Hi all

I thought I might be leaving the realms of vintage volvos recently when I decided to sell Lurch, the '67 122S. It has got too expensive to maintain the bodywork. So I was just getting ready to join the modern world when I had a ride in a friend's 1970 121 in California white. It ended up with me buying it from him.

What a difference!! The single carb is so much quieter, and idles beautifully. The car is 95,000 miles documented from new and the engine sounds like a singer (the sewing machine not the Rootes car), and everything feels so solid. Not that my old one was a bag of screws, far from it, but I haven't noticed any drop in power. I think the better state of the engine on the new one makes up for the small loss in bhp. It also has 44mm inlet valves from a later 140 and the front IPD sway-bar which is so anti-lurch it's crazy.

The fact that it's in such nice condition and has perhaps a lower top speed is very well timed for this recent craziness in fuel prices. I'm going to drive it like I love it rather than hate it, and maybe curb the exhuberant sprints down the motorway (well, we'll see about that one).

Do you think I'll economise in fuel with the single-carb, or is it negligible?

So anyway, Blanche is the new Lurch and all power to her A-cam.

Tom