changes from your 122.
M.R.

This is a DIY GT kit on eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Volvo-123-GT-Steering-Wheel-Tach-O-D-Switch-Etc_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6763QQitemZ8045475580QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

I took the plunge and purchased the 2 door today, after getting it home and examining things closely.. it's not a GT. The numbers on the tag don't indicate GT. Fenders have been changed with ones from a GT and the steering wheel has been changed. Overall the body is in good condition. Drivers side floor pan has rusted through. One cylinder has a hole in the top of the piston. Looks like .020 overbore, no scoring in any of the cylinders. For more info see my new post: "I jumped in"

Mike in Minnesota

A 123 GT will have 133351 as a the beginning of the vin, followed by a letter. This letter will indicate what year it belongs to. If it is a 'M', it is a 67. and if I am not wrong 'P' is 68, 'S' is 69, and 'T' is 70. The number that follows the letter is the serial number. This is the easiest way to identify the car. I have seen several stripped from everything identifying them as 123 GT:s. The 123 GT differs in many ways from a standard 121 or 122. 67 and 68 are similar, but it lost a lot of its equiptment for 69 and 70. I do not know if 69 and 70 was ever sold in the US. The only country I know for sure it was sold in was Switzerland, but there were not too many sold, due to the 140 series. If there is anything else you want to know about 123 GT, feel free to contact me. I have some litterature and I have had several of them, so I know them quiet well.

Hi Bjorn,

You mentioned that the 123GT was sold in Switzerland in 1970. Are you sure? I have a 1969 123GT that was originally registered in Switzerland in Jan 1969. The type # is 133351S and the Seriel or Chassis # is 324096. As you stated, the "S" is for the 1969 model year.

I have a copy of a Swiss add in German and one in French advertising the 123GT with the B20B engine. The only difference that I know of between the 1969 and 1970 model was that the 1970 model came with head rests as standard. I've never seen or heard of a 1970 123GT.

I have asked Volvo a couple of times and it appears that they just no longer are sure of how many 123GTs were produced and when.

Jerry
Oberstaufen, Germany

Yes it was made 1970 too, but is not equipted the same way as 1967 and 1968. It is more or less a Sport with overdrive, tach, folding seats, and special steering wheel. There is just an estimate on how many cars that were made (3700 I think), and no specific records were kept either (to my knowledge). One theory I have is to check your engine number (it is specific for 123 GT B18), and if it is 60 or 61 you have the original engine. I think 61 is for RHD but I am not sure. All cars in Sweden have LHD and 60 stamped in them. If I had all my litterature availible (I left most of it in Sweden) I could easily check the engine number your car should have, Then check the engine's serial and you would know pretty close to in what order your car was made. I brought some litterature with me and I am going to look in my boxes and see if I can find the journal over the engines. Congrats to your vehicle, it is a rare peice you have.

Bjorn,

I don't mean to sound like I doubt what you are tell me, but I'd like to know how you know the the 123GT was produced in 1970. Can you offer any documentation?

You said it was not equiped the same way as the 67/68 models. Sure, none of the 1969 Amazons had the chrome on the rain gutters, hand brake, or pockets in the doors, or arm rest in the back seat, but those are minor things. It did have dual circuit brakes, locking steering wheel, four way flashers, ignition in the stearing column (and one that no longer ate keys, and of course the B20 engine. These things are those that all Volvo owners want to add to their before 1969 model Amazon.

I personally liked the chrome on the rain gutter and hand brake, pokets in the doors, and the arm rest in the back seat. They were a lot easier to add back into my 1969 model than having to add the dual circuit brakes, locking steering wheel, or the B20 engine.

What do you believe was in the 67/68 123GT that was not in the 69 (and 70 if there was one)? Maybe the limited slip differential, but that was not on all 67/68 123GTs. I bought a 1968 123GT new in Germany and it did not have the it.

The main critizism (if you can call it that) of the after 1968 123GTs were that they weren't that much different than the other 122S models since the 1969 122S had basically the same engine.

Looking forward to hearing more. Thanks for educating me.

Best regards,
Jerry

Ok I have made a little "guide" and I have posted it online with some pics. Might take a few min to load, but I hope it is worth it. It would been a better page if I had access to all my material, but enjoy...

http://medlem.spray.se/nalletill1000/Volvo123GT.htm

Sincerely, Bjorn

Bjorn,

Your web page with the 123GT features is a good start. However, you stated that in "1969 (S)/1970 (T) the GT lost mirrors, extra light, and compartment lights. That is not true.....at least in the Swiss market. My 1969 model has all of these. Yes, some of the Swiss models were sold with only one mirror and perhaps some without, but these were installed by the dealer anyway. Most of the 123GTs sold in Germany that I've seen had the Talbot (teardrop) racing mirrors. The 67/68 German sales brochures show the 123GT with that mirror, but again, they were dealer installed. It also appears that the Swiss and Germans sold the 123GT with two fog lights rather than one fog and one driving light.

