\u201cShe is more practical for our needs,\u201d explained HGV driver Simon. \u201cWe have a classic caravan so needed a strong car to pull it. Plus, we have two German shepherds, so needed an estate. Then we spotted Gracie, our Amazon, less than 30 miles from our home.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was in a terrible state. Paint was peeling, Ford Fiesta seats and a Rover steering wheel had been added. We changed everything back to its original features, although we went for a leather trim rather than vinyl. We wanted a big, practical, classic estate and the Amazon fits the bill perfectly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Volvo 145 (1967-1974)<\/p>\n
Offering its discerning owners oodles of space thanks to flat-folding back seats and an almost vertical-opening tailgate, the 145\u2019s boxy shape provided the template for a range of successful follow-ups. Dominating its market for years, the 145 was promoted as \u201celegant in appearance, comfortable on the inside, versatile and Volvo-safe\u201d.<\/p>\n
The 140 series \u2013 comprising three models: the two-door 142, four-door 144 and the 145 estate \u2013 attracted admirers worldwide, including the North Koreans. In 1974, 1,000 144s were shipped to the secretive nation as part of a trade deal but, as yet, it appears the bill remains unpaid. It\u2019s believed some cars are still being used as taxis around Pyongyang.<\/p>\n
Graham Silverton, 63, searched high and low for a white 1974 Volvo 145 in memory of his late parents. \u201cThey had an identical car and I loved the look \u2013 it was certainly a step-up from their previous Renault 12,\u201d he said. \u201cOne feature which makes the 145 special is the energy-absorbing bumpers, initially designed for the North American market. This was the first Volvo to incorporate this feature.<\/p>\n
\u201cFinding a replica of my parents\u2019 car, even down to the same red trim, was a challenge, but very satisfying, especially when I sourced one in Scotland. Driving the 145 evokes memories of all those family trips when I was a moody teenager, including caravanning in Sweden and Spain. I probably wanted to stay home with my mates, and it\u2019s only as you get older that you realise just how special those days were.<\/p>\n
\u201cDespite it being 52 years old, my 145 is so comfortable. I drove to a Volvo show at the weekend, clocking up 380 miles. Cruising on the motorway at 65mph, the car was quiet and a pleasure to drive. Okay, there is no air con, but I just wind down the window and do the classic arm-out-of-the-window pose to keep cool.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cShe is more practical for our needs,\u201d explained HGV driver Simon. \u201cWe have a classic caravan so needed…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":688670,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[84,7816,689,59,655,5438,58919,56,54,55,157732,82802],"class_list":["post-688669","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-business","tag-cars","tag-classic-cars","tag-gb","tag-lifestyle","tag-standard","tag-top-story","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-us-content","tag-volvo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/688669","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=688669"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/688669\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/688670"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=688669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=688669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=688669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}