Vintage Volvo on Display at Museum of Industry

In 1963, the first Volvo manufactured in Canada rolled off the assembly line in Dartmouth bearing the license plate number 0-00-01.

Forty years later it has a home at the Museum of Industry in Stellarton. On Saturday, Sept. 20 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the museum will celebrate Nova Scotia's link with the assembly of Volvos.

In June of 1963, a long-abandoned sugar refinery on the Dartmouth shore of the Halifax Harbour was singing the sweet music of a new industry -- the humming of motors and the rat-a-tat-tat of the riveting gun were the sounds the assembly line at the new Volvo plant.

The first European car manufactured in Canada, a stunning black four-door model with a cruising speed of 70 to 75 miles per hour, boasted 33 miles per gallon of gasoline. A throng of dignitaries witnessed the birth of the new venture, including Prince Bertil of Sweden who attached the plate 0-00-01 with a golden screwdriver.

The newly established automobile assembly plant for Volvo (Canada) Limited began with a workforce of 75 that grew to 250 workers by 1964. It achieved an annual production of 5,000 cars.
The cars cost between $2,800 and $3,700.

The ice-free harbour, factory space with wharfage sufficiently large to handle any freighter, a rail siding, and a good supply of trained workers added to the incentives offered by Nova Scotia's Crown corporation, Industrial Estates, to convince Volvo to set-up residence in Nova Scotia.

On Saturday, Sept. 20, the Museum of Industry will host a special celebration of Volvo and the automotive industry in Canada. The East Coast Vintage Volvo Club, with members from across Nova Scotia, will display more than 12 of their vintage Volvos. Other special displays include a unique collection of antique toys and cars, Nova Scotian vintage license plates dating from 1923 to 1966 and a mint condition collection of wheel covers.

The fun will also include a children's program area with colouring and with toy car rides. Young and old will enjoy an automobile quiz with a chance to win a $50 gift basket. Visitors are invited to try beating the clock on an assembly line game by putting together a miniature wooden car as it rides along the conveyor belt. Cake and coffee will be served from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Regular admission will be charged.