Blown bricks
I was reading in t his magazine a stor y about once overlooked but now classic and sought-af ter cars. For mine, t he Volvo 740/940 turbo wagon would be well up t he list; a 132kW, 2.3 factor y turbomotor t hat families loved before the BMW X5 and the like ex isted.
These Volvos have been crushed in droves or used as donors for turbo swaps into 242s and 240s as they reached 20 years old. And now they are over or around 30 years of age, they are now near impossible to f ind in reasonable condition. Prices are on the way up. They are a nice handling, practica l option t hat a lso has a decent aftermarket if you care to look into it overseas.
Alex Isaac,
Melbourne, VIC Morley Says...
COULDN’T AGREE more, Alex. I love these old fridges and I’ve often wondered why people gave up on the conventional station-wagon in favour of the more expensive, ill-handling SUV. And here’s my big admission for the month: I actually went to the official launch of one of the 740 Turbo variants as a much younger journo in the late 1980s.
I forget where the launch was held, but I do recall discovering that it was John Bowe who did the driving for the TV commercial which included (if I recall correctly) a Volvo turbo doing a dirty big skid. It was all about changing the brand’s image as a bunch of cardiganwearing safety-Nazis. And it worked, for me at least.
Even though 132kW doesn’t sound like much in the context of modern 200kW hot-hatches, back in the day, this was a pretty amazing output and, combined with the turbo’s torque, the Volvo turbo was considered something really quite quick. Certainly quicker than its exterior styling would have suggested. And you’re right; if you get online and have a bit of a dig around Europe, there are some amazing aftermarket hot-up bits and pieces for this engine. I’ve seen them with north of 600 horsepower on stock bottom ends, so there’s no doubting their stoutness.
You’re right, too, that a lot of these cars have been scrapped for their engines to repower 240 sedans and wagons and while that’s a bit of a shame, I’d dearly love a 245 Volvo with a factory sunroof and a wicked-up turbomotor. That hospital green for me, and I’d leave it looking as stock as a rock and ready to embarrass plenty of V8s.
The alternative would be Torrens’ preference which is to drop a Chev LS1 into the old dear. Amazingly, the Volvo 240’s inherent strength, four-wheeldisc brakes and beefy suspension mean that a lot of engineers will happily sign off on such a heart transplant. Fortunately, Torrens’ impecunious financial status (shared by all us freelance journos these days) means he’ll never have the coin to see out this fantasy. And knowing him, that’s probably just as well.
“I’VE SEEN THEM WITH NORTH OF 600HP”