The Volvo 144 – a classic 1966 box – and derivatives went on during the ensuing eight years to sell 1.25 million cars, thereby creating Volvo’s first million seller. With the 140 series, Volvo introduced a naming scheme in which the first digit designated the model series, the second digit the number of cylinders and the third digit the number of doors. In 1967 the two-door 142 was launched, and in 1968 production of the 145 estate began. A closely related model was the 164, which was launched as the 1969 model.
The 140 series had important advances in both passive and active safety. The chassis was resilient to torsional loads and was fitted with crumple zones and a protective roll cage. The brake system was advanced for the day with disc brakes front and rear together with a dual-circuit system with twin hydraulic circuits at the front. This provided a three-way partitioning of the circuits, so that if one circuit failed both front brakes and one rear brake would still function. What’s more, there were reducing valves to prevent the wheels locking during heavy braking, a solution first used by Volvo. A split steering column and a dashboard with a collision-protected frame were other safety items. Later, the 140 series came with headrests, retractable seat belts and seat belt reminders as standard equipment.
The Volvo 140 series had a conventional design with a front-mounted engine and rear-wheel drive. Initially, the series employed the older 1.8-liter four-cylinder B18 engine, producing 75 horsepower DIN – or 96 horsepower with, yes, twin carburetors. The 1969 model had the 2-liter B20 engine, producing 82 horsepower and 100 horsepower respectively. As of the 1971 model, there were also versions with electronically controlled fuel injection, producing 120 horsepower.
When production of the 142, the 144 and the 145 came to an end in the summer of 1974, 1,251,371 cars had rolled off the production line. Its replacement, the Volvo 240, borrowed much from the 140 series chassis and went on to become Volvo’s largest mass-produced model – 2.8 million cars in 19 years.
