The Volvo PV36, popularly known as Carioca stands out of all the other Volvo cars in terms of looks as well as features. The Carioca is very famous in the auto industry considering there were very few models built and Volvo being a small manufacturer makes it even more special.

This year the Carioca completes its 75th year. There have been quite a few allegations of this car being a copy of Airflow by Chrysler, let us make this clear, this isn’t the case. The debate over these two cars has been going on for ages and although Chrysler was the first to launch its model, it doesn’t necessarily mean Volvo copied its style. It is perhaps the timing of the launch as Volvo launched it a year after.

During the early 1930s most of the Volvo cars were conventional and offered very little in terms of variety and this had an effect on the sales figures too. Most of these cars were designed by Helmer MasOlle. The Volvo PV36 however had no contribution whatsoever from the artist and the entire styling was done by Ivan Ornberg, with very little to no interference from anyone else, including the founders. This car was launched in 1935.

The Carioca featured the latest six cylinder engine and it was quite a powerhouse. The standout feature of this car were the headlights which very traditional yet classy. This car was definitely a refreshing change for many as it managed to divert from the traditional design of Volvo.