Born to be brilliant
1983 Volvo 340GL Auto
Engine 1397cc/4-cyl/ohv Power 71bhp@5500rpm Top Speed 91mph Fuel economy 32mpg
Work done
Electrical gremlins traced and new loom grafted in. My low-mileage variomatic Volvo is now fully up and running after electrical shenanigans. It is fantastically counterintuitive; the first car I have driven (since the 1904 Vauxhall on the London to Brighton run) that has given me a truly new driving experience. You plant your foot to 3000rpm and wait for the speed to catch up… it is magnificently bonkers – well done Holland.
I have also met a band of brothers, extremely important if you are to play with a car that tests your knowledge. They belong to the Volvo Owners’ Club and have created a corner devoted to all things 300 series. Two of the team, Volvo engineers Mac Macfarlane and Robbert Jan Veraa, have set up a not-forprofit company, Born Built Beauties, for the 300 range. Everything from hoses and seals to valve kits and even brake components have been remade from top
materials. Mac has written superb manuals explaining the 300 series IN ENGLISH and his layman’s guide to the CVT transmission system is, quite simply, brilliant.
I’ll also be heading over to the DAF factory in Holland where it was built in 1983 later in the year…. Back to Born in a beauty.