BORING?! BAH!

DRIVING 70 YEARS OF VOLVO HISTORY IS A FASCINATING AFFAIR

- WORDS AARON GOLD PHOTOGRAPHY DARREN MARTIN

The first Volvo arrived on U.S. shores in 1955, and the safe-ty-obsessed Swedish marque has since weaved itself into the American automotive culture's fabric. We believe the best way to explore an automaker's rich history is to drive its cars, and Volvo happily opened the key box to its extensive collection of historic vehicles. Just how has Volvo evolved over all these years? Time spent behind the wheels of some of its most intriguing offerings revealed much.

1957 Volvo PV444

By the time the PV444 arrived stateside in 1955, it was already an eight-year-old design with prewar roots. You can tell; witness its two-piece windshield, floor-mounted pedals, and giant art deco steering wheel. Even the gauges' font makes the 444 feel more like a 1940 Ford De Luxe than the slick chrome monsters Detroit rolled out in the 1950s.

What our 1950s Motor Trend forebears noticed was not the dated styling but the advanced driving dynamics. They labeled the 444 as the "family sports car." Its 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, fed by twin carburetors and backed by a four-speed manual, produced a mere 85 hp, but back in 1958 we clocked it to 60 mph in 13.5 seconds, 4.4 ticks behind a '58 Chevrolet with a 280-hp 348 V-8. Not bad for one o' them furrin' jobs.

In the here and now, I found the engine noisy but stout, the shifter throws long but surprisingly precise, and the unassisted steering light and responsive, with a refreshingly quick ratio for a car of this era. Still, "sports car" wasn't the first label that came to mind; the 444 wandered gently side to side, as if casually sniffing roadside flowers.