The model also marks a milestone for both preventive and protective safety. A significant innovation is the inclusion of disc brakes on all four wheels and a dual-circuit braking system, where each circuit operates on three wheels; thus, the car can never completely lose braking effectiveness. The body is designed as a protective steel cage with energy-absorbing deformation zones at the front and rear, and the interior has no protruding parts that could harm passengers.

The 140 series becomes Volvo's first million-seller. When production of the 142, 144, and 145 series ceases in the summer of 1974, 1,251,371 units have been manufactured. But the legacy is greater than that, as the successor, the 200 series, heavily relies on the technology and design of the 140 models.

A roomier car

The Volvo 144 is unveiled on August 17, 1966, marking the arrival of a new model. The PV series has been discontinued after 21 years, and the Amazon is ten years old. The decision to introduce the new 140 series is made in June 1960, hence the project is codenamed 660, after the month and year. The goal is to create a more spacious car without increasing its weight and price. The wheelbase is to remain the same as in the PV544 and Amazon, despite the need for improved space.

More body styles

Different from earlier models, several different body styles are included in the planning from the outset. By December 1961, two prototypes are ready, and the project is renamed P1400, and in the summer of 1963, Volvo's management decides to fully commit. The following year, another prototype is built, which shares many similarities with the upcoming production car. Extensive test drives are conducted, totalling over 100,000 miles, and Volvo's test tracks are expanded. On one occasion, a camouflaged car is caught on camera, and it's named according to the model designation Mazuo ZT92. Some believe it's a Japanese car.

Biggest investment

When Volvo's CEO, Gunnar Engellau, presents the new 144 in August 1966, he says: "This is a big day for us at Volvo, and it means that we are now starting production of a new car that represents the biggest investment in terms of passenger cars in Volvo's history. The car has incurred costs of 150 million kronor, with additional investments in factories."

1960s Design

The Volvo 144, being the first, is truly a product of its time. The design and architecture of the 1960s are clearly reflected in the new model, designed by design chief Jan Wilsgaard. After designing the typical 1950s car, the Amazon, with its soft Italian curves, he manages to create an entirely new design with the 140 series, which is typical of both the Volvo brand and the era. During the record years of the 1960s, the large public housing program Miljonprogrammet is built at a furious pace to address the housing shortage.

Let there be light

Characteristic features of the architecture are open spaces, simplicity, and modernism, straight lines and geometric shapes, and large windows for maximum natural light. A precise description of a Volvo 144.
A typical feature of the car is indeed its large, glazed surfaces, with three side windows. Overall, it's as if the concept of Scandinavian car design is born with the 140 series - and still lives on strongly today. Yet, design elements from the Amazon model remain in the more angular 140 model, such as the grille design, the wider shoulders below the side windows, affectionately called catwalks, and the upright rear lights.

Four-Wheel disc brakes

Underneath the body, much is reminiscent of the Amazon: the front suspension with double rubber-mounted transverse links, the wheel spindles mounted in ball joints, and the rear suspension with a solid axle with longitudinal links and a Panhard rod. The 140 series has disc brakes on all four wheels, something only the Renault 8 and Rover 2000 have in cars of the same price range. But the truly big news is a dual-circuit braking system with triangular division. If one fails, the car still has full braking capacity on both front wheels and one rear wheel, totalling 80-85 percent braking capacity. Additionally, there are reduction valves to prevent wheel lock-up during heavy braking, a solution the 144 is the first in the world to adopt.

Gold medal for safety

The Swedish Automobile Association awards the braking system its gold medal for being "from a traffic safety standpoint the most significant innovation on a standard car marketed in Sweden in 1966." The 140 series body has energy-absorbing crash zones at the front and rear and three-point seat belts for front-seat occupants with a simplified belt buckle. The steering column is split, and there are no protruding parts in the interior, all crucial steps in reducing injuries in a crash. At launch, there are two engines available: the B18A with 85 hp and the B18B with 115 hp. The latter comes with twin carburettors, both tried and tested for several years.

The estate arrives

The two-door version Volvo 142 is introduced in early summer 1967. Less than a year later, the 144 is introduced, and a few months after that, the estate 145 also arrives. The rear end is vertical, something that goes against common design rules, but it provides ample cargo space: the volume is over two cubic meters, and the floor is completely flat. In 1968, the more luxurious and expensive 164 model is launched. It is identical to the 144 from the windscreen backwards but features a new front end and an extended front section to accommodate the six-cylinder B30 engine. It's simply an elongated B20 engine, with the same cylinder dimensions. The 164 also has a ten cm longer wheelbase.

Car of the year in Sweden

Volvo's 140 series is a great success, as shown by the initial, very positive reactions in the press. Reviews such as "the safest car ever built" and "a car at the international top" can be noted, and the motor magazine Teknikens Värld names the 144 Car of the Year in 1966, stating: "It will be quite a while before the entire car market can show products that are so well thought out".

Stack of seven cars

In the USA, the agency Scali, McCabe, Sloves (SMS) handles Volvo's advertising from 1967 to 1991, and develops a campaign with seven 142s stacked on top of each other. The headline reads: "Are you in the market for a hardtop?". The text talks about how each Volvo body has six pillars that are so strong they can support the weight of the car itself. And the conclusion is: "Volvos are built strong so they’ll hold up a lot of years".