I've not got the exact same car, Mine is a '67 122S Wagon (P220), but depending on the year it may have the same engine gearbox.

I bought my P220 from a fellow in Houston Texas in 2005 and drove my 1995 945 (tow package-equipped) down from St. Louis to get it. The Amazon had no first gear, leaked/burned about a quart of oil every 200 miles and the front bodywork was rusted-through and flopping free of the nose. I loaded it up with the spare mechanicals from 1 1/2 additional Amazon cars as well as new front bodywork.

So, I drove this car out of metropolitan Houston up to Little Rock, Arkansas then on to St. Louis on state highways. Somewhere around the Arkansas/Missouri Border I lost second gear and later third gear. I was still able to drive it to about 100 miles south of St. Louis, when I decided that I should probably tow it the rest of the way. The state highway between Poplar Bluff, MO and St. Louis run through the St. Francois Mountains...

After renting a car carrier, I hopped into the 945 with my wife and drove the last part "with the hitch." The last 100 miles were trouble free.

So, with a worn-out B18 engine, a leaking/failing gearbox, "wobbly" front bodywork, and loaded up with a spare motor, two spare gearboxes, etc..

So, my long-winded advice is to drive the car. Mine took me 800 miles under an extreme load with a leaky engine and gearbox. If I have not lost those two gears, or had I been on the interstate I could have kept on going in 4th gear all the way home.

After I got it home, I installed one of the gearboxes and drove the car until Thanksgiving '06 when my oil pump finally died - killing the 500,000 mile motor.

Hello Kai - my recommendation is to drive your P210 to Carlisle. I would start by making progressively longer test runs in your vacinity. This should indicate if there are any bugs. Actually I find the more you drive these older Volvos the more reliable they get. I drove my PV444 over 500 miles each way to Gettysburg a few years back. I remember Kenny Sealey drove his battered orange 1800ES from outside Atlanta to Kansas City and won the "road warrior" award. Of course you can anticipate a few minor problems, but if you're mechanically familiar with your car, these seem to add to the challenge. I overheated the B4B outside of Scranton PA and I believe Kenny snapped a clutch cable on his way to KS. I do keep a few spare parts (ignition, rad hoses, anti-freeze and tools) in my car, just in case. When at Carlisle, you will have access to the best vintage Volvo minds, so you should feel more confident.

My Dutch friend did tow his Amazon-S to and from a shop several hundred kilometres, coincidentally with his 960 Estate and a 4 wheel trailer. With the 6 cylinder engine, it seems suited to this sort of duty, but you may have to ensure the transmission is in top shape beforehand.

FYI, I plan to be at Carlisle hopefully in a mystery Volvo!!!!!
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