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For the first time ever, a Volvo PV 544 has been entered in a local event by an Australian team. One did compete with a British team in the London Sydney Marathon Retrospective a few years ago and did well.
To many Volvo enthusiasts, the PV 544 is THE classic Volvo. It is the car which made it in the USA and gave the then obscure Swedish car maker an international reputation. It is the car which dominated international rallying in the sixties until Volvo withdrew from the sport.
But it remains a legend for most Australians because it was never sold in this country. Although a few have been privately imported over the last year or so.
So when three-times NSW Rally Champion, Mike Batten, decided he wanted to run one in the 1999 Targa Tasmania, he had to look overseas for a suitable example. His first thought was to use a Volvo 122. Then he thought, "Why not a PV 544. It uses the same running gear and it's a lot lighter."
The car he has brought back comes from California where it was still in regular daily use.
"I purchased the PV 544 just after the 1998 Targa," recalls Mike. "Since then the team has painstakingly stripped, rebuilt and modified the old Volvo within the limits allowed in Category D, Limited Modified, 1600-2000 cc."
Essential preparations
The modifications consisted mainly of straightforward rally preparation including a conversion to right-hand drive. The 1800 cc engine has been taken out to 1985 cc, ported and fitted with twin 45 mm side draft Webers. The engine now delivers a healthy 75kW at the rear wheels.
The clutch is a heavy duty diaphragm unit and the gearbox is a Volvo M40 four-speed.
Front and rear suspension s have been lowered an inch and fitted with 70% stiffer springs and Koni dampers.
Brakes, which take a terrific beating on the twisting Tasmanian roads are four-wheel discs with an hydraulic handbrake.
Inside the body, the dash has a full set of clear round gauges and the seats are rally-style units. There is a full roll-cage which considerably stiffens the body.
The car weighs just on 1000 kg ready to go.
"Preparation has been a mammoth and frustrating task at times," says Mike, "particularly towards the final weeks. However I am really pleased with the outcome."
A distinguished rally heritage
The PV 444/544 has a great record to its credit, winning countless rally victories in the fifties and sixties. In 1964 alone, it won the Acropolis Rally, the Swedish Midnight Sun Rally and the British RAC.
Among its drivers were such stars as Gunnar Andersen, the Singh brothers and Tom Trana. In 1995 it took out the East African Safari.
Mike Batten's co-driver in the 1999 Targa Tasmania will be 27 year old Kim Martin of Sydney. This is the first event they have done together.
The superb presentation of the beautiful red PV 544 is sure to make it a favourite with the crowds lining the route of the Targa Tasmania.
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