A celebration of Volvo’s 60th anniversary in North America brought together vintage cars and celebrities Saturday night at Paramount Pictures Studios in Hollywood, including entertainment by comedian and vintage Volvo owner Jay Leno (who also owns a few other classic cars).
More than 300 guests were treated to Scandinavian fare and a collection of new and historic Volvo vehicles, which included a 1928 PV4, Volvo’s first covered car; a 1955 PV444, the first Volvo exported to the U.S.; a 1957 Volvo Sport (P1900) limited-production sports car; and the 1967 P1800S driven by Roger Moore in the ’60s hit television series, “The Saint.”
Volvo history was on display with a series of Volvo-branded shops created in the facades on Paramount’s City Streets back lot, with such presentations as the Volvo Cars Art Gallery featuring a collection of Julius Shulman-inspired photos starring Volvos past and present taken recently by Ann Street Studios at iconic locations around Los Angeles, where the first Volvo was imported in 1955.
Shulman was an American architectural photographer whose work spread California mid-century modern style around the world.