Here’s a piece of automotive trivia for you the next time you get together with your petrolhead friends: what was the first front-wheel drive Volvo? Give up? It was this car, the 480. If you’re unfamiliar with this hatchback, you might be scratching your head at its existence. Every time I see one of these, I’m instantly reminded of the song from the children’s program Sesame Street: “which one of these things is not like the other….which one of these things just doesn’t belong?” So stark is the difference in the 480’s styling from the rest of Volvo’s lineup at the time, it can’t help but intrigue you.
We like to feature the odd Swedish car here at GCFSB, but the 480 was actually designed by Bertone and built in the Netherlands. The end result was a curious car for a manufacturer known for boxy styling and an emphasis on safety. Taking it’s rear hatch styling from the short lived P1800ES, the 480 was supposed to come to North America but was cancelled at the last minute. Introduced with a 1.7 liter inline-4, a turbocharged, 2.0 liter unit was introduced in 1988, which is what is under the hood of this 480 Turbo for sale in Regensburg, Germany.
Click for more details: 1989 Volvo 480 Turbo on Mobile.de
Year: 1989
Model: 480 Turbo
Engine: 2.0 liter inline-4
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Mileage: 162,804 km (~ 101,162 mi)
Price: €1,200 (~ $1,634 USD)
Very well preserved Volvo 480 Turbo, almost no rust! Minor dent (see photo) and traces of use, technical approval until February 2014.
While the description from the seller is light, at the price, this is an attractive rarity even when one considers the shipping and customs costs to get it here. If you could get in good with a Volvo club in any European state, parts shouldn’t be too terrible to source. A quick scan of eBay UK results in a decent amount of hits when it comes to parts and accessories for this car. Richard Bremner of Car Magazine doted on the 480 for its low weight and good power, something not too common amongst other Volvo models at the time. It might be high time that we get a few of these neat three-doors over here. Imagine the next time you pull up alongside someone in a Volvo C30…
-Paul
Never heard of this car before, but I absolutely love it. If it were stateside I would be putting a deposit down on it as we speak.
Very cool, good find!
Somebody on BAT compared the 400i to one of these. I think the comparison works in this cars favor!
Tempting…