Volvo Amazon 121 4dr dark blue, my first Amazon buy

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This page: Classic Volvos - a 4dr 121 Amazon in dark blue found in North Wales

It was during the autumn of 1991, when staying with my brother in my folks' caravan in North Wales, that my association with rusty old Swedish cars began. Little did I know back then that it would lead to a string of old jalopies from both of Sweden's main manufacturers, namely Volvo and SAAB. Anyway, back to YKA 750J, the midnight blue 4dr 121 Volvo Amazon that started me off on all things Volvo (photographed above with a mates Ford E493A Prefect in late '93).

One sunny day, I needed to go and buy a loaf of bread from the little Post Office just up the road from the caravan site in the Conway valley. Ambling up in a relaxed frame of mind, I noticed yet again the shapely rear not of the local postmistress, but of YKA's rounded form, parked down a driveway adjoining the P.O. She didn't look like she'd seen action in a long time, so it was with some curiousity that I engaged the postmaster in conversation about 'the old car'. Even at the tender age of 20 I could sniff a deal on the cards. It turned out that it belonged to his brother I think it was, who had moved to London and left the old girl behind. At some point she'd been liberated by some spotty teenagers and taken for a thrash around the local twisty lanes, prior to being put through a hedge and dropping down into the field behind. After this affront to her dignity, the owner parked her up a good while earlier, and left her to the elements.

So anyway the postmaster said he'd have a chat with his brother and find out if the car was available for sale. The next day, using the excuse that we needed some milk, I called by again to see if there was any news. The postmaster had spoken to his brother but, drawing a deep breath, ".. it would be expensive..". Thinking that once again I'd come up against the old "..you know its an old car so must be worth a lot of money.." routine, my excitement suddenly wavered. "Yes.." he continued, "..he says he won't take less than £50 for it.". My trip to the cash machine would have made it into the Guiness (hmm..) Book of Records had a handy judge with stopwatch been around to record my epic trip, hauling the wheel of my tailhappy red Spitfire with due haste.

£50 down and the old girl was mine, complete with bashed-in wing following her excursion through hedge and field. Numerous return visits were made from my home town of Cheadle (Cheshire) to visit YKA at her resting place, fiddling and fettling her to the point where at least she would fire up and run, despite the protestations of the blowing exhaust below. So then it came to the issue of moving her. Local acquaintance Stan, who handily owned a farm and matching early Land Rover, came to the rescue, dragging the recalcitrant old Volvo Amazon from her long term resting place. I seem to remember the brakes were binding quite a lot, the drag on the old Landy causing untold strain to Solihull's finest chassis (so much so that shortly after it needed quite a lot of repair too!).

Storage was still an issue, as there wasn't yet room at home to park up this fine monument to Swedish engineering. Luckily local old vehicle enthusiast Estin offered to let me store YKA at his farm for a while, whilst I sort out things back home. So it was that Stan, at the helm of his trusty Land Rover S2, dragged old YKA up the road the mile or so to Estin's place, it's new temporary home. After a few weeks of being there, she was starting to look quite respectable, the faded dull old paint responding well to the time honoured application of T-Cut and elbow grease. One further interim storage move later (this time to the caravan site, as Estin needed the room again), the old girl was fit to be taken home. Next on the agenda was to source the parts I'd need to get old YKA back on the road.

By early 1993 she was looking a lot more like it, complete with a replacement set of rotfree doors bought during a clearout at a local Volvo specialists for £35 the 4!!! Them's the days. Also replaced with a good secondhand replacement was the front panel (thanks Steve!) and both inner front wings, the common rot point on all Amazons (and probably 140 series after that). As the front original wings were both bent and rotten, I cheated (in the interests of saving serious ££) by picking up some GRP replacements from somewhere or other.

It was around this time that the boys-in-blue noticed me 'test driving' said machine in our quiet cul-de-sac road. There were many giveaways to the fact that not all was quite as it should be ... perhaps giving the game away were the red front wings, grey primer doors, grey front panel, blue everything else, no trim, no bumpers, no lights and marginal silencing. That, and the fact that the only way I could open the drivers door was by winding down the rear door window, leaning out, and opening my drivers door with the outside handle. Curiously they said nothing, probably through disbelief more than any naturally charitable disposition.

Sooooo it was late 1993 and YKA finally hit the road again in good solid presentable condition, which was the aim throughout, thus giving both the Spitfire and also my old A40 Farina a well earned rest. Many thousands of miles were piled onto old YKA 750J in all weathers, and, even when a small end rattled enough to make your teeth ache, she kept on running. Eventually (late 1995ish) she was sold on, to make way for something else or other, to a couple who lived in Manchester I think, and nothing more was heard of YKA ... although in 2000 I'm sure I spotted her over the far side of the public car park at the local Tatton Park classic car rally. However I'd really like to know where she is now, so if you know, please let me know!

Since then a few more Amazons have come and gone, which are all featured on the my cars section of the site. I've also written a buyers guide for the 120 Volvo range, so if you are interested in buying one, why not have a read here: Volvo 120 Buying Advice. In 2005, the green 122S I sold in '99 briefly rejoined the fleet - click here for more.

(PS This page is just one of hundreds of pages on www.oldclassicccar.co.uk, stuffed full with articles, photographs (including a free image archive!), visitors stories, memorabilia, postcards, advice and more, all dedicated to classic cars and their enthusiastic owners everywhere!!)

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