Oldduke wrote--"love that picture of an old Volvo coupe on the summary page of brickboard messages. looks like a 40 ford." The 544 looks like a 1940 Ford because that's the era in which they were designed. The 544 being the 5th revision of a model first introduced in 1944. Volvo sedans of the 1930's showed the obvious influence of American cars and the 444/544 were a continuation of that trend. My first Volvo (in 1975) was a '65 544 with a very healthy B18. It was fun to drive and I even autocrossed it -- but by today's standards (or even by 1970's 240 standards) it is crude in terms of needed maintenance, ventilation, outward vision, etc., etc. Still one of my favorite cars ever. -- Dave