Volvo's first overhead valve passenger car engine was the inline-four B4B of 1944 and its descendants, the B14A and B16 . These were cast iron engines, and used just three main bearings .
27-591: Introduced in 1944, the B4B displaced 1,414 cc (1.4 L; 86.3 cu in) and powered the Volvo PV444 . It was a departure for Volvo who had not produced an automobile with a four-cylinder engine in nearly 20 years. The B4B was equipped with a single down-draught carburetor . Suppliers of ancillaries included Autolite (ignition distributors and generators), Zenith and Carter Carburetors , and Bosch (ignition distributors, generators and starter motors.) The B14A
54-611: A celebration of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II . In 1960 it was renamed the East African Safari Rally and kept that name until 1974, when it became the Safari Rally. From 1973, the rally was part of the World Rally Championship. The 5,000 kilometres (3,100 mi) route featured a variety of roads and terrain - from fesh fesh (very fine powdered sand), fast farm tracks, and very rough roads up or down
81-524: A reputation for being strong and rugged, although the design was considered outdated from early on. The PV also competed successfully, in the American SCCA class but also internationally, with a second-hand PV544 memorably winning the Safari Rally in 1965. No PV 544 were produced in 1966. Last production was October 1965, some were sold in 1966 and titled as such, but last model year is 1965. The PV444
108-578: A single downdraft carburettor . The power of this engine increased to 44 PS (32 kW) in October 1950, and to 51 PS (38 kW) in October 1955. US models, beginning to appear in early 1956, received an up-rated version called the B14A , which was given twin side-draft 1½ in SU carburetors for a total of 70 hp. Most early US sales were limited to Texas and southern California. American customers also had
135-488: The Great Rift Valley . In heavy rain, roads would often turn into thick, deep mud. The event was run on open roads, with all of the route being competitive mileage. The driver with the lowest accumulation of penalty time between time controls was declared the winner. The rally was historically one of the fastest events in the world championship with average speeds over 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph). However,
162-606: The Intercontinental Rally Challenge . In 2013, President of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta announced a plan to return the Safari Rally to the world championship. On the 27 September 2019, it was announced that the 2020 edition would be part of the World Rally Championship. This event was later cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic . The Safari Rally eventually made a comeback to the WRC in 2021 after an eighteen-year hiatus from
189-566: The P1800 sports car introduced the previous year. This 1.8 L engine had five main bearings. Again single and twin carburettor versions were offered, designated B18A and B18D , respectively. The B18A was a slow seller in the US market since the United States' public prioritised performance over fuel economy. Also in 1962, Volvo changed from 6- to 12-volt electrical systems. In 1963 Volvo began producing
216-560: The PV444 cars powered by these engines more attractive to the American audience, whose attention Volvo hoped to gain. While B14A engines are considered rare in the US setting, they were even rarer in Europe . The production run lasted for one year. Some of the earliest P1900 roadsters were built with B14s but many of the short production of 67 of these open fiberglass cars received the replacement for
243-504: The Volvo Amazon or Volvo 122 was the first production Volvo to sport this engine in any significant number although some of the later examples of the short-lived Volvo P1900 were also fitted with them. Other applications of this engine found use in marine, industrial and agricultural settings. The Volvo BM T425 tractor is one such example of a non-automotive use for the B16. The exterior of
270-450: The 1990s, Toyota Team Europe had a full-time test team in Kenya, preparing and testing the rally cars for the event. During the rally, repairs had to be regularly made to the cars, which added to the elapsed time of the competitors. In later years, tyre mousse - allowing tyres to maintain functionality despite a puncture - allowed drivers to tackle the event flat out, despite the length of
297-549: The 24–27 June, with a successful event held in Kenya on the floor of the Rift Valley in Naivasha , Nakuru County. Sebastian Ogier and Julien Ingrassia emerged as winners in their Toyota Yaris WRC. The Safari has a WRC contract until 2026. Kenyan drivers Shekhar Mehta and Carl Tundo have been the most successful competitors, with five outright victories each. Mehta won first in 1973, then consecutively from 1979 to 1982 - all while
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#1732883468493324-695: The 544 at their new Canadian Dartmouth/Halifax plant, the first Volvo plant to be located outside of Sweden. The PV544 was also made as an estate (wagon), the Duett , initially designated the P445 and later the P210 . The 544 received incremental mechanical revisions and trim changes until its final production year of 1965. Exactly 440,000 units were built during the 18-year run. The car had so endeared itself to its owners that Volvo ran self-deprecating advertisements in late 1965 and early 1966 imploring PV owners not to be angry with
351-702: The B14 — the B16. The B16A and B16B (single carb and twin carbs respectively) were a bored out 1,583 cc (1.6 L; 96.6 cu in) development of the B14A which in turn was sired by the B4B. These engines were fitted to the PV444 in its final two years (1957 and 1958), the Volvo PV544 in its 1958 introduction, as well as the companion estate and van versions known as Volvo P445, Volvo P210, and Volvo Duett . A new Volvo automobile introduced in 1956, known in some markets as
