When most people think of a vintage Volvo the image of a boxy but good 140 or maybe even a 122 if their memory goes that far back. What many don’t realize is that the Swedish icon has a history that dates much farther back than the Sixties. In fact, Volvo’s roots date back to April 1927. The first Volvo actually rolled off the line on April 14th, 80 years ago today!
Volvo has released a brief history of their brand over the decades. You can read it after the break. Continue reading →
There was a time, growing up when I built a model car or plane every couple of weeks. As my work improved, I discovered that my detail skills were sadly lacking. I tried and tried, but my hands just weren’t steady enough to get the little stuff right. About the best work I did was when I airbrushed the camo and exhaust streaks on a Supermarine Spitfire.
With that in mind, I’ve always been in awe of the guys like master model builder Dirk Patschkowski who can take a simple plastic kit and turn it into a detailed miniature worthy of a museum. Continue reading →
It’s funny that I should be rattling on about engine swaps in last week’s Carnival of Wheels, and then Frostbite appears in my feeds this morning, courtesy of Hot Rod. Frostbite is a Volvo P1800 that has had a 350 Chevy crate motor shoehorned in where the B20 tractor motor once lived.
Built by Snow’s Hot Rod Shop in Aurora, this beasty lives just a few miles north of here. I may just have to pay Mr. Snow a visit to get a few more shots.
As regular readers know, we love Volvos here in The Garage. New ones, old ones, fast ones and even off road ones. Off road ones? That’s right, Turbobricks forum member Brian Roth has bolted together this big swingin 245 that sits on a Chevy S10 Blazer chassis. The beast is powered by a 3.8 V6 which should be more than enough to make this mini monster motor.
Regular readers of The Garage know that we love the boxy but good style of Swedish haulers, having owned all manner of turbo bricks over the years. Volvo has announced that it’s newest in a long line of wagons, the new V70, will meet the public this March at the Geneva Auto Show.
For the first time ever, Volvo’s flagship wagon will come with a straight six engine, putting out 235 hp. It might be safe to expect a turbo version topping 300 in the next couple of years. As one would expect, this newest offering comes with a number of new safety features including a cool crash warning system.
Some kind soul has gone and posted the Fifth Gear road test of the new Volvo C30 on YouTube, and now we bring it to you. I still love the styling. It’s cool that they’ve included the glass tailgate, just like in the old P1800 ES. The center console looks really cool & the blind spot warning system seems like a great idea.
And Fords and Chevy’s and tons more, but really, there seems to be more Volvos than usual at a vintage event. Coop over at Positive Ape Index has some incredible parking lot shots of the La Carrera Panamerica field, like the P1800 above and a few stories to boot.
Thanks for taking the effort to post Coop. I’m very jealous sitting up here in The Great White North.
Regular readers of The Garage know that I have somewhat of an obsession with old Volvos, especially of the 122 variety. Set in amongst the 3 C30’s is the VOX Amazon. Call it a 125 with a huge attitude. Like 600 hp worth of attitude! Mattias Volk’s killer 125 won the title of Sweden’s Hottest Volvo at a show in Landskrona Sweden last summer. Why not go one step further and crown it the World’s Hottest Volvo Wagon.
Shortly after releasing info about the new C30, Volvo showed some artists drawings of the concepts slated to appear at the 2006 SEMA show. Those 3 drawings showed some creative thinking and the potential for some serious performance. The reality seems to live up to those drawings. Volvo has jsut released a whole host of pics of all 3 beasts. Interestingly, the IPD model (which I expected to be the most real) is the most radical, sporting NOS bottles, tuner sized speaker bank and gullwing doors. The Evolve machine is most definately this most intriguing to me now that I’ve seen the pics. This yellow monster looks ready to hit the track and you can bet that we’ll see it in action in some series next year. I think this is a clear indication of the direction Volvo is planning to take with the C30.
Volvo press release after the break. Also there are tons of pics in the cool new photo gallery we are testing out. Continue reading →
Somebody actually said “Boxy but good” to me today. Of course they were talking about my 740 Turbo Wagon, not the slick new XC90 Sport. To appease those potential customers who crave a bit of go along with the versatily of an SUV, Volvo has added all sorts of goodies to the XC90 V8. Interior and exterior styling bits, sport suspension, exhaust, 19″ wheels and a full techno package ensure that the XC90 Sport will not be mistaken for a soccer mom mobile.
