Volvo's first unibody car didn't start from a blank sheet — engineers bought and dissected a 1939 Hanomag 1.3 to study how to build one.
Lead trim: 1.4 B4B (40 PS) · up to 70 hp
Volvo PV444 / PV5441944–1958
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Volvo PV444 / PV544 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 unibody car didn't start from a blank sheet — engineers bought and dissected a 1939 Hanomag 1.3 to study how to build one.
Volvo's first unibody car, its structure influenced by the 1939 Hanomag 1.3 litre that Volvo studied, and the first Volvo in almost 20 years with a four-cylinder engine (earlier models used sidevalve straight sixes). Introduced in 1944 to a car-hungry public but not in series production until 1947. The B4B 1.4 L had three main bearings and overhead valves; US models from early 1956 got the twin-SU B14A with 70 hp, and for 1957 displacement grew to 1.6 L.
Collectors Spotted in the Volvo PV444 / PV544 Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Volvo PV444 / PV544 yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
4 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.4 B14A twin-SU (US, 70 hp) | 1956–1958 | 1.4 L Inline-4 | 70 hp | — | — | RWD | manual | — |
| 1.4 B4B (40 PS) | 1947–1950 | 1.4 L Inline-4 | 39 hp | — | — | RWD | manual | — |
| 1.4 B4B (44 PS, 1950) | 1950–1955 | 1.4 L Inline-4 | 43 hp | — | — | RWD | manual | — |
| 1.4 B4B (51 PS, 1955) | 1955–1958 | 1.4 L Inline-4 | 50 hp | — | — | RWD | manual | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
A used, second-hand PV544 — already an old design by the mid-1960s — won the gruelling Safari Rally outright in 1965.
Volvo's first unibody car didn't start from a blank sheet — engineers bought and dissected a 1939 Hanomag 1.3 to study how to build one.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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