RE: Shed Of The Week: Volvo 940
Discussion
klunkT5 said:
bristolracer said:
Volvo only got interesting when ford took over and some decent chassis were put underneath them.
Take my '80 242 GT, which had a high-lift cam, higher compression ratio, standard height but stiffened suspension and bad-ass auxiliary driving lights, stock from the factory. Apparently rallycross was the thing in the early '80s.
Then there was the R-Sport division, who would fit your 200 series car with Bilsteins, a 16v head, a turbo kit, water injection and an LSD.
Think of them like a Scandinavian M division, and you're not far off.
Volvo were interesting decades before Ford. In fact, I'd suggest that it was Ford who sucked the interest (and the quality) out of the brand, in exchange for some kind of survival.
I think that Volvo were loved by antiques dealers. I think the Volvo and Montego Estate (?) were one of the few cars that had a straight loading bay allowing you to load a wardrobe. A proper 'box' on wheels.
We had a 265 GLE. V6 fully loaded estate. Leather, aircon, electic windows, etc. etc. I think I read that there are only 12 left. Shame, great car.
We had a 265 GLE. V6 fully loaded estate. Leather, aircon, electic windows, etc. etc. I think I read that there are only 12 left. Shame, great car.
J4CKO said:
But why would you, the 2.3 High Pressure Turbo is the pick of the engines in these, the V6 isnt very tunable
960 is a 24-valve straight six and very tunable (basically the same engine as in the S60 Polestar today)... and yes, these Volvos are very cool, and they had fab (heated) seats, I remember...bristolracer said:
Sorry I just dont get this. These cars were nothing special when new, nothing special now. Are we all going to get weepy eyed over a toyota avensis or a nissan almera in 30 years time? So back in the day before the internet, when you picked up Autocar or Motor magazine did they shout out about the Volvo? Safe? yes, practical? yes, interesting? err no! Volvo only got interesting when ford took over and some decent chassis were put underneath them. Really we have to stop looking through rose tinted glasses,just because some of these cars survive does not make them any better now than they used to be. Im not just having a go at this shed, theres been plenty that really were un-remarkable when new and can never be described as anything else now.
The 940 had quite a decent rear-drive chassis, with a composite transverse leaf spring on the rear, like the Corvette and the Triumph Spitfire. It was always perceived in period as a prestige car, not quite in Mercedes territory, but probably the equivalent then to the Audi 100/200/A6. They were very well-equipped, with best-in-class (heated) seats, were competitively priced, and known even then for their safety and build quality. The turbocharged models were also pretty quick, and Volvo North America ran some interesting ads to reflect this (not without a little bravado or hyperbole, in the case of the Countach ad):
Morningside said:
I think that Volvo were loved by antiques dealers. I think the Volvo and Montego Estate (?) were one of the few cars that had a straight loading bay allowing you to load a wardrobe. A proper 'box' on wheels.
We had a 265 GLE. V6 fully loaded estate. Leather, aircon, electic windows, etc. etc. I think I read that there are only 12 left. Shame, great car.
Loved by the painters and decorators also. We had a 265 GLE. V6 fully loaded estate. Leather, aircon, electic windows, etc. etc. I think I read that there are only 12 left. Shame, great car.
I
Also, wasn't there some sort of sport 300 before the 360?
I assumed these were all Scandinavia models only.
drewpasmith said:
I have to disagree on the post-Ford front.
Take my '80 242 GT, which had a high-lift cam, higher compression ratio, standard height but stiffened suspension and bad-ass auxiliary driving lights, stock from the factory. Apparently rallycross was the thing in the early '80s.
Then there was the R-Sport division, who would fit your 200 series car with Bilsteins, a 16v head, a turbo kit, water injection and an LSD.
Think of them like a Scandinavian M division, and you're not far off.
Volvo were interesting decades before Ford. In fact, I'd suggest that it was Ford who sucked the interest (and the quality) out of the brand, in exchange for some kind of survival.
Were these available in the UK? I've seen things like the cars you describe and the 240 Turbo but they aren't in any of my early 80s Volvo brochures.Take my '80 242 GT, which had a high-lift cam, higher compression ratio, standard height but stiffened suspension and bad-ass auxiliary driving lights, stock from the factory. Apparently rallycross was the thing in the early '80s.
Then there was the R-Sport division, who would fit your 200 series car with Bilsteins, a 16v head, a turbo kit, water injection and an LSD.
Think of them like a Scandinavian M division, and you're not far off.
Volvo were interesting decades before Ford. In fact, I'd suggest that it was Ford who sucked the interest (and the quality) out of the brand, in exchange for some kind of survival.
Also, wasn't there some sort of sport 300 before the 360?
I assumed these were all Scandinavia models only.
