The two-litre B20 engine is a lovely upgrade to the original, endowing it with extra power and torque and making it a joy to drive. The car starts, runs and goes exactly as it should, even when it’s extremely cold outside thanks to an engine heater, which plugs into the mains and warms the engine before starting it. The engine bay itself is as neat and as clean as you’d expect.

Fitted with twin carbs and pancake air filters, it sends its power to the rear wheels via a four-speed (plus overdrive) gearbox from a Volvo 240. This means the car not only goes much better than a standard PV544, it also cruises more comfortably at speed - and it can go for longer thanks to a bigger fuel tank than standard. These modifications would really come into play if you planned to use the car for either touring or long-distance historic rallying. (Or both; a car like this would make an awesome daily driver as well as a fun toy to play with at the weekend…) We have the car with us, and to drive around, it’s a much more genuinely practical driving proposition than most of the 60s and 70s stuff we see.

The brakes have been modified to incorporate both a twin-hydraulic circuit (Volvo, naturally) and silicone brake fluid. The (brand new) wheels are 5.5 inches wide and are shod with matching, high-quality Nokian Hakka Green tyres. You’ll know our feelings on matching tyres by now, but suffice it to say that anyone who goes to the trouble and expense of fitting them can be trusted to care of the other less visible stuff, too.

The owner tells us that the car starts first time, and is a “genuinely nice car that is much faster than a regular 544.”

1963 Volvo PV544 Sport

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