On my 18th birthday, my dad took me to the garage to choose my birthday present. For me it was pretty simple, on one side I had a late 80´s Volvo 240 and on the other a 1967 Volvo 144S (both cars in pretty good shape). I immediately saw the potential in the 144S. Literally since day 1 I started looking for ways to personalize my car without taking away it's 1967 spirit.

As any other 18 year old would do, I started improving the sound system. At the moment I have a pioneer headset, front and rear sony Xplod speakers, two sony Xplod amplifiers and a 1200W Xplod Subwoofer. All together it throws out around 2000 Watts. After buying 15 inch Volvo rims I tinted the windows, bought 7 inch diamond cut style headlights, Hella foglights and Chrome windshield wipers.

As for the interior, I´ve installed a pair of custom made Sparco Torino style racing seats, Aluminium racing floors, Vinyl roof and dashboard, Grant performance steering wheel, Sparco Chrome Pedals, electric powered windos, an Autometer tachometer, three Autometer Gauges and finally neon interior lighting for when the mood strikes. Right now I´m expecting a Sparco Speed Chrome shift knob and a exhaust flame thrower kit I´ve ordered from the states.

I´m proud to say that all the modifications have been done by myself. I can't say its easy, but anyone so attached to a car knows how hard it is to trust it on anyone else. As for the engine, I havn't made any significant modifications to it. This 41 year old car can go as fast as 180 Kph.

This 144 was one of the first imported in Perú. It was actually bought by my grandfather in 1968 and later came to the hands of my father, who added the front grill from the newer 140 models. There aren't many 140´s in Lima, they are certainly not as easy to find as the 120´s. Occasionally I may see one on the streets, but to be perfectly honest, I have only seen one that is still kept in good shape. The owner goes to school at the university of Lima, as I do, so sometimes I get to see his 144S in the parking lot. 

As you may imagine, for most guys my age, the ONLY classics worth taking care of are either Mustangs or Camaros, but I´m happy to say that every day I see more 1960´s and 1970´s Volvos on the street. Still, finding replacement parts for my car is a pretty difficult job. I must admit that sometimes it is cheaper to have the parts hand made by mechanics, than importing them. But it is definitively all worth it. 

Needless to say, nothing turns more heads than a beautiful swedish classic roaring down the street. As a law student and intern, most of my collegues find it very important to own a BMW or an AUDI in order to represent success. I must say that I sincerely doubt they would get so many remarks from strangers in the street as I do, congratulating me for my 144S.

My Brother's 1965 Amazon