Friday 22nd May 1953

Volvo introduced the Philip prototype, a large sedan looking very much like the US-built Kaiser. The American influence was more than skin deep. Under the Philip’s clamshell hood was a Volvo-designed 3.6-liter V-8 engine that sent 120 horsepower to the rear wheels via an automatic transmission. The Philip remained a one-off model that was never approved for production, but Jan Wilsgaard, the man who drew it, again looked across the Atlantic when he penned the Amazon a couple of years later.