It was powered by Volvo's 1.8L overhead valve inline four, with a pair of sidedraft SU carbs and an 8.5:1 compression ratio, producing 90 SAE gross horsepower. Transmission choices were initially either a 3-speed or 4-speed manual gearbox, although starting in 1967 the Borg-Warner BW35 three-speed auto, previously only available in the sedans, was offered in the wagon, too.
The front-engine, rear-wheel-drive Volvo 122S was no bolt of lightning. Road & Track tested a 1966 122S sedan with the Borg-Warner slushbox and recorded a zero-to-sixty time of 15.8 seconds and a 20.6 second elapsed time in the quarter mile with a trap speed of 67 miles per hour, with the car eventually wheezing all the way to 90mph. But they were way ahead of their time in occupant safety, build quality, and features like standard front disc brakes at a time when those were still bordering on racing exotica.
The tailgate was a clever two-piece arrangement. The glass hatch folded upward while the tailgate itself folded down. If you were carrying an oversized load, the license plate holder was hinged along the top edge so that it could be folded down to where it was visible with the tailgate lowered.
This one was photographed in July of 2024 using a Nikon D700 and 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6G zoom lens.
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