This is posted for sale on eBay. Very interesting looking car; it has several features I haven't seen before. What would 'EXP' stand for? Experimental??

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6458&item=4561634480&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW#ebayphotohosting

Although this car is in New Jersey, my budget would allow me to get it if I really want it. The trip to go retrieve it would be a killer, though...SoCal to NJ is what, 3,000 miles each way?

Well it's up to $7200 now, and still hasn't met the reserve, so I'd say someone's been smoking some wacky-tabacky. Though I don't know who's nuttier, the seller or the person who's willing to pay that much for a 544 that needs some work. And I agree with the rest of you, the claimed mileage is pretty suspicious....

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'64 PVMoneypit, '93 945 Turbo

After taking a closer look at that emblem I'll have to agree that it's most likely made up from from several emblems - by someone who didn't know anything at all about the company, seeing as how theey got the Volvo 'male' symbol upside down!

I'd have to look at the car myself to determine if it's a real low-mileage survivor with original paint. The paint is lacquer, that much I can tell by looking at the photos.

Note to myself: make up a crappy-looking fake emblem when I decide to sell the car (if ever!) Apparently there's a fool born every minute - and they all shop at eBay!

That is an alchemy symbol (Iron), not a biological symbol.
Interesting car though.
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George Downs Bartlesville, Heart of the USA!

It's both - iron and male.

And I have a very hard time believing that is the original paint. That peeling section just doesn't resemble what would be happening at this point in time to 40 year old paint. At least to my head.
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I'm JohnMc, and I approved this message.

Experimental... That sounds about right ;)
I've heard that they've used PVs to try out stuff that they later used in their other cars (P1800, Amazon)
That could explain the strange-looking bumper. I mean, people with their heads intact would prefer the original one, right?

The dashpad is original (stock) and so is the instrument panel.
It's the late PV544 version, they came in that way directly from factory.
The grey paint has a bad habit of flaking off...

I don't think that the shifter-knob is original, and the seats are different too, my guess is that the seats came from the same car as the steering wheel.

I do think that the paint is original, the car is in great need of a paintshop job, just check the last photo...

The car doesn't look to bad though, but is it worth $5.000? Probably not.

Could it be a "dealer special" or one from another country that was re-exported ("EXP")?

I'm leaning toward a car finished for another market that was either diverted to our shores or purchased "new" wherever and brought home.

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Mike!

The dash looks like my former 65 544 however the grey has been removed from the instrument cluster and that steering wheel is from a 68 122. no clue on the wierd badge, but I am suspect of the orientation of the Volvo logo, never seen a car maker but thier logo upside down intentionally before? See if you can get the vin # that should answer your questions of if it is something unique or just a home repair job. also, where are the turn/running lights?

-Erik

Look at the badge closely. It is a later 544 grille badge that has been separated into three pieces and butchered onto a homemade plate. Spikes at the top are different sizes. Hmmm...

Rob

I think you are right. As far as I know, companies never mess around with their logo. Size, shape, color, etc.... are sacred.

Steve:
Remember that NJ is where Volvo had its HQ for many years. Could be sonething the importers dreamed up. Vendor doesn't tell us much.

I agree with John that the badges are nothing standard, and may have been made up. Note also that the "driving lites" are probably the front signal lights on this car as the ones below the headlites arent there. Note also non standard front overriders.

Steering wheel is like a 72 140 but the 140s had finer splines thn the 544/122s. Likely its a 68 or later 122 steering wheel. Looks also like the seats have been changed.

Wheels are of course '65-66. Engine looked fairly standard except for the red valve cover.

Good luck in your pursuit of it.

Bob

I would doubt the original paint story and would add 100 k to the mileage to be on the safe side, but it looks like a nice car. The raspberry birthmark and funky bumper mods could be removed, and the missing V O L V O letters could be replaced. I paid 5K for mine in more original condition, but with higher mileage than claimed for this car, five years ago, and figured I paid about 1k too much, but that's the price of love. I don't think the car is worth much more than the 5K reserve.
Bob S.

I wouldn't trust the odometer reading either. The instrument panel looks to me like it might be from a different year? I am noticing the turn signal, high beam, and oil light look different. Can someone please verify this? I could be wrong.

It is a later model style dashboard (used on both PV's and 122's), I don't know if a '65 PV would have one of those or not from the factory.

EDIT: Upon another look, at least the outer trim of the panel is from a 544, the lower portion of the panel is coevered up in a 122 and isn't decorative.

I bought my PV with only 21,000 on the odometer!!! (Heh heh heh)
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I'm JohnMc, and I approved this message.

Yeah, mine had 65000 on the odometer, and 3k miles later blew the rings on the two middle pistons. At that point the question became 165K or 265K?

I think PVs changed to that style instrument panel with the large speedocable connector at the same time the Amazons did, whenever that was. Could have been 1965.
Bob S.

My Duett STILL shows 15K miles since prior to my 33+ years of ownership.

It has that same style of instrument cluster, except that it has the grey wrinkle finish instead of the brass.

Didja see that black 544 on ebay that made $9600 and didnt meet reserve? Owner claimed that he invested (not spent) over $20K not including labor! Now thats too deeply into a PV! (of course thats only my opinion).

Bob

The documentation that came with my '64 PV544 totaled just over $25,000 for the rebuild, body, paint, upholstery, etc.

That's not counting all the $180 oil and filter changes the PO had done as routine maintenance over the 11 years she had the car.

I like the cars, but that's INSANE!

I think all the brass ones are just old wrinkle finish gray panels that have had the paint flake off.
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I'm JohnMc, and I approved this message.

My 1965's blinker, high beam, and oil light look different. In this EXP the arrows are directly on the plastic that lights up, where as mine has the arrows on a piece of chrome below the light. Can anyone recomend a good book featuring 544s?

Looks like my 122s dash (1967). Except the brass color.

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Mike!

My gauge panel had chipped paint on it, so I cleaned it off and polished it out.

I didn't like the shiny brass color, so I ended up painting the brass overlay black. It all blends together and looks great now.

Never heard of anything like that. It appears to have been lightly customized, with the bumper and foglights. And the steering wheel is 140 one. That badge doesn't look like something that came from Volvo to me.
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I'm JohnMc, and I approved this message.