RoverP6B said:
J4CKO said:
But why would you, the 2.3 High Pressure Turbo is the pick of the engines in these, the V6 isnt very tunable
960 is a 24-valve straight six and very tunable (basically the same engine as in the S60 Polestar today)... and yes, these Volvos are very cool, and they had fab (heated) seats, I remember...bristolracer said:
Sorry I just dont get this. These cars were nothing special when new, nothing special now. Are we all going to get weepy eyed over a toyota avensis or a nissan almera in 30 years time? So back in the day before the internet, when you picked up Autocar or Motor magazine did they shout out about the Volvo? Safe? yes, practical? yes, interesting? err no! Volvo only got interesting when ford took over and some decent chassis were put underneath them. Really we have to stop looking through rose tinted glasses,just because some of these cars survive does not make them any better now than they used to be. Im not just having a go at this shed, theres been plenty that really were un-remarkable when new and can never be described as anything else now.
The 940 had quite a decent rear-drive chassis, with a composite transverse leaf spring on the rear, like the Corvette and the Triumph Spitfire. It was always perceived in period as a prestige car, not quite in Mercedes territory, but probably the equivalent then to the Audi 100/200/A6. They were very well-equipped, with best-in-class (heated) seats, were competitively priced, and known even then for their safety and build quality. The turbocharged models were also pretty quick, and Volvo North America ran some interesting ads to reflect this (not without a little bravado or hyperbole, in the case of the Countach ad):crofty1984 said:
Frimley111R said:
What does that even mean?
It's a toungue-in-cheek manipulation of grammar rules. Such as "She tried so hard" - in which the "so hard" is used as an intensifier.I like the car in question and would like to have ownership of it. Rather than simply writing "I want that", I chose to use the above intensifier to stress the degree to which I like the car, even though it is not technically correct from a prescriptivist standpoint.
The fact that it jars slightly when compared against typical usage was intentional.
Hope that helps.
pSyCoSiS said:
These are interesting cars and quirky in their own way. When you sit in an old Volvo, you appreciate the solid build quality and they put modern cars to shame.
I'm sorry but that's just not true. My girlfriends brother has an old V70 Classic and in my opinion it's terribly screwed together inside. Granted the mechanical engineering is brilliant, but I really don't understand why people say the feel solid inside, I think even a Kia or Hyundai new car would have a better interior than an old Volvo.BrabusMog said:
pSyCoSiS said:
These are interesting cars and quirky in their own way. When you sit in an old Volvo, you appreciate the solid build quality and they put modern cars to shame.
I'm sorry but that's just not true. My girlfriends brother has an old V70 Classic and in my opinion it's terribly screwed together inside. Granted the mechanical engineering is brilliant, but I really don't understand why people say the feel solid inside, I think even a Kia or Hyundai new car would have a better interior than an old Volvo.Skyedriver said:
Sorry but all of my 940 Estates had coil spring rears wth Nivomat self levelling shocks. Not composite leaf spring.
Ah - was it exclusive to the 960 then? Certainly some of that generation of big Volvos had a composite transverse leaf spring.J4CKO said:
What tuning can you do to an N/A straight six that is as cost effective as the 4 cyl turbo?
Strap a turbo to it, is what most seem to do to it... it's a pretty strong motor with a fairly low compression ratio...BrabusMog said:
I'm sorry but that's just not true. My girlfriends brother has an old V70 Classic and in my opinion it's terribly screwed together inside. Granted the mechanical engineering is brilliant, but I really don't understand why people say the feel solid inside, I think even a Kia or Hyundai new car would have a better interior than an old Volvo.
Ford had a good go at wrecking Volvo quality by then. It's the old rear-drive cars that are fabulously solid.If you have never driven a 900 series or have only driven the small engine non turbo versions you cannot appreciate the rest of the range . rumour has it that the exhaust system on the V90 hides around 20 bhp for the tuners.Yes if you try hard enough you can make it wag its tail , much to the amusement of my grandkids ,come snow and ice it will defeat most of the modern rubbish.
wildcat45 said:
Were these available in the UK? I've seen things like the cars you describe and the 240 Turbo but they aren't in any of my early 80s Volvo brochures.
Also, wasn't there some sort of sport 300 before the 360?
I assumed these were all Scandinavia models only.
I'm not sure about the 300s, but...Also, wasn't there some sort of sport 300 before the 360?
I assumed these were all Scandinavia models only.
The 242 GT was an Australian/American special build, although American cars came with a low-compression 2.1 litre, versus the 2.3 of the Aussie cars.
Volvo never made RHD Turbo 240s, as the exhaust manifold ran too close to the steering column.
