Registration DB-61-GK
Registration

Model
Serie
Built
Purchased
Chassisnumber
Colour
P1200
vb
1958
1976
9444
Black+Lightgrey #49
Our P1200, an original Amazon from 1958.

A true Amazon: when Volvo brought this model in 1956 to market under the name "Amazon" the German group Kreidler protested against because they sold trailers under this name. The protest was upheld, Volvo calls this model from 1959, P120 and P130.
However, the desired result was out: until today everyone is talking about an Amazon (with or without the 'e') when it comes to this model...

Purchase and first restoration in 1976

Early1976 someone rang Gé and tipped him, that just across the Belgian border, nearby Tilburg, there was an original Amazon from 1958 for sale in a very good shape. He hardly believed the story. Six weeks later, as the bloke insisted, Gé drove to Belgium one sunny sunday. The story, however appeared to be true. By paying the incredable amount of 850 dutch guilders he was the new owner and helped by Sjef, he towed the car to Moergestel and a week later to Doesburg.

After import at Border station Bergh mr. Harry Veldhuis partly renewed the edges of the back panels near the back wheels as well as the bottom rails and spray painted the car. Remarkable detail: after this job we were stopped by the police while towing the car home and so the car was parked for a few days behind the police stations gates, so they could check all papers.
Purchase
Restauration 1
Restauration 2
PHOTO-ALBUMS
Registration

Cars from the period around 1957 got a license plate that started with a "Z", like this one:
When our PV444h was approved in September 1978 by the RDW and license plate 42-XT-79 got was our hope for a 00-ZD-00 set.
Unfortunately, the Z series were used for other purposes, such as loss of license.
Second restoration in 2003

Until 2001 we drove this car, for honeymoons as well, of course.
But the B16B-engine was worn out. So It had to be redone, which gave us the possibility to restore the car underneath the hood, cause it was in a bad condition: the engine place as well as the hood inside were coated with a polyester undercoating, sprayed with black paint. we removed the front suspension and renewed it by painting and replacing parts and rubbers.
The right reinforcing member appeared to be rotten: cut it out and replace by a new one. The bottem parts of both front pillar rotten as well, so the front doors were removed. Bit by bit the whole car was dismolished and the conclusion was simple: total restoration. The the brake cylinders as well as the master brake cylinder were overhauld by Bakker & Bannink in Apeldoorn.
The car appeared to be in a worse condition than it initially looked. We had to do quite amount of welding. For instance the left outer wheel arch. We sprayed the filler layers our self and we spray painted the engine compartment underneath the bonnet in glossy black, as well as all small parts such as the hinges, the heater, the parts to the inner side of the doors.
The casco, the doors, the bonnet and the luggage compartment lid are spray painted separately.
Next step after painting was rebuilding the car again. We renewed the weather strips and cleaned the floor mats, replaced the windshield and the rear window and sealed them, and so on. The first trip showed a cooling problem, so Hartgers in Zutphen renewed the cooling block of the radiator unit and beat dents out of the upper part. € 195,00, but we had a beautiful radiator. One of the overhauled brake cylinders appeared leaking again. It had been repaired too often, so was too wide. Pasman in Baak bored it and pressed a steel bushing in so it was 7/8" wide as original again. Cheap is another matter, but we didn't have any other choise. Yet the car didn't successfully pass the registration check up as there appeared a too big difference in the brake capacity of the left and right rear wheels. Adjusting was the solution.
On Sunday September 4th the car was used for the first time again in a wedding celebration, ours. See Reports..