Swedish cars

[sp_clark]

Re: Swedish cars

Late model Saab 96's had the German Ford V-4 engine replacing the earlier 2-strokes.

Yep, and starting with the 1973 Sonett III as well.

First 99's had half the V-8 from the Triumph Stag, tilted somewhat to gain some clearance under the sloping hood.

Traded a 1967 Triumph GT-6 for my first 99 early in '70. That one had the freewheeling trans; a cousin bought one a little later, blew it up trying to lay rubber down by popping the clutch.

(in retirement) discovered the road holding on a Mini…

Which one?

That GT-6 came after the '65 1275-S Mk I my dad & I bought late in 1966.

Less than a year old it had 18,000 miles on the clock, had two 7" & two 5" Lucas headlights on a bar in front of the grille with another 5" mounted on a through-roof gimbal. Those front lights took a toll on the head though, soon discovered a crack between cyl. 2 & 3 valves. With the radiator behind the left front wheel it clearly wasn't up to the North American climate. 1-2 synchros were mostly gone too... but it was gangs of fun in the winter!

[AndanteEd]

Re: Swedish cars

“Rune drove a Volvo, but later he bought a BMW. You just couldn’t reason with a person who behaved like that.”

Fredrik Backman, A Man Called Ove

Hmmm, as I think about it my wife's last car was a Volvo. She currently has a BMW

She can seldom be reasoned with either...

[Jim Bow]

Re: Swedish cars

1965: the racing world gets rocked
Jim Clark at Indy & the Singh brothers in East Africa

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[stromborg]

Re: Swedish cars

. With the introduction the the XC series, according to foreign car repair shops around here, Volvo blew past Audi as the most expensive car for repairs. As an example, instead of putting an access panel in the back floor, replacing a fuel pump requires removing the entire rear suspension assembly, then the tank. One friend refers to the "$1500 oil change" as when they're brought in to get the oil change they find so much else wrong.

The dreaded bad fuel pump (one of two in this vehicle!) was the deathblow for a '98 XC70 I had in my care for a brief period. A quick google search will reveal exactly where to cut the read decklid to access the pump but the car died while it was living with daughter #2 in Arizona (in retrospect, not a great vehicle for a non-mechanically inclined 23 year old) and had already consumed way too many dollars in maintenance costs. I really liked driving it when it ran. There are still a lot of them running around the island, taunting me.

[AndanteEd]

Re: Swedish cars

1994 - Volvo entered 850R estates (wagons) into the British Touring car championships:

Apparently it was more for marketing than any particular racing advantage. It helped to change the image of Volvo estates

[Scary Borg Craft]

Re: Swedish cars

The 850R was a lot of fun. The shipyard used to have one of those and a standard 850 as crew and pool cars.

More than a few 200 series still running around here more common the 700s. Volvo Truck and Bus plant the biggest local employer.

Always fancied a 96 shortnose, missed out on one a few years back with a V4 fitted, uprated brakes and gearbox. My neighbour had a rusty shell behind his barn, thought it was worth a fortune, so never accepted any offers for it; ended up paying to have it removed.

[sp_clark]

Re: Swedish cars

1965: the racing world gets rocked
Jim Clark at Indy....

'The Flying Scot' a hero of mine, killed a day after my 19th birthday in 1968 in a Formula 2 race at Hockenheim Germany.

Rumor had it then it was birds he hit that caused his Lotus to leave the track. Investigators later though it may have been a deflating rear tire instead.

[John Meachen]

Re: Swedish cars

Volvos of that era were simple, honest, rugged transportation - completely unlike what they are today, though the god-awful V6 in the 260 series was a precursor of later tendencies. With the introduction the the XC series, according to foreign car repair shops around here, Volvo blew past Audi as the most expensive car for repairs. As an example, instead of putting an access panel in the back floor, replacing a fuel pump requires removing the entire rear suspension assembly, then the tank. One friend refers to the "$1500 oil change" as when they're brought in to get the oil change they find so much else wrong.

Would that have anything to do with the Ford influence?It has been mentioned elsewhere that they have a tendency to make use of available space with scant regard to later repairs.

[leikec]

Re: Swedish cars

My Volvo 144 was indestructible.

Jeff C

[Rapelapente]

Re: Swedish cars

I had a Volvo 760 turbo up to 1990. The one with the formal roof.
Fantastic car with minimal maintenance up to 200 k Km.
Then this beauty saved my life in a terrible accident where only the habitacle kept it's shape.
I bought a C70 convertible in 2011, with now 100k Km, with only oil/ tires/ break pads change.



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[Ted Hoppe]

Re: Swedish cars

The S70 Turbo Volvo still remains in the family. My son has it on the east coast as his car while in Navy. A great car. One would be hard pressed to find a more comfortable euro sedan with a nice trunk. 240 hp - 28mpg.


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[hawkeye54]

Re: Swedish cars

My Volvo 144 was indestructible.

Jeff C

As was our 1973 Volvo 145 - we drove it from Palm Springs, CA to Oxnard, CA with the engine performance getting worse and worse. By the time we got to the dealership, we could only get the speed up to 15 MPH. The car was still new, under warranty, and the Service Manager went to pay our tow truck driver (never stopped to call one / newborn baby in the car) It turned out that the camshaft was defective, and all the lobes were worn down 'except' an intake valve cam lobe , which allowed us to limp home. After repair, that car went with us to Chicago, Philadelphia , Florida , and back to Chicago. Great / tough car ! !

[Garret]

Re: Swedish cars

Would that have anything to do with the Ford influence?It has been mentioned elsewhere that they have a tendency to make use of available space with scant regard to later repairs.

Hard to say. The XC70 came out in 2000 & Ford bought Volvo in 1999. Was that enough time to screw things up so badly?

In fairness, few people want basic transportation today as they like heated seats, power windows, etc.

[michigangeorge]

Re: Swedish cars

I had a 142 and a 144. Both wonderful cars and I wish a still had one. 1st wife kept one, 2nd wife kept the other. 3rd wife had an S70 & S 60 - not nearly the same quality as the earlier cars but she (3rd wife) hung around for 32 years :-)

[Jim Bow]

Re: Swedish cars

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https://silodrome.com/paul-newman-volvo-v90-ls2-v8-volvette/