This 1965 Volvo 121 was purchased new by actor Paul Bettany’s great aunt on May 1st, 1965, from Brooklands of Bond Street, London, and it remained registered to her until it was purchased by Paul in 1998. The right-hand-drive car passed an MOT inspection shortly before it was imported to the US in 2006. It wears a Pearl White finish over red vinyl upholstery, and power is provided by a 1.8-liter inline-four paired with a four-speed manual transmission. Vredestein tires were installed in January 2024, and work performed in June of the same year included adjusting the steering box, carburetor, valves, and ignition points, performing fluid services and a cylinder compression check, and replacing braking and cooling system components. This 121 is now offered by the seller on behalf of the owner at no reserve with Vermont registration.
The car is finished in Pearl White (79) and features a split front grille, grille badges, bodyside moldings, mud guards, and chrome bumpers with overriders. Electrical repairs were recently performed on the exterior lighting. Photos of paint meter readings are provided in the gallery, and they indicate the trunk, right-front door, and lower portions of the left doors were repainted.
Steel 15″ wheels wear polished hubcaps and are mounted with Vredestein Sprint Classic tires that were installed in January 2024. The steering box was adjusted in June 2024, at which point the front brake calipers and hoses were replaced along with the brake master cylinder, rear wheel cylinders, rear axle straps, and hard brake lines.
The right-hand-drive cabin features front bucket seats and a rear bench upholstered in red vinyl with perforated inserts, and matching trim accents the doors. The body-color dashboard is topped with a black vinyl pad.
The two-spoke steering wheel wears a leather wrap and features a chrome horn ring. Instrumentation includes a horizontal 120-mph speedometer and readouts for coolant temperature and fuel level. The five-digit odometer shows 48k miles and is said to have rolled over once. Approximately 9k miles were added under current ownership.
The 1.8-liter inline-four breathes through a single-snorkel air cleaner. A coolant service was performed in conjunction with the replacement of the radiator cap, hoses, and fan belt in June 2024. Further work included cleaning and adjusting the carburetor and ignition points, replacing a rocker arm and fuel hoses, and performing a valve adjustment and a cylinder compression test. Results of the aforementioned test can be seen on the associated service record.
A photo of the engine stamp is provided above, and it matches the handwritten engine number in the warranty and service booklet.
Power is sent to the rear wheels through a four-speed manual transmission, and fluid services for the transmission and rear differential were performed in June 2024.
The factory warranty and service booklet contains service notes and mileage entries from new through 1997.