TVC

World War II was radical in one particular way; for the first time in a war, self-propelled cars, trucks and fighting vehicles (often with good off-road-capability) took over much of the role that the horse-drawn vehicle had previously played.

Progressive vehicles for military use
Volvo, being a progressive company with vast (for the day) resources, naturally played a major part in providing the Swedish armed forces with transport equipment during the period 1939-45. The most advanced vehicles were the TVA/TVB and the TVC, all these three vehicles being heavy towing vehicles for the artillery and anti-aircraft troops.

The TVC was the first all-wheel-drive vehicle ever produced by Volvo. It was based on the TVA/TVB, but with two major changes, forward-control design and the addition of front-axle drive.

Designed for the off-road
Since the TVC was intended for extreme off-road-capability it was natural to try to restrict the total length of the vehicle and also distribute the GVW as evenly as possible between all three axles. For this reason, a very roomy cab was designed to go on top of the engine, also adding perfect vision for the driver and the rest of the crew as well as the other advanced features of this unique all-wheel-drive truck.

The roomy crew-cab was an absolutely necessary feature for this vehicle since it was intended not only to tow heavy artillery and anti-aircraft guns but also to bring the complete crew to the site in question. The chassis design was virtually identical to that of the TVA/TVB, being based on a central tube and independent axles, with all six wheels driven and equipped with large off-road-tyres.

A long time servant
The engine of the TVC was identical to the engine of its predecessor TVB, a 7.6 litre petrol engine with 140 bhp. The TVC became quite popular for its intended duties, and had quite good cross-country mobility, despite the fact that it was heavy in the front, sometimes causing the steering wheels to dig themselves down into soft ground, a disadvantage that was, however, compensated by the very good traction of the two driving rear axles.

The TVC was used for a very long time by the Swedish armed forces. It was revised on more than one occasion, with, for instance, an improved cab with larger windows and even better vision for the crew. The 'FBT' engine was also replaced by an extremely powerful 10-litre petrol engine which had been developed from the diesel engine used for the 'L39 Titan' heavy-duty truck.