1978 Volvo 244DL - a photo on Flickriver

1978 Volvo 244DL

            One of Volvo's more iconic motors, the 200 Series truly became a staple of the company's design and history, marrying go-anywhere abilities with the robustness and safety of a small bomb-shelter!

The Volvo 240 and 260 series were introduced in the autumn of 1974, and was initially available as six variations of the 240 Series (242L, 242DL, 242GT, 244DL, 244GL, 245L and 245DL) and two variations of the 260 Series (264DL and 264GL). The 240 Series was available in sedan (with two or four doors) or station wagon, however the 260 Series was available as a coupé (262C Bertone), four-door sedan, or station wagon. The 200 looked much like the earlier 140 and 164 Series, for they shared the same body shell and were largely the same from the cowl rearward. 

However, the 200 incorporated many of the features and design elements tried in the Volvo VESC ESV in 1972, which was a prototype experiment in car safety. The overall safety of the driver and passengers in the event of a crash was greatly improved with very large front and rear end crumple zones. Another main change was to the engines, which were now of an overhead-cam design. The 260 series also received a V6 engine in lieu of the 164's inline-six.

The steering was greatly improved with the installation of rack-and-pinion steering, with power steering fitted as standard to the 244GL, 264DL and 264GL, and there were some modifications made to the braking system (in particular the master cylinder. The front end of the car was also completely restyled, that being the most obvious change of which made the 200 Series distinguishable from the earlier 140 and 160 Series. 

Other than all the changes mentioned above, the 200 Series was almost identical to the 140 and 160 Series from the bulkhead to the very rear end. The dashboard was derived from the safety fascia introduced for the 1973 140-series - but was changed again for the 1981 model year with the instrument pod made considerably larger and the radio repositioned near the top of the dashboard. All models were available with a choice of four-speed manual or a three-speed automatic transmission. Overdrive was also optional on the manual 244GL, while a five-speed manual gearbox was optional on the 264GL and 265GL.

Incremental improvements were made almost every year of the production run. One of the major improvements was the introduction of the oxygen sensor in 1976 (1977 models), which Volvo called Lambda Sond and developed in conjunction with Bosch. It added a feedback loop to the K-Jetronic fuel injection system already in use, which allowed fine-tuning of the air and fuel mixture and therefore produced superior emissions, drivability and fuel economy.

About one-third of all 240s sold were station wagons, which featured very large cargo space of 41 cubic feet. They could be outfitted with a rear-facing foldable jumpseat in the passenger area, making the wagon a seven-passenger vehicle. The jumpseat came with three-point seat belts, and wagons were designed to have a reinforced floor section, protecting the occupants of the jumpseat in the event of a rear-end collision. Both the 200 series and the 700 series became a status symbol worldwide.

The last 200 produced was a blue station wagon built to the Italian specification and named the "Polar Italia", currently displayed at the Volvo World Museum.

Taken in: United Kingdom / England / Solihull Metropolitan Borough (show map)

Taken on: November 14, 2015

Tags:

car

cars

auto

bus

truck

motor

motor vehicle

saloon

estate

compact

sports

roadster

transport

road

heritage

historic

Volvo

Volvo 244DL « less

Sets appears in: • Volvo

Groups appears in: • Cars • volvo more » • Antique, Vintage, Classic Cars and Trucks • AUTOS (CARS) • Volvos, Old and New • Cars Cars Cars • Car Faces • Cars & Motorcycles • Car Pictures • Volvo's Galore • car pics • Car Photography • CARS ,TRAINS,PLANES AND AUTOMOBILES • Cars in the scene • Cars Only .. !! • Cars from the Past: Classic Cars • All about Cars • AUTOS-Paparazzi - 30/60 opted out • Amazing Cars • Car Collection • VOLVO Cars • Car Photos • Cars and Trucks • Car Freaks • Auto123 - Car pictures • Cars of the World • Cars, planes, motorbikes, boats, trains and trucks of the whole • A Passion For Cars... • Cars Photographers • Cars Cars Cars! • Brutal Cars • Photos of Volvos • Cars That Used To Be Everywhere • Cars With Eye-catching Lights • Cars Spotted 2015 • Carspotting world - rare cars only « less

Camera: Panasonic DMC-GF5, f/3.6, 1/60 sec, 15mm (=30mm), ISO 1600 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Panasonic DMC-GF5
Aperture:	f/3.6
Exposure Time:	0.017 sec (1/60)
Focal Length:	15mm (35mm equivalent: 30mm)
ISO:	1600
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Gain Control:	High gain up
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Ver.1.0
Show full info

Stats: 2,055 views

go back

Link to this photo view:
Link to this photo large view: