Gordon Ewald with his 1965 S1800 Volvo.

The Only Good-looking Volvo Ever

My old buddy Gordon Ewald, retired co-owner of Ewald-Clark, a photography store downtown in Roanoke, has taken to driving around town in what he calls his "toys."

This seat belt is the first of its kind. Note the ring
at the bottom right that it hooks into. Stable as expected. 

The toys are four antique cars like the Volvo S1800 he was driving or the light blue Sunbeam Alpine (the original James Bond car) he was driving the last time I saw him. 

He always draws a crowd, which, I guess, is the point in owning cars that run into six figures at auction.

This gorgeous little Volvo, daughter of that boxy prototype of the famous family car, is likely the only Volvo anybody ever called "pretty" or "sporty." 

Gordon found it a few years ago on a farm at the bottom of Linville Mountain in Franklin County and bought it for restoration. 

This baby is flawless and Gordon will show it at an international Volvo show this summer. He expects about six S1800s to be in competition and, frankly, he expects to win. He says not many of these 1950s-1960s sporty cars survive because "they were really prone to rust."

Who can argue? 

Gordon's buddy is having a little V fun at his expense.