Time to celebrate! Today, August 17, marks the 40th anniversary of the launching of the 144! Jans Wilsgaard, the designer, had a motto, "Simple is Beautiful" - a good description for the 144. When it was unveiled, the 144 was a sensation in Sweden and dubbed "the safest car ever built". Production ran from 1966 through 1974 with total sales of the 144 and its derivatives, the 142 and 145, reaching 1,251,371. The 144 was the first Volvo to use the three-digit numbering system (series/cylinders/doors) and,during its production life ushered in a host of automotive safety technologies, eg safety cage around the passengers, front and rear crumple zones, collapsible steering wheel, dual-circuit brake system, four-wheel disk brakes, the first version of ABS, front seat head restraints, inertia reel seat belts, safety-belt reminders, energy-absorbing bumpers . . . What a pity, I don't even own one :-)
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JD - '91 940 turbo wagon on 90k and 225/50/R16's (plus some Honda-land stuff)