Happy 50th Birthday, Volvo 240

The car that defines Volvo to this day, one of the most noble of vehicles, the 200 series, just turned 50 years old. We’re actually a month late, as the 240 debuted in August, 1974, but this new video from Volvo reminded us of the 200’s golden anniversary. It’s worth taking a look back at this remarkable car.

Based on the 140 that arrived back in the mid 1960s, Volvo’s unabashedly boxy 200 series wasn’t a radical car. But, with its crumple zones, three-point seatbelts, and other important safety features, it helped redefine how cars were built. The 240 was also the first Volvo to use the legendary overhead-cam “Redblock” engine, whose durability is legend. 

While everyone knows and refers to these cars as the “240,” that name didn’t officially arrive until later in the car’s life. Originally, there was the four-cylinder 242, 244, and 245, which had two, four, and five doors, respectively, and the 262, 264, and 265. Volvo planned to phase out the 200 series in the mid 1980s with the arrival of the 700 series—and it did end six-cylinder 260 production—but the 240 just kept selling. Volvo built the last 240 in 1993, with over 2.8 million built.

The 240 carved out its own niche. It wasn’t a luxury car, but it was certainly more premium than other mass-market options. Around the world, the 240 developed a cult following, and their superb build quality and reliability meant that they stayed on the road for decades and decades. Even now, you see people daily driving 240s, even if the number is dwindling.

In America, it’s one of those cars that everyone has a connection too. If you didn’t own one yourself, you know someone who did. Even 50 years later, the 240 is the defining Volvo. Everything the Swedish company has made since owes much to this iconic brick.