1937 Volvo PV 52

Before the onset of World War II, Volvo vehicles have a reputation for comfort, durability, and safety. The first Volvo automobile to roll off the assembly line was in April of 1927 and was called the Volvo ÖV 4. After the war, the company introduced the PV444 passenger car which would account for the bulk of production and created a foothold in the lucrative American market. The first Volvos arrived in the United States in 1955, initially in California and later in Texas. A year later, Volvo themselves began importing cars to the US.

The Volvo PV52 was produced in 1937 and 1938 with around 1,046 examples built during that time. They were very similar to the Volvo PV51, distinguished by a wider range of body colors and the two (instead of one) windshield wipers. Both had body-on-frame construction with all-steel coachwork, a 113.4-inch wheelbase, B pillar-hinged doors, a one-piece windshield, and curvaceous bodywork. The power was courtesy of a 3.7-liter (3,670 cc) straight-six engine that had been engineered by Swedish-American Ivan Örnberg, who had previously served as chief engineer at the Hupp Motor Car Company. It produced approximately 86 horsepower and was backed by a column-shifted three-speed manual gearbox with synchromesh on the top two gears. Solid axles were at the front and rear suspended by leaf springs.

The Volvo PV52 was equipped with double sun visors, folding backrests, a heater with a defroster, a reading lamp in the rear seat, and armrests on all the doors.

Volvo produced 1,804 vehicles in 1937, the final year of production for the PV52, bringing their total production since their inception to over 25,000 vehicles.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jul 2009