Classic Ads: 1971 Volvo 144

This is a pretty famous ad. In 1971 Volvo created this publicity photo by stacking seven Volvo 144 sedans very carefully with what looks like specially designed pallets between them. The point was to demonstrate the roof strength of their cars as evidence both of their safety and durability. Volvo ads of this era love to mention that in their home market of Sweden, Volvos lasted an average of 11 years. Modern American cars, not that long ago, were built to have a useful life of about seven years. It's a testament to Volvo reliability that many of their older models are still running around decades after they were built.

This ad appeared in the January 22, 1971 issue of Life magazine.

Found on Craigslist: 1989 Volvo 780 Bertone

A lot of manufacturer tuner and show cars don't survive long past the show circuit. Many aren't street legal or don't have whatever is needed to register them, so they're scrapped as soon as the last photographs are taken and the convention hall lights go out for the final time. And then there are cars like this 1989 Volvo 780 Bertone, a customized coupe which was displayed in the Volvo booth at the 1990 Detroit International Auto Show. The body's in reasonably good shape and features a bodykit and BBS wheels. By modern show car standards it's very conservative, but it's also a Volvo and 1980s Volvos are by definition conservative. This one has 118,000 miles.

Photos courtesy seller - Craigslist

The seller is asking $4500. Is it a quick brick or too much bric-a-brac? Find it here or go here if the ad expires.