Chassis No.: 164698

Engine No.: 1892572

Registration: EPV 86H

The 72 year old London-based owner of this Peking to Paris Volvo, was taken ill at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in early March. As a long-term patient of University College of London Hospital’s internationally respected Haematology team, he walked into the hospital on a Sunday afternoon feeling unwell. Within 24 hours his condition had deteriorated so rapidly that he was moved into the Intensive Care Unit and had to be resuscitated while his partner and daughter looked on. He was subsequently hospitalised for a fortnight before being discharged to recuperate at home in isolation, and thankfully has now made a full recovery.

‘If it wasn’t for the skill and care of the UCLH Haematology team and their ICU colleagues, I simply would not be here today', he said. ‘UCLH is truly a world-class medical institution and I feel very fortunate to have been a patient there. Whoever buys the Volvo will have the satisfaction of knowing that the whole of the price they pay will go towards UCLH's cutting-edge haematology research. Plus they’ll get a very well-prepared rally car with a great history which is ready for further adventures anywhere in the world.'

This 1970 registered Volvo 144 was turned into a rally car in 2010 by Amazon Cars of Brundish, Suffolk by proprietor Rob Henchoz for his own use in the 2012 London to Cape Town World Cup Rally in which it finished a very creditable 6th overall. The car was then reconditioned by Amazon and resold, the new owner entered her in the 2013 Peking to Paris Motor Challenge rally where it finished 11th overall. The Volvo was again reconditioned by Amazon and sold to a competitor in the 2016 Peking to Paris Motor Challenge where it was used as a replacement car for the European leg of the route, again finishing without any trouble. Reconditioned for a third time by Amazon and stored until a service was carried out recently, this competitive Volvo is ready to compete around the globe once again.

To be expected of such a reliable car, this Volvo has a highly strengthened shell with uprated suspension and brakes, underbody protection, ‘Safari’ bull bar and a roll cage. All the fuel and brake lines run within the body of the car and she is also fitted with twin aluminium foam-filled fuel tanks located above the rear axle for safety and stability reasons. The two litre B20 engine was rebuilt by Amazon and uprated some 5,000 miles ago with many new parts including lightened flywheel, ceramic-coated free flow exhaust system, a four-speed gearbox and a limited slip differential.

Many original and well thought out modifications have been carried out to make ‘on rally’ maintenance easier, for example, a built-in air compressor has been fitted, a document safe and twin fuel pumps. The net result of all this work is a Volvo 144 that is eligible to compete in a number of significant rallies around the world; the generous vendor has stated he would be happy to advise any new owner how best to achieve this.

https://www.historics.co.uk/auction/lot/?lot=6627&au=57