Volvo PV455 Valbo convertible by Editions Atlas

12/23/2017

The number seventy-eight in the Volvo Collection by Editions Atlas is the Volvo PV455 convertible by Valbo. What a nice surprise to see this newly engineered model after quite a few "doubles". The red paint scheme is not my first choice. But the overall shapes and dimensions of the car are correct. I'm pretty sure most Volvo fans are happy to see this scale model popping up in this collection.
Volvo offered and sold their PV444 model range also as rolling chassis without bodies under the designation PV455. A number of Swedish Coachbuilders built and offered specialist vehicles on the popular PV445 chassis. Convertibles were offered by Valbo Karosserifabrik, by Nordbergs of Stockholm and by Ringborgs Karossfabrik of Norrkoping.

Courtesy of Editions Atlas SA, Switzerland

Photos of actual cars:

Quote from the website pvchassi.com:

After a somewhat fumbling start the serious coachbuilding began in 1923 in the former brickworks and the tar producing factory in Valbo outside Gävle, Sweden. When World War II began in 1939 there were about 80 employees with the founders son Gunnar Åhlénius in the managerial post. Customers were the Swedish army, the Swedish Mail authority, the department for telecommunications and the electricity power company Vattenfall. After the ending of World War II the activity prospered following the growing need for vehicles. In the beginning of the 1950's the production was put on conveyor belt. At this state 1-1/2 cars were produced per shift. The commercial advertising for the van built on the PV 445 chassis said: "Van for workdays - estate wagon for Sundays."

In 1960 figures according to the production from the start in 1923 were presented. 10 000 vehicles overall, of which 4 000 were vans, firetrucks, ambulances and other larger units. After some 40 years of activities the company went into liquidation. With new owners the company AB Gävle Motorfabrik was started in 1962. In 1985 the company had 25 employees and an annual turnover presenting 6 million Swedish kronor. The production in big followed the former company structure in the old localities. Now there were cars produced for the Swedish Television network, prisoner transporting vans and vehicles for car shows.

Information about Valbo karosserifabrik is fetched from the book "Motormän i Gävleborg" written by Allan Synnemark and published by Winbergs in 1985. The book has ISBN nr. 91 970445-8-x. A big thanks to Jan Carlsson who gave the tip about the book.
(text published 2001-11-22)

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