£7,500
The Volvo 121 (only called the Amazon in its domestic market due to copyright constraints) has attained almost legendary status because it’s so pretty and almost impossible to kill.
Yet, while the Amazon might have been very pretty and almost impossible to kill, it was ever so slightly dull. Worthy, for sure, but dull. Which isn’t as much of a problem in this case as it might have been because this is no ordinary Volvo.
The Volvo 121 (only called the Amazon in its domestic market due to copyright constraints) has attained almost legendary status because it’s so pretty and almost impossible to kill.
Yet, while the Amazon might have been very pretty and almost impossible to kill, it was ever so slightly dull. Worthy, for sure, but dull. Which isn’t as much of a problem in this case as it might have been because this is no ordinary Volvo.
This is a rare chance to buy a restored Volvo 121 Amazon for a fraction of the sum it would cost you to complete the work yourself. The owner (only the fourth, by the way; the first owned it for 42 years!) did the sensible thing and bought a car that was structurally and bodily sound but completely shot mechanically.
He then did exactly the sort of work that any astute car enthusiast would do, which means a fully rebuilt engine, complete with an electronic ignition system to replace the Victorian-era points, overdrive gearbox, uprated headlights, and new Bilstein suspension.
The body was in good condition structurally but that didn’t stop the owner from shipping it off to Rally Preparation Services in Witney for further fettling including the rear wheel arches, which were repaired in 2015 when the bulk of the mechanical work was done.
The entire car was then Dinitrol rust proofed, at which point the driver’s door and boot seals were replaced. Work to do includes replacing the window seals and touching up a couple of small areas of paintwork (it is 50 years old after all)!
The spartan interior is the weakest part of the car and would benefit from some money spending on it.
The driver’s seat is not original but from a later car and so has an integral headrest. The original webbing seat bases have been replaced with a spring kit that the owner imported from the USA and the steering wheel has been changed for a smaller, 14-inch MotaLita wooden jobbie.
The original sealed headlamp units have been replaced with modern halogen units but the period, and rather wonderful, floor-mounted dipswitch has been left in place.
The engine has been completely rebuilt by Ralph Saunders (very well known Oxfordshire engine supremo) to fast road spec, which is equivalent to 123GT specification, which means around 100bhp.
The slight overbore was matched to an uprated camshaft, lightened flywheel and cam followers, and a ported and gas-flowed head to help it rev more easily, making it an utter joy to drive. It also has metal timing gears rather than the stock, more fragile, fibre gears, so long-term reliability is assured. The final bill came to well over £4,000 for the engine work alone.
The rebuilt twin SU HS6 carbs add a lovely induction rasp that is completely in keeping with a car that dismisses the odd hillclimb or rally with the same disdain as it does the supermarket run.
The Amazon runs very happily on unleaded as the valve seats were hardened when the engine was rebuilt and the oil has been changed every 3,500 miles with a decent 20w50 grade.
It’s hugely over-engineered and massively under-stressed: having a newly rebuilt engine of this quality under the bonnet is like asking Jack Bauer to take care of the rowdy kids outside your local off licence; completely unnecessary but hugely reassuring.
Rob Henchoz, who races and rallies Amazons, rebuilt the gearbox, which benefits from a competition overdrive (which cost a whopping £900 all by itself) as the standard Laycock de Normanville units are considered to be a little too fragile for modern use. She’ll now cruise at 85mph or more where conditions allow, so dicing with photocopier sales reps on the motorway network is effortless.
The springs and Bilstein dampers are all new, as are the original specification wheels. Which have had new Toyo tyres fitted to them, obviously. The final assembly and tuning was done by Amazon Cars in Suffolk.
The owner also reports that he’s fitted rear brake shoes and cylinders at the last MOT along with new track rod end ball joints; were he to keep the car he’d look to replace the front discs and pads and rebuild the calipers to cure the car of a slight pull under braking.
The gearbox and overdrive oil have also just been done and, as the owner himself so eloquently puts it: “The beauty of these cars is everything’s so easy to do - I could teach you how to service it before your coffee got cold.”
The owner’s blog at https://mmcmusings.com/2015/05/29/up-the-amazon-without-a-paddle/ and the copies of the invoices below tell you everything you need to know about this lovely car.
The owner lavished money and, more crucially, intelligence on this car and the lucky winning bidder will be able to sit back and enjoy a thoroughly well sorted car.
We wrote about the Amazon back in early 2015 (see http://picks.getpatina.com/2015/03/the-amazon-volvos-classic-for-any-enthusiast/) and tipped it as one watch. We adored it then and still love it now!
One of the problems with listing cars like this is the tendency to fall in love with them and the Volvo falls very firmly into this camp. We had the pleasure of picking this car up and driving it to our premises which meant taking her on a c20 mile journey where we became completely smitten with her.
She is more than capable of keeping up with everyday traffic and very happy to travel at motorway speeds. She feels extremely solid with none of the bumps rattles or squeaks that you would expect from a 50 year old car. If we had to take a car on a thousand mile roadtrip tomorrow then we would jump into this Volvo in a heartbeat (and there are not many 1960s cars we can say that about)!
Sure, she is not concours but we really doubt there is a more loveable or better mechanically prepared Volvo Amazon that you could buy today. See the photos and walk around video below,
The owner has been completely on-point in the work he has had done and it’s impossible to criticise his taste. We doubt there is a more useable, or charming, Volvo can be found for sale at anything like this car’s reserve.
The car can be viewed at our premises near Abingdon in Oxfordshire, to arrange to view please contact us at auctions@themarket.co.uk or call us on 01865 521 088.
