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About the Volvo Ads

I am a classic Volvo enthusiast.  A few years ago I started collecting Volvo print ads and ended up with a decent little collection.  I am now working on scanning these ads so that others may enjoy them.  I will be posting the ads here as time allows (with the occasion note or comment.)

The Art of Michael Francis Lane
Friday
Mar232012

1979 Volvo 240 Ad: Lost 1,000 Pounds of Ugly Fat

The text of this ad states:

"HOW I BOUGHT A VOLVO WAGON AND LOST 1,000 POUNDS OF UGLY FAT."

By Pat Fellman, as told to Volvo.

You wouldn't know it to look at me now, but I used to have a wagon that weighed two tons and felt a block long.
 
I thought that was the price you had to pay if you were a wife with kids, dogs and groceries to haul around.

One day, my oldest daughter, who had become very energy con-scious, said,'Mom, what are you driving that big thing for? Why don't you get something smaller?'

Then and there, I decided to lick this weight problem of mine.

First, I looked at the little station wagons. They felt tinny and unsafe. And they didn't hold much of anything.

Then I looked at the Volvo wagon. What a shock! It had almost as much room in back as
the monster I'd been driving. Yet when I drove it, it handled more like my husband's sports car. It felt safe, solid, maneuverable. It was easy to park. And I could
look over the steering wheel instead of through it.

Somehow, since buying that Volvo wagon, I feel more liberated."

Statistics show that 9 out of 10 people who have bought new Volvos are happy.
 
Why not follow the Volvo weight reduction plan yourself?

You have everything to gain.

VOLVO

A car you can believe in.

©1979 Volvo of America Corporation. Leasing Available.

Tuesday
Mar202012

1975 Volvo 240 Ad: Introducing the Evolutionary New 1975 Volvo

The text of this ad states:

INTRODUCING THE EVOLUTIONARY NEW 1975 VOLVO.

Between smaller big cars, bigger small cars and smaller small cars, car makers are introducing a lot of "revolutionary" new cars this year.
 
But before you rush out to finance a revolution, consider the 1975 Volvo 240.

Years of careful evolution have created a car totally thought-out, from energy-absorbing bumper to energy-absorbing bumper.

Consider the Volvo windshield wiper. On most cars, wiper blades are shiny. And the
shine can end up in your eyes. To avoid this glaring fault, Volvo paints them
matte black.

All cars have head rests. Volvo's head rests have openings so you can see behind
you better.
 
So you can see beside you better, Volvo has another thought. Side window defoggers.

Not even the gas cap has gone unnoticed. It's red, so it's hard to lose. So it's less likely to be misplaced, we provide a place to put it: a holder behind the door.

When you add all these thoughtful little touches to Volvo's thoughtful big touches—
fuel injection, rack and pinion steering, 4-wheel power disc brakes, spring-strut front suspension, 12 outlet heating and ventilation, infinitely adjustable bucket seats with lumbar supports, child-proof rear door locks, steel belted radials, rear window defroster—you have a car which some people might consider revolutionary.

But to us it's simply a Volvo. A car which has evolved through years of careful
improvement into what it is today.
 
And what that is, is perhaps the world's most carefully thought-out car.

It's not surprising that a car like this would appeal to thoughtful people.

And the people who buy Volvos are thoughtful, indeed.

87% of them have been to college.The other 13% are just plain smart.

VOLVO
 
The car for people who think.

©1974 Volvo of America Corporation. Overseas Delivery Available.

Friday
Mar162012

1986 Volvo 700 Ad: This Wagon Challenges Every Reason

The text of this ad states:

THIS WAGON CHALLENGES EVERY REASON FOR NOT OWNING A WAGON.

Every year, the Sports Car Club of America holds a series of races with a class dedicated to sedans.

But in '86, Volvo gave the race a larger dimension: the 740 Turbo Wagon. The first wagon to ever compete in this SCCA series.

The results? In the first five races, the 740 recorded the fastest qualifying times twice. And led one endurance race for five out of six hours.

More important, though, is that the 740 finished every race it started. A statement some of the performance sedans can't lay claim to.

And one that may make the 740 Turbo Wagon something unique among performance cars.

The get-up-and-go that gets you where you're going.

VOLVO

A car you can believe in.

©1986 Volvo of North America Corporation

Monday
Mar122012

1982 Volvo 240 Ad: You Could Drive One Years Before Unloading It

This ad features a great-looking 1982 Volvo Wagons. It also shows the three rim styles that were available at the time: the standard steel rims, the GL style rims and the 5-spoke Virgo style rims.

The text of the ad states:

YOU COULD DRIVE ONE YEARS BEFORE UNLOADING IT

Consider all the abuse a station wagon gets in its lifetime.

The endless shuttling from school to little league to piano lessons to home. The backseat battles that go on between the kids. The long hikes to weekend campsites. And all that hauling. Groceries, paneling, furniture, bicycles, lawnmowers.

People do things to a station wagon they would never do to a car.

And yet, Volvos in general have a life expectancy one third longer than the average of all Other cars on the road.*

Volvo offers a full family of wagons to choose from. From turbocharged sports models to Diesels to our finely appointed GL Wagon.
 
All of them deliver something far more important these days than the capacity to carry things.

The capacity to carry on.

VOLVO

A car you can believe in.

*Analysis conducted by Ken Warwick & Associates, Inc. Based on a comparison of U.S. registration data for all Volvos and for the automobile industry as a whole and not by individual make or models. Data includes all models and not just station wagons.

©1982 Volvo of America Corporation. Roof rack optional.