Volvo's first car launched a day late because someone fitted the differential backwards and it drove in reverse.
Lead trim: ÖV 4 / PV 4 1.9 side-valve I4 (28 hp)
Volvo ÖV 4 / PV 4OV4 · 1927–1929
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Volvo ÖV 4 / PV 4 yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactVolvo's first car launched a day late because someone fitted the differential backwards and it drove in reverse.
The Volvo ÖV 4 was the first car built by Volvo: the designation stands for "Öppen Vagn 4 cylindrar" (open carriage, 4 cylinders), and it is often called "Jakob" after the name day (25 July 1926) of one of the 10 pre-series cars assembled in Stockholm at AB Galco. The engine was designed by Gustaf Larson and the chassis by Jan G. Smith, who had worked many years in the American auto industry; the official introduction, delayed a day when the differential was fitted wrongly (the car went backwards in first gear), was 14 April 1927, the day AB Volvo says the car company was born. The open tourer sold poorly in the Swedish climate, so the covered PV 4 with a Weymann body arrived in summer 1927 (its original design was called ungainly and redone in 1928 with a longer bonnet and thinner pillars); four-wheel brakes became optional in 1928. Between 1927 and 1929 996 cars were built, 694 PV 4 (251 of them "PV 4 Special") and 302 ÖV 4, the ÖV 4 count including 27 naked chassis and about 70 small ÖV 4 TV pickups for Telegrafverket. Specifications: 4-cylinder side-valve engine of 1944 cc, 28 hp at 2000 rpm, 74 lb·ft of torque, a 3-speed gearbox, a recommended speed of 60 km/h and a top speed of 90 km/h (56 mph), weight 1,170 kg (2,579 lb), wheelbase 112 in.
Collectors Spotted in the Volvo ÖV 4 Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Volvo ÖV 4 yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
One published trim in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ÖV 4 / PV 4 1.9 side-valve I4 (28 hp) | 1927–1929 | 1.9 L Inline-4 | 28 hp | 74 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
Owning one
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Owners’ builds
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Photographs
Rivals
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