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A Film by Aviv Peres
Tel-Aviv, Israel, summer of 1996:
Uncle Moshe called and said he's selling his old Volvo. I went to his house to see the car, a 1972 144 with an automatic gearbox and a 2-liter engine. Looked too big and sluggish for my needs. I have never returned the car. The ride was absolutely pure fun, not like all those Japanese or Italian cars. This one cruises like a big boat, not interrupted by small gaps in the road. I started to take a big interest in Volvos and went to the Internet. There I found hundreds of VolvoLocos like myself, restoring and driving these magnificent cars. Oh, I forgot to tell you what I do for a living. I make films, documentaries and TV commercials. This is where I made my first Volvo film: Volvo Forever, it's called. It's all about old Volvos in Israel and their owners.
Well, being a Volvo fan can't be complete without a visit to Sweden; Gothenburg, to be exact. So, I flew to Sweden with a video camera, following an invitation from my friend, Peter Jonsson of VROM. Gothenburg welcomed me with the worst weather I have seen in years: strong winds, heavy rain and no sun at all (and they call it "summer"...). Peter came to pick me up at the airport (Volvo V70) and we drove around the city of Gothenburg. Suddenly, the sun came out and I could now start filming (shooting, we say).
The day after, the VROM meeting was on its way. Hundreds of people with their shiny old Volvos flooded the city. It was a beautiful sight: The next day was the rally around the Gothenburg area. Fine weather welcomed the participants and they all lined up on the Bilia (a Volvo dealership) parking lot. The rally was launched, so I hitchhiked with the drivers and took some interesting interviews with them. It's amazing what feelings people have for their cars. If you hear those interviews out of context, you will be sure people are talking about their girls. The rally goes on until we reach the end, with a fine meal and prizes for the winners.
The next day took place at Heden, in the heart of Gothenburg. A huge swap market was established on the grounds of a football field. There you could buy almost anything for your beloved Volvo. I bought a nice grille for my car and then had trouble passing it through airport customs (it looked like a machine gun magazine on the X-ray...). Then it was all over; I had to go back to Tel-Aviv. I said goodbye to Peter and all my new Swedish friends, and went to the airport. I am now working on the film and I will sure come to the '99 VROM meeting to show it. The film will be available on videocasstte for sale. Take care now, all you VolvoLocos; we'll keep in touch.
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Moshe told me to take the car for a few days and then decide.
VROM stands for Volvo Rendezvous for Owners & Members. It's an annual meeting held in Gothenburg for people who admire, restore and preserve old Volvos from all around the world.
all people sharing a love and passion for one particular kind of car. We went to see the Volvo Museum to catch up on history. Later, there was a lovely dinner with music and fine foods.
I went to see my Israeli friend living in Hisingen (an island within Gothenburg). He restored an old 1964 Amazon Combi back in Israel and then brought the car to its original birthplace: Gothenburg, Sweden. Pity, but while standing in the parking lot, his lovely car was burned by thieves. By the time you read this, he will have finished the necessary repairs and be ready to pass the Swedish traffic test.