Volvo OV4/PV4
The Volvo ÖV 4 was the first car built by Volvo Car Corporation. The acronym stands for ÖV 4 "Oppen Vagn 4 cylindrar" which means Coach Open to 4 cylinders. The ÖV 4 is occasionally referred to as "Jakob", because it was the name of one of the 10 copies of the pre-series, finished building July 25, the day of St. Jacob, Jakob in Swedish. All 10 prototypes were assembled in Stockholm at the company AB Galco, Hälsingegatan 41 where Gustav Larson was working at the time. Only one of the 10 copies of the pre-series produced during 1926 was saved and is in the Volvo Museum in Gothenburg.
The engine was designed by Gustav Larson, while the frame by Jan G. Smith, a Swedish designer who also worked in the United States.
After the first set of vehicles came from the factory, Mr. Eric Carlberg tried to start the engine, but when I inserted the first, the vehicle went into reverse, because the change had been assembled backwards. The launch date of the ÖV 4 so it was postponed for a day, ie April 14, 1927. This date is of paramount importance, since marked the birth of the Volvo AB, a division of SKF-known manufacturer of ball bearings. In Actually the name Volvo was registered in 1926. ÖV The 4, because of the harsh Scandinavian climate, there was an immediate commercial success, which came, however, with the indoor version, the PV4, introduced in late 1928. Between 1927 and 1929 were produced 966 vehicles.