At the time of its launch, there was scarcely a car in existence that was more practical than the model Volvo unveiled exactly 50 years ago, in summer 1953. Half a century and millions of estate cars later, the concept of practicality still remains the talking point of these Volvo cars.

July 4th 2013 marks the 60th anniversary of the Volvo Duett - Volvo's first series-produced estate car and the starting point of the company's proud estate car tradition.

The PV445 was the bare chassis version of the PV444, but with a separate chassis frame instead of the 444 unitary construction. Its mechanical design and frontal appearance, however, were identical to the PV444 except for an additional bar in the grille.