378-449: The B16 resembled that of the B14, which it replaced. The block and the cylinder heads appeared to be similar at first glance. The B16B sported twin SU HS4 carbs, notably larger than the B14A's HS2 carbs. Also, the remote oil filter attached next to the water pump on the ignition distributor side of the engine on the B14 had been relocated to a housing under the intake and exhaust manifold side on
405-413: The B16. The exhaust manifold which dumped centrally on the B14 now was made to exit towards the rear of the B16 manifold. In automotive applications, the B16 was featured from 1957 to 1961 model years although in marine and industrial applications it was used for a number of years after. It was replaced in 1962 model year cars by the 5 main-bearing B18 engine of 1.8 litres which had been first seen by
432-582: The automotive public in the 1961 Volvo P1800 sports car. With the discontinuation of the B16 also came the end of 6 volt electrical systems in Volvo cars. Volvo PV444 The Volvo PV is a series of two-door, four-passenger car models — the PV444 and the PV544 — made by Volvo from 1947 to 1965. During World War II 's early stages, Volvo decided that a new, smaller car that could deliver good fuel economy would assure
459-485: The company's future. A raw materials shortage during the war drove home the point that an automobile should be smaller, and also complicated Volvo's ability to mass-produce the product. In 1944, when the car was finally introduced to a car-hungry public, response was very positive and orders poured in from the Swedish population. It was another three years though, until 1947, before series production began. The PV quickly earned
486-544: The company. The Duett's utility allowed Volvo to continue the wagon's production through the 1969 model year. These were then replaced in some markets by a high-roof version of the Volvo 145 , called the Express . Safari Rally The Safari Rally is an automobile rally held in Kenya . It was first held in 1953 as a celebration of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II . The event
513-636: The event was part of the world championship. Tundo won five editions when the event was part of the African Rally Championship - the 2004, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2018 events. Tundo has also finished on the podium twelve times, ahead of fellow Kenyan Ian Duncan with nine podium finishes. Notes: IMC = International Championship for Manufacturers , WRC = World Rally Championship , 2LWC = 2-Litre World Cup , ARC = African Rally Championship , IRC = Intercontinental Rally Challenge , KRC = Kenya National Rally Championship The East African Safari Rally
540-487: The event. In 1996, the event adopted the special stage format, and servicing cars from helicopters was prohibited. From that edition until 2002, it featured around 2000 km of timed stages, with stages well over 60 kilometres (37 mi) long, unlike most rallies which had under 500 kilometres (310 mi) of total timed distance. This meant that the winner's total time penalty was above 12 hours in 1996 and decreased to two seconds shy of 8 hours in 2002. Despite this,
567-423: The option of European delivery, in which case they could also get a cheaper model with the basic B4B engine. By the 1957 model year, engine displacement was increased to 1.6 L and both single downdraft- B16A and twin side-draught carburetted B16B versions were offered. In 1958, the PV544 was phased in. Subtle differences with the PV444 included the introduction of a curved one-piece windshield to replace
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#1732883468493594-540: The rally continued to be run on open roads. The event was excluded from the WRC calendar due to a lack of finance and organisation in 2003. From the 2003 edition, the event became part of the African Rally Championship . The event was modernised, with shorter stages and running on closed roads - like other events in the World Championship. Two editions of the rally - 2007 and 2009 - were also part of
621-417: The roughness of the terrain and the long stages meant that the winner was often the most reliable or the fastest cautious driver. In later years, top rally teams would use helicopters to fly ahead of the cars to warn of animals or other vehicles on the rally route. Teams built specially strengthened cars for the event, with bullbars , snorkels (for river crossings) and bright lights to warn wildlife. In
648-463: The two panes of flat glass, larger taillights, and a ribbon-type speedometer . The 444's three-speed manual transmission was also supplanted by a four-speed unit in the 544. The interior was modified to accommodate five people instead of four by increasing the width of the back seat and using thinner backrests on the front seats. The next significant change occurred in 1962, when the B16 was replaced by Volvo's new B18 engine , initially developed for
675-434: Was Volvo's first unibody car. Its body structure was influenced by the 1939 Hanomag 1.3 litre, which was purchased and studied by Volvo engineers. It was also the first Volvo in almost 20 years to come with a four-cylinder engine (earlier models had used side-valve straight sixes ). The first PV444s were powered by 40 PS 1.4 L inline-four engines designated B4B , with three main bearings, overhead valves, and
702-488: Was essentially a twin carb version of the B4B. These two engines were nearly identical, except for the induction systems. The B14A carb system was supplied by the British SU Carburettor concern and the carbs used were designated HS2. These diminutive carbs, familiar to any English sports car fan, improved the acceleration and overall performance of the B4B which in turn accomplished Volvo's corporate desire to make
729-633: Was part of the World Rally Championship from 1973 until 2002, before returning in 2021. It is historically regarded as one of the toughest events in the World Rally Championship , and one of the most popular rallies in Africa. From 2003, a historical event ( East African Safari Rally ) has been held biennially. It was first held from 27 May to 1 June 1953 as the East African Coronation Safari in Kenya , Uganda and Tanganyika , as
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