That being said, I had a 262 C Bertone after the 242, from which I ripped the Dourvin V6 and fitted in its place a B23FT from a 760 Turbo.
It worked, but with worn engine mounts and at full tilt, the manifold would buzz the steering column, a horrible feeling!
Still, looked like a mini Lincoln, went like stink and was enormous fun.
Old Volvo bricks are superb things.
Mum bought a new w124 estate in january 1990, at the same time as dad bought a 240 estate. They both still have them and still drive them (don't see a need to upgrade while they still work perfectly) and are both on around 150k and in superb condition. What's interesting tho is that the Volvo has taken a lot less maintenance than the merc, basically nothing outside it's annual service. Where the merc has needed the wings painted a couple of times, various electrical items and a head gasket.
With both cars however rarely does the phrase 'they don't build them like they used to' feel so apt. The beauty of the Volvo's is that you can jump in one and travel to the far end of the country in reliable comfort despite the number on the clock. Not many 80's cars that can be done in.
Having been raised on a diet of Volvo's since birth I now run an '88 740 as my daily during the summer months. 1 owner before me and bought with 36k miles. Now on 54k and has never missed a beat, and is just a fantastic place to sit for the commute. People either love it or hate it, but let the haters jump aboard their mk4 diesel golf's I say.
Mum bought a new w124 estate in january 1990, at the same time as dad bought a 240 estate. They both still have them and still drive them (don't see a need to upgrade while they still work perfectly) and are both on around 150k and in superb condition. What's interesting tho is that the Volvo has taken a lot less maintenance than the merc, basically nothing outside it's annual service. Where the merc has needed the wings painted a couple of times, various electrical items and a head gasket.
With both cars however rarely does the phrase 'they don't build them like they used to' feel so apt. The beauty of the Volvo's is that you can jump in one and travel to the far end of the country in reliable comfort despite the number on the clock. Not many 80's cars that can be done in.
Having been raised on a diet of Volvo's since birth I now run an '88 740 as my daily during the summer months. 1 owner before me and bought with 36k miles. Now on 54k and has never missed a beat, and is just a fantastic place to sit for the commute. People either love it or hate it, but let the haters jump aboard their mk4 diesel golf's I say.
Shame about the lack of leather. I had loads of lifts in one of these as a kid and for some reason I remember the leather was fixed with what looked like industrial grade pins with inch wide heads - I loved picking at them but never managed to break one off
Edited by SuperHangOn on Monday 11th May 17:49
My dad had a new 240GLT estate in 1985 when I was 7 and which was reliable except my dad broke the gearbox within about 25k miles due to towing using the overdrive.
I remember the gearbox lost first and reverse and we were almost stranded on holiday in Holland with the caravan to tow back. Which it managed using second to move away from a standstill.
When we got home he ordered a new 740gle which I remember felt very luxurious in 1988 compared to my friends parents cars who had cavaliers and sierras.
The following year my dad got a 760GLE which felt much more luxurious. We kept it for 7 years before he got into Saabs.
The only problem with it was the gearbox. Coming out of a junction from a standstill the car did not always resoond to the accelerator. May have been something to do with me revving it in neutral and slamming the stick into drive. Despite all the abuse it took of 7 years towing caravans, it didn't take too well to a mechanically unsympathetic 17 year old driving it.
On the plus side, I vaguely recall the steering to be quite good in respect of the feel and also it felt quite well balanced although it did roll a lot in the corners.
When I subsequently got an e36 320 at 21, the steering feel did not match that of the old volvo (from memory) and although body control was better contained, it didnt feel as much fun to drive.
In short, I like these.
I'd be interested to know how they compare to a w124 in terms of ride and handling, from those of you who have driven both
I remember the gearbox lost first and reverse and we were almost stranded on holiday in Holland with the caravan to tow back. Which it managed using second to move away from a standstill.
When we got home he ordered a new 740gle which I remember felt very luxurious in 1988 compared to my friends parents cars who had cavaliers and sierras.
The following year my dad got a 760GLE which felt much more luxurious. We kept it for 7 years before he got into Saabs.
The only problem with it was the gearbox. Coming out of a junction from a standstill the car did not always resoond to the accelerator. May have been something to do with me revving it in neutral and slamming the stick into drive. Despite all the abuse it took of 7 years towing caravans, it didn't take too well to a mechanically unsympathetic 17 year old driving it.
On the plus side, I vaguely recall the steering to be quite good in respect of the feel and also it felt quite well balanced although it did roll a lot in the corners.
When I subsequently got an e36 320 at 21, the steering feel did not match that of the old volvo (from memory) and although body control was better contained, it didnt feel as much fun to drive.
In short, I like these.
I'd be interested to know how they compare to a w124 in terms of ride and handling, from those of you who have driven both
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