General: 140: 142 Population Density UK

[bertiebandit]

This is a question I said I'd ask while I was chatting on the Turboricks forums.
I've just got myself a 1968 RHD 142 which I will be restoring/modifying.
I've seen plenty of 144's and 145's over the years but I've never seen a 142 on the roads in the UK before.
Are they rare? Or are they just locked away in the owners garages lovingly polished and only brought out on hot sunny days?
Has anyone ever asked the DVLA for figures for our cars?

So, in short, does anyone know how many 142's the UK got and how many are left?

[222s]

Is your 142 the one which was on ebay the other week?

I know of a really smart LHD 142 that's used often in London - it belongs to the mechanic who looks after my Amazon

[classicswede]

There are very few 142's in the Uk and most are LHD.

[bertiebandit]

Yes, it's the one that was on Ebay.

I'm glad I've managed to save it from a banger track or scrapyard demise, but some purists might think that what I'm about to do to it is not much better.

It's going to be my 16v turbo street/drag car. I'm in the middle of building the engine/sourcing parts. My 945 is being stripped for all it's goodies to help fund it.

I've managed to source a pair of sills, but am kinda desperate for a bootlid. The car is pretty rotten, but not as bad as cars I've rebuilt for customers in the past (when I was working as a mechanic).

[john.wigley]

As far as I know neither the 142 nor the later 242 were officially imported into the UK.

We visit Sweden regularly and they were quite common on the roads there until comparatively recently, but are becoming rare even there now on account of advancing age. As with the earlier Amazon and PV models, those that remain tend to be 'cherished' by enthusiasts rather than in use as 'everyday' transport.

They were cheaper than the corresponding 144 and 244 models and were available in a more basic 'L' specification than the entry level 'DL' spec. in the UK. My own view is that Volvo chose not to export the lower spec. 2 door cars to the UK as buyers here expected 4 doors and a certain level of equipment in an 'Executive' car.

Good luck with your project. I would imagine most mechanical parts would be common with the 144 and body parts specific to the 142 should still be avilable from breakers in Sweden with a little 'digging'.

Regards, John.

[don kalmar union]

I bought a new 142S many years ago...PYM342S.

Anyone know if it is still arround?

Regards, Don.

[Pigeon]

Originally Posted by john.wigley

My own view is that Volvo chose not to export the lower spec. 2 door cars to the UK as buyers here expected 4 doors and a certain level of equipment in an 'Executive' car.

Interesting how said expectation does not fit with my own... I regard 2 doors as a more desirable specification than 4, as it leads to a lighter, stronger and more rigid bodyshell and also looks better. I love my 164 but I can't help wishing they'd made a 162... and a 165.

[bertiebandit]

Originally Posted by don kalmar union

I bought a new 142S many years ago...PYM342S.

Anyone know if it is still arround?

Regards, Don.

They made 142's in 1978?!

[bertiebandit]

Originally Posted by john.wigley

As far as I know neither the 142 nor the later 242 were officially imported into the UK.

Profile on the Volvo 140

By Jack Cluer

THE 140 SERIES was introduced into the UK in early 1967. The early examples used the B18 engine as in the 120's. To start with, only the 4 door models were imported, the 142 (manual transmission only) models arrived later during 1967 and the estates arrived in the Spring of 1968.

I guess the information on this site must be wrong, then. I spoke to Volvo too and they didn't tell me it wasn't a UK car.

[john.wigley]

Bertiebandit:

I am happy to bow to Jack's encyclopaedic knowledge of the 140 series cars. Clearly the 142 was officially imported to the UK. I was incorrect in my belief and appologize for the error.

Like you I do not recall seeing one on the road here, but I have seen a great many in use in Sweden - certainly upto about the mid-90s.

Pigeon:

I was not suggesting that 4 doors are in any way more desirable than 2, only that I believe cars in this market place were (and, indeed are) 'expected' to have 4 - high end coupes being an obvious exception.

Maybe that is why Volvo did not produce a 162 variant as it might have been perceived as too 'down market'. Also - again only my personal view - perhaps they did not produce a 165 variant because estate cars had a 'utility' connotation that again did not sit comfortably in this market sector at the time these cars were current. On the other hand, their reasons may have been of a technical nature and nothing at all to do with marketing policies.

Kind regards, John.