love this rendering of the humble, but subtly phat and menacing Volvo Amazon.

Volvo must be one of the most misunderstood automotive brands ever created. Tarnished with decades of middle-of-the-road, family focussed earnestness, I’ve always thought there has been something innately stylish about most of the cars the company has marketed.

The 240s, 740s, 850s and V70s had the boxy utilitarianism that was a template for getting the job done. The P1800s meanwhile were rakishly dashing, and many were produced with Jenson DNA here in England.  The C30 remains an interesting little hatchback with a stamp of individuality amongst the cookie cutter mass.

The Amazon may have reminded the world of the stolid end of the Scandinavian identity, but as the creator of the bad-looking Amazon above drew out, there was an element of that clichéd cool sexiness there too. Watch this space for more Scandinavian adventures.