There has always been a day in our lives when we feel that everything is out of kilter with the entire universe, from the broken alarm clock sitting on the bedside table to the burnt toast we had to choke down for breakfast. And then, when we think that the situation couldn’t possibly get worse—we continually forget the tenets of Murphy’s Law, after all—we slide behind the driver’s seat of our beloved Volvo, reach behind us to put something in the cargo area and schwing!—the coffee mug, seemingly of its own accord, plops right unto the floor. Imagine driving to anywhere in this state. (more…)

Too bad for Kurt Vonnegut he fell upon a rear-echelon Swedish car. Had he engaged in a car dealership business involving Volvo marquees, and wrote about them instead for his “Have I Got a Car for You” essay, he could have said only a few valid complaints, probably enough to preserve the integrity of the work and make him a shoo-in for a Nobel Peace Prize.

Testament to the enduring quality of the carmaker we in this forum all love, Volvo celebrates it jubilee year starting March 29 with a Techno-Classica show in Essen, Germany. Billed “As time goes by—80 years with Volvo Cars,” the show is set to be a visual feast of the Swedish carmaker’s history. Slated to break cover again for the event are eight seminal Volvo models, each representing a decade in the Volvo automotive market. (more…)

Aside from the timing belt, there are a number of other belts inside that complex universe of steel and metal that you call automotive. There are those that one may categorize under safety devices. Among these are seatbelts. Yes, one may find oneself entirely familiar with the term. After all, who doesn’t know what a seatbelt is, much less how to use one? It’s been one of the earliest safety devices of the car that we almost take it for granted.

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