Big is beautiful
Chaos currently surrounds my cars. The project Toyota Sera is being less useful than hoped. The Renault Twingo is awaiting a new engine. The Merc SLK is enduring a mid-spring recommissioning. And the Mazda RX-8 is suffering from a sticky brake caliper. So obviously, getting another car wasn’t the answer. And yet, somehow, returning the DS to owner Chris resulted in a battered Volvo 740 automatic – complete with towbar – joining the Kilpatrick fleet.
Apparently, there are two traditions with Volvos, and I encountered the first one almost immediately. CCW’s sister publication, Practical Classics, needed a trailer to bring the famous ‘Skippy’ Austin Maestro back from the NEC; arranged from local firm Barnwell Trailers, it’s apparently only £60 for a day’s hire (collect Saturday, return on Monday), something that has been noted for future projects. Unfortunately, PC’s towcar was nowhere to be found. The phone rings. ‘Richard, did I hear that you’ve got a Volvo? Does it have a towbar…?’
Even with lots of miles (the odometer doesn’t work, so 147,000 is a charming lie), the remarkably nimble (by modern standards) Swede hauled the four-wheel trailer without fuss. I’m hoping for an otherwise trouble-free experience with this one, mostly because I cannot take any more broken cars at this point! However, the loss of a 2009 car has convinced me that I’m sticking to old, simple designs for the most part.
And the second tradition? Well, this Volvo has already got the thumbs-up from me, so it was a delightful surprise to receive another thumbs-up, this one from the driver of a white 740 travelling in the opposite direction.
Cars are nothing without community, and it feels like the Volvo comes with one of the best.