The Volvo Amazon might be most famous for being the first US-market car to be offered with standard three-point seat belts, but dig a little deeper into Volvo lore and you’ll turn up the 123GT model. Although the mid-size 120-series platform that underpinned the Amazon was better known for sensible, safe driving dynamics rather than handling or acceleration, the Volvo 123GT represented the brand’s initial attempt to deliver a factory hot rod to American audiences.
The 1967 Volvo 123GT in this auction listing is a rare example of a car that most collectors outside Swedish circles have forgotten about. While it may look much like its two-door Amazon siblings (which wore “122” badges), it’s what’s going under the skin that makes the 123GT such a fascinating addition to the automaker’s canon.
Those sedate lines hide the hottest engine in Volvo’s 1960s line-up.
Despite its conservative image, Volvo was no stranger to sporty cars, having developed the stylish P1800 coupe in the early 1960s (as well as the aborted P1900 that preceded it). Eager to cash in on the pony car craze that was sweeping the country, Volvo examined its parts bin and discovered that the B18B high-compression four-cylinder engine found in the P1800 would fit just as well under the hood of the 122.
This would boost output from roughly 95 horsepower to almost 115 horsepower and bring with it a four-speed manual transmission with overdrive that would allow for speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour. Also in the cards for the 123GT’s P1800-makeover were a tachometer, unique side mirrors, and fog lights, and a new steering wheel.
The sporty (for Volvo) interior came with three-point seat belts.
The car in this auction listing was built in Canada, and one of its three previous owners installed the full kit of lighting and mirror upgrades in their as-intended European mounting spots. The seller claims the vehicle underwent a full restoration 10 years ago and has been driven 38,000 miles since—and that the 123GT has many more miles of reliable service left in it. The car does feature a number of upgrades, including a P1800 rear differential and four-wheel disc brakes, but nothing that can’t easily be put back to stock.
The car has been verified as a genuine 123GT, and not just a two-door clone.
Despite healthy production numbers, rust-free Amazons are a rarity, and 123GTs are the hen’s teeth of the Volvo world. Although by modern standards its performance was modest at best, the 123GT represented an important step forward for Volvo in luring buyers to its showrooms by offering more than just safety as a reason to get behind the wheel.
See Volvo 1967 Cars & Trucks for sale on eBay.
