Registration
Model
Serie
Built
Purchased
Chassisnumber
Colour
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.
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..