The foundation for the Volvo 140 series was laid in 1960 when the P660 project was started to develop a new, modern car as a successor to the Volvo Amazon. Test runs were performed with a masked car named the Mazuo ZT92, and the total distance for the test runs was about 100,000 Swedish miles, which corresponds to 25 turns around the earth. Volvo's test tracks were therefore expanded to a cost of SEK 2 million. The total development cost for the series amounted to SEK 150 million.

The Volvo 140 series was presented on 17 August 1966 with the Volvo 144 model simultaneously in Gothenburg, Copenhagen, Oslo and Helsinki. Production of the 140 series started on August 19, 1966, and the first mass-produced car was a black Volvo 144 that rolled off the assembly line at Torslandaverken with Volvo's then CEO Gunnar Engellau behind the wheel. In the same year that production started, the Volvo 144 was named car of the year in Sweden. During the summer of 1967, Volvo also presented a two-door version that came to be called: Volvo 142. From 1971, there was also the option to buy the Volvo 142 in its highest equipment level: Volvo 142 Grand Luxe. In 1974, a 142 Grand Luxe cost SEK 28,500. What did you get as extra accessories when you paid SEK 3,600 in addition to the base model? The text below could be read in Volvo's sales brochure from 1974:
Feel free to call it a sporty long-distance wagon. The Volvo Grand Luxe has the temperament for it. It also has a little extra of both performance and comfort, you can almost see it. And you can feel it at the first test ride! The engine is a B20E with continuous fuel injection, which provides high power and high torque. In short – temperament. The interior is sober with e.g. leather in all seat cushions. And if you choose Grand Luxe in metallic paint, you get a car with a little extra elegance. As you can see, this is a car for those of you who really enjoy cars.

We can now present an incredibly nice Volvo 142 Grand Luxe (142GL), painted in Gold Metallic (#105-2) with seats covered in black leather (#669). The car has only driven 7,600 miles and is in incredibly fine condition. This Volvo 142 was sold new by Volvo in Gothenburg to Mr Jonny Nilsson in Alingsås. Until 2012, the car had its home in Alingsås. The car was repainted during the 90s and still maintains a nice shine, apart from a few minor scratches. It is newly inspected with no remarks and is therefore inspected for the future. The car has nice original ATS rims. The car runs fine in the engine and is really nice to drive. The car comes with a lot of documentation.