Volvo S80 V8: Spotted
A stately Swedish sleeper with unexpected Nobility...
But Volvos aren't simply sold to those who care to keep a reign on their fuel costs. They are sold to Americans also. So when Volvo brought out the second generation S80 based on the P3 platform, having just the standard 3.2-litre petrol wasn't going to cut it. They needed a V8, especially if they wanted to be taken seriously as a luxury car maker.
Trouble is, Volvo's engines have been transversely mounted ever since it made the decision in the 90s to abandon rear-wheel drive set-ups. And, as V8s traditionally have quite a large 'valley', they aren't particularly suited to such a layout. The only solution was to mount the engine in front of the lead axle.
To do this, the team designed a much narrower vee angle of 60 degrees, but that's not great for smoothness - a must for an executive car - so they had to fit a balancer shaft to sort that out. Then there was the issue of where to build it. Enter Yamaha.
Yamaha Motor Corporation has been in the engine development and building game for years. Previous credits include the 1.7 Zetec-S unit used in our Shed Ford Puma. Since it already had a contract with Ford, Volvo's owner at the time, Yamaha seemed like a natural fit.
The result was something of a sleeper. A handsome, solid, if slightly staid, Volvo exterior matched with a raucous exhaust note and V8 power. 0-62 mph was a very un-Volvo like 6.5 seconds and the top speed was 155 mph to match its German rivals. Autocar at the time wrote that, despite the engine's placement, it wasn't some nose heavy monster and had, in fact, a rather 'coherent feel' on twisty roads. Read that as boring - but then it does have all-wheel drive and a reputation for protecting its occupants from danger to uphold.
The trouble is, if you are looking at one of these, you'll no doubt have one eye on sensible stuff such as running costs, and with fuel economy of just 23mpg and annual road tax costs here in the UK of £530 per year, it's going to make you wince. This is perhaps why they are such a rarity on our roads. The ad claims it is one of only 113 left, which sounds eminently believable.
Is it Spotted material though? Well, since you've read all the way to the bottom, it would only be decent of me to come up with something here. I guess there is always something to having a 'Q' car. The sort of thing you can waft around in as you easy up to the red light in one of the world's most conservative cars, before leaving all those showboating hot hatch owners in the dust of your Volvo saloon. And there's also something quite appealing in being able to claim that you own a saloon with a supercar engine. It's true, after all. Well, kind of. This S80 shares a fair bit of its engine with the 200mph Noble M600. Now that's the making of some good pub banter...
VOLVO S80 V8
Engine: 4,400cc, V8
Transmission: 6-speed automatic, four-wheel drive
Power (hp): 315@5,950rpm
Torque (lb ft): 325@3,950rpm
MPG: 23
CO2: 293g/km
First registered: 2007
Recorded mileage: 108,000
Price new: £39,135
Yours for: £8,500
See the full ad here.
Max Adams
For the money:
S8 https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Phaeton LWB https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
CLS 500 https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
750i https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
S4 Convertible https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Cayenne https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
LS460 https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
For the money:
S8 https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Phaeton LWB https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
CLS 500 https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
750i https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
S4 Convertible https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Cayenne https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
LS460 https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
For the money:
S8 https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Phaeton LWB https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
CLS 500 https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
750i https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
S4 Convertible https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Cayenne https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
LS460 https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Now trying to work out how an Audi S8 with a Lambo V10 engine fits into this category and how I might sell this concept to my dear lady wife!!
For the money:
S8 https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Phaeton LWB https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
CLS 500 https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
750i https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
S4 Convertible https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Cayenne https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
LS460 https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
For the money...
Phaeton LWB https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201... - No. Sitting in a Phaeton is like a 1980's Granada. Not nice.
CLS 500 https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201... - The first gen CLS's have never done anything for me. Great engine though.
750i https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201... - The new shape 7 came out in 2009, that's where my money would go.
S4 Convertible https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201... - Go on then.
Cayenne https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201... - You're good thanks.
LS460 https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201... - Put a panama hat on the rear shelf & drive it like you stole it. Superb car.
My two additions to your very comprehensive list...
XF 4.2: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
W221: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
The one not to choose if you're worrying about running costs would be the S8. The S4 would possibly be up there for low running costs with the Lexus.
Brakes go without saying, as these are heavy cars. However, that all depends on how/what you're using it for. Geartronic do have their known issues. I'm not sure if this is the same gearbox though. V8 will be juicy compared to a diesel. However, again, it depends how it's being used and the D5 is still a high-powered diesel variant, so may not be as frugal as expected.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www4.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20...
I don't want to alter the bulkhead and would love it to be under a round nose, not a clubby. It looks quite compact:
Length 754 mm
Width 635 mm
Dry weight 190 kg (420 lb)
Only about half as much again as an 'A' series and almost down to a Honda B18 or Vauxhall XE red top say?
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