I will send you a scan of 1969 Swiss 123GT sales brousure with a photo with one mirror (left side), fog lights, and the specs on the back clearly state that the compartment lights (in the trunk and under the hood) are standard. You can add the Swiss brochure to your web page.

You mentioned (again) what the 1969 123GT did not have that the 67/68 model years had, but failed to mention what the 69 model had that the earlier 123GTs did not....such as: B20B 1.986 liter engine with 118 SAE Horse Power, dual circuit brakes, J Type Overdrive, locking steering wheel with the ignition on the steering column, and four way flashers. These things were a lot more important than the chrome beauty rings and exhaust extention which were available as optional parts anyway.

Jerry

True True :-), you got me about the B20
Well, I think Volvo had to follow the laws for different countries. I know that you could order your car without the mirrors too (1967 and 1968) in Sweden, and like you said, for shipped cars the dealer mounted the mirrors. As for the extre lights, if you look at wiring in handbooks, B20 does not have any schedule for those lights. I am not sayong you are wrong, just I do not know about it. Every 69/70 I have seen does not carry lights or mirrors. Thank you for sending me a copy of the sales brochure. I can post the add-on for 1967 instruction book (swedish) if any interest (do you think Volvo would mind?).
Thanks, Bjorn

Ok I have made a little "guide" and I have posted it online with some pics. Might take a few min to load, but I hope it is worth it. It would been a better page if I had access to all my material, but enjoy...

http://medlem.spray.se/nalletill1000/Volvo123GT.htm

Sincerely, Bjorn

Hi Jerry.

I feel it is fun that I can share what I know. But my knowledge apply to the Swedish market, and maybe cars in D were equipted different, and what I reffer to is not what differ the cars apart from year to year but from 121/122 and the 123 GT. As for the U.S. I did not know B20 Amazons were not sold here, so I learn something new everyday.

OK. I checked it out. In Sweden there is ONE 123 GT '70', that I know off. It is a RHD, and to be honest I do not know where is was sold new. RHD could be from UK , Malaisya, South Africa, or another RHD country. Volvo had plants in South Africa and Malaysia (there is a picture of an Amazon painted in a colour that did not appear until 71, the pic is from South Africa). I know the person who has the '70', and he is a big collector. If you, or you know anyone with membership in the Swedish Volvo Amazon Club, look into the member book' and find Jan Nyren. The reason I also mention Malaysia as a possibility is because I got hold off a new steering wheel,regulator, etc from there.

And I am sorry I could not find the journals over the engines. The one i have can identify any B18,B20, B30, so it is still packed down in Sweden. I thought it would just be fun to see if yours still has the original engine, and you could check the serial on it to know about at least how many '69's were made (if yours was the last one).

67/68 had several items: foglight and extra highbeam light (Hella), SEV Motorola regulator and altenator, the relay bridge (for the relays (Hella) to the extralights, horn, and regulator), dual horns, wing mirrors (two good used ones were sold from U.K. recently on ebay), overdrive, tach (smith), folding seats with chrome sides (Recardo), 4 1/2 inch wheels with chrome inserts (covers the whole rim), chromed extention for the exhaust pipe, engine and trunk compartment lights (comes on when you open them). Between '67' and '68' it is the saftey feature that makes them apart. '68' had the new heat control in the dashboard, new rear view mirror, matte black trim (inside) around the front window, different cranks for the sidewindows, etc. basicly everything that seperates '67' and '68' apart. They never had limited slip or 5 1/2 inch rims standard as suggested by some. Volvo did not even offer the 5 1/2 inch rims at all.

As for 69/70, I do not know too much on exactly how they were equipted. The lost the wing mirrors and lights. But I have never seen the engine compartment so I do not know if they lost the regulator and altenator too. It is special for 67/68 since it was the same equiptment as the swedish police amazon had. It is not harming the radio waves as a regularly equipted volvo might do. Maybe you can bring some light on this for me.

I have found on ebay a different rear badge, than the one for 67/68 and I do not know if it for 69/70. How does your look like? The one i found did not have the "arm" on it, it was just the peice that said GT.
There are problably more items I have forgot that make these car unique. I have had a dedication for several years to this model, and have had 4 all together, all '67's. I am currently looking for one, but I have only found one in North america (in bad shape and in Canada), so I am hunting in Sweden, Holland, Belgium, and Switzerland for now.
If you would not mind, could you please scan me a copy of the sales brochure for the '69'.

I have temporary misplaced my sales brochure for '67', the Swedish market. If you want to, when found, I can scan and send you a copy.

When you mention the hand brake, what are you refering too? Are they equipted different in D?

Looking forward to continued correspondence.

Sincerely, Bjorn

I forgot to mention that the GT has special wipers too, the ones that will not lift lift with increased speed.

'68 was the last year of the Amazon in the U.S. We never had the B20-powered ones here, although they continued in Canada to the end.