www.projo.com/projocars/content/CA-VOLVO_07-12-08_44AQB -
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Published on: 7/12/2008
Last Visited: 7/12/2008
Jim Lucht, of Providence, and three of the cars in his collection, a white 1966 1800S, a 1958 444, and, below, a 1967 Volvo 122S.
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PROVIDENCE A collection of four Volvos, ranging from the 1950s to the 1970s, cram Jim Lucht's modest garage and driveway.
And he keeps two more of the famed Swedish cars in storage.
Lucht, the information director at Providence Plan, a joint city-state urban planning venture, was not always a Volvo man.
The son and grandson of mechanics, he worked as a mechanic for seven years before attending Worcester State College and changing careers.During that time, he said, he was into American muscle cars, especially AMC Javelins.
"I love American cars and my first car was a 1973 Javelin," he said, adding that he owned nine American cars, including three Javelins, over the years."I was never into foreign cars."
Then, about 14 years ago, he got into Volvos.
"My sensibility changed and Volvos are a cool compromise," he said."They were made well and are fairly easy to work on."
He added that they have "good styling, mileage, [and are] quirky."
Lucht's oldest Volvo is also his most recent acquisition, a green 1958 PV444 with 54,000 miles on it that he bought last fall. (PV reflects Volvo's full name, Volvo Personvagner AB.)
He said the car is 95-percent restored, noting that he does all the mechanical work on his cars and mainly sends them out for body and paint work.
"It was the last year [of the 444] and it sounds like a tractor starting up," he said, adding that he finds its looks similar to a 1940 Ford.The hood does indeed seem to be a copy of a 1940 Ford three-quarter-ton pickup truck, while its rounded rear reflects that of the 1940 Ford sedan.
"The 444 has the best exhaust note," he said."I like the sound of it, it sounds like a hot rod."
He said the PV444 was replaced by the similarly styled PV544, which was the first Volvo to break into the U.S. market.
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"I don't have much experience with modern Volvos, the generation after the 850," Lucht said.
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Lucht is divorced with a 4-year-old son, Aiden, whom he sees almost every day.He is currently not dating anyone, but he said he did go out with a "Volvo mechanic with pink hair" for about a year.
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"[The 1880S] is the hands-down favorite" Volvo model said Lucht, noting that a red 1966 model owned by Irv Gordon of Long Island — New York license plate MILNMILR — has been driven 2.6 million miles.
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"It was a legendary car," Lucht said, pointing out details reflecting its rugged construction, including the massive chrome hinges atop the tailgate.
Beyond the 122, Lucht has a bright yellow 1972 Volvo 142E sedan with a plaid-and-check interior.
All four of the Volvos at his house are registered and insured."They are the only cars I drive," he said.
He also has a project car, a 1978 Volvo 242GT — the 200 series was produced from 1974 to 1993 and is "almost the same car [as the 100 series]" — which he keeps at a friend's house; he is currently rebuilding the engine.
And he has an unrestored 1970 grey Volvo 142S automatic sedan in storage that he maintains as a winter driver, as the yellow 142 in his driveway is "a Nevada car in very good shape with almost no rot, a very clean body."
"[Volvos] were made to be repaired rather than thrown away," Lucht said, adding, "They're a great car, civilized and quiet, and I love the fact they are classic cars that I can drive year round and get good mileage."
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