Beschrijving
Deposit taken, stand by one.
Proudly presented is this early 1975 244DL in oh-so-period Orange (74) with dark chocolate trim. Sold new in Rhyl in March of that year it must have been the talk of the town. Fitted with a genuine Volvo 8 track stereo (far out, man!) someone must have felt pretty special doing laps of East Parade and the A548 on a Saturday night.
Apart from a few spot repairs this Volvo proudly wears its original paint and it’s in remarkable condition with a good, deep lustre that looks like it will last another forty two years. Everyone who sees this veritable Volvo recognises it for a good ‘un and are amazed by how well it’s preserved. It’s obviously been cherished by its four former keepers.
Mechanically it’s very strong and with only 74, 500 miles from new (supported by MOTs) it’s only just getting into its stride. The clutch is nice and progressive, the gear change is crisp and decisive and the pedantic Pythagorean dual-triangulated brakes pull up strong and true. Needless to say the heater-demister is outstanding and the electric rear window demister Works. On. Every. Bar. Amazing! And the clock works (hence…)! And it keeps correct time! And not just twice a day! Incredible! (thanks, Brian Cox).
The snugglicious interior with its evocative, knobbly, Scandi fabric is free from rips and tears and the original caramel carpets are in fine condition. Orange, chocolate and caramel; it’s all sounding a bit Wonka, isn’t it? But there’s nothing wonky with this car with its arrow-straight chassis that’s neither rusty nor repaired. That’s right, neither rusty nor repaired, even the two spare wheel wells (count ‘em) are sound as a pound.
I wound up with the Clockwork Orange because I needed a dependable entry for LeJog, a three and a half day, one and a half thousand mile, winter wonderland odyssey from Land’s End to John o’Groats mainly using nadgery B roads (and smaller), and home again. All up a round trip of about three and a half thousand miles. Professionally fettled by the best Volvoligists in the business, Amazon Cars, this myrmidon ran like clockwork (hence…) the whole time including shrugging off the worst storms of recent years. Starting first time, every time, day time and night time at temperatures as low as -13C and taking snow and ice in its stride it performed as an exemplar of the legendary robustness for which Volvo is well famed.
With a view to staying as close to standard specification as possible preparation for the odyssey included: new cam belt and tensioner, engine and gearbox mounts, heavy duty exhaust mounts, brand new cooling system including radiator, water pump, hoses and thermostat. New brake callipers and high performance pads front and rear, ball joints and bushes, high performance Bilstein B6 strut inserts and rear dampers (mmmm, Bilstein) and countless other minor fiddles and fettles including replacing all the fuses with new and fitting brand new, genuine Volvo headlamps. Not cheap but it made a difference, because I can see clearly now the day has gone. Other recent work includes OEM replacement exhaust and a new steering rack.
Offered now for somewhat less than the price of its fettling this eminently capable Volvo is the perfect classic car for a driving enthusiast or the perfect foundation for development into something more specialised. As a starter classic for a new driver or for an enthusiast with a growing family it’s ideal. Correctly registered as Historic, Clockwork Orange’s MOT is still current.
A number of essential spares are included e. g: alternator, wiper motor and throttle cable. There’s a fancy schmancy, auto-sensing, dual plug tow bar that comes with the car, but isn't currently fitted. So no current. Knock, knock? Nobody Ohm.
And for The In Crowd, there’s a tasty selection of contemporary cartridges included to go with the original and genuine Volvo 8 track stereo (yeah, baby!).
Documents that come with the car include: original driver’s handbook in its dealer wallet, Volvo service book with many stamps and other Volvo delivery and accessory materials. There’s also a small, well formed mole hill of invoices and MOTs going back many years.
I’d love to keep The Clockwork Orange but it would be in storage for most of the year and they don’t like it, these Volvos, they’re made to be used and they need to be used to keep them trim. So take advantage of all the good work that’s been done and you’ll be glad you did. There are less than sixty of these things on the road and the interesting thing is that the numbers are slowly increasing which means people are waking up to them again. Act now and reap the benefit!
Please email rather than phone with any questions and I’ll get right back to you with the facts, Jack. Clockwork Orange is located in Tunbridge Wells, Kent and can be made available for inspection with enough notice to shuffle people and things about. I'm located in Australia so my gentleman's gentlemen will be delighted to show you the car and even make you a tea in an age-related mug that hasn’t been cleaned since 1975. Mmmm, now that’s patina!
