1968 Volvo Amazon 123 GT

In 1956, Volvo launched their 120-Series (Amazon) to much acclaim and it was to become one of their most successful, remaining in production until 1970. Starting with the 121 and 122 models, the Amazon soon established itself as a comfortable, reliable and superbly well built car which also introduced new levels of safety equipment, still very much a novelty in the mid-1950s! Understated but beautifully proportioned, the Amazon was designed by Jan Wilsgaard who openly admitted his inspiration came from American cars of the period such as the Chrysler New Yorker and the Chrysler 300C Hardtop Coupé, both of which it closely resembles although in a restrained, Scandinavian sort of way. Immensely rugged and well engineered, many Amazons are still in daily use and have over recent years become popular on the historic rally scene, hardly surprising when you think that stage rallying is part of Volvo’s DNA.

Pick of the bunch was undoubtedly the 123GT which was only made between August 1966 and August 1968. Designed to be the sportiest model, the two-door 123GT was powered by the high-compression B18D four-cylinder unit from the P1800 with high-profile cams and revised breathing, resulting in 115bhp compared to the 85bhp of the standard model which, when allied to an all-synchro, 4-speed overdrive gearbox, enabled a top speed of 115mph. Other 123GT features included uprated shock absorbers, special wheel trims, front fog lamps, a dash-top mounted rev counter, reclining seats and an elegant 3-spoke steering wheel. Exact production figures are uncertain but the best estimate seems to be around 1,500 examples with less than 70 believed to still be on the road in the UK.

On offer here is a very well presented 123GT dating from 1968 and originally supplied by Worthing-based ‘Rudd’s of Southampton’, famous for their Ruddspeed conversions and sales agents for Volvo, Alfa Romeo and Austin-Healey.

Our vendor had always admired Volvo’s rugged Amazon and over the years, they had built a reputation within British club rallying for reliability and always getting to the end, no matter how tough the conditions. He was keen on Classic Regularity rallying and decide that an Amazon would be ideal, with the 123GT being top of the list. Home-market, right-hand drive 123GTs are rare things and he searched for some time before eventually finding the right one through the Owner’s Club.

OCR 169F had spent its entire life as a well cared for road car and would obviously have to be converted for a competitive life. Kevin Savage is a name well known in club rally circles in the UK, specifically today for classic rallying, his company KSS Motorsport, specialising in rally preparation with Amazons being their model of choice. Having met him on Le Jog and other events, our vendor commissioned KSS to build a car to their specification for classic rallying, which is pretty well what we have today, as various factors have prevented this superb Volvo from being used as planned. Other commitments meant that the scheduled Le Jog in 2023 could not happen, the 2024 event was postponed and our vendor has decided that he will be fully occupied with another project in 2025. The nett result is that this barely used car, which is essentially just run in and fresh from restoration, is ready for someone else to enjoy and at a very sensible guide.

UK rally cars tend to come up for sale at the end of a hard season and in need of substantial work before their next outing but this is different. It’s beautifully presented, well engineered, correctly equipped and properly set-up, needing only a ‘spanner check’ before you submit those entry forms. With Paris-Peking also running this year, OCR could indeed be a ready-made contender!

The car is supplied with a substantial history file containing all the correspondence and detailed invoicing from the recent build as well as invoices from previous owners back to the early 1990s. We invite and encourage your inspection of this classic Volvo at our Race Retro Sale.