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Three things we like here at GCFSB are Swedish cars, fast wagons and manual gearboxes. Sometimes, we are fortunate to come across a combination of these three genres in one package. The last ten years have been good to fans of fast wagons, with choices ranging from the bonkers Cadillac CTS-V Wagon to a hauler that Mercedes-Benz won’t give up on, the E-Class AMG Estate with a bunch of fast Audi Avants in between. Volvo was a bit of an outlier in this game, but nonetheless put forward a quite capable wagon in the form of the V70R in 2003. This wagon had a 2.5 liter, turbocharged inline-5 under the hood cranking out 300 horsepower hooking up to a Haldex all-wheel drive system. And yes, you could order one with a third pedal. Rounding off the package was Volvo’s 4C suspension system and Brembo brakes. This V70R for sale in Richmond, Virginia wears a unique Flash Green hue and has a host of IPD performance upgrades.
Okay, before we get going – yes, I’m aware that Volvos aren’t made in Germany. Worse yet, this Volvo isn’t even made in Sweden. But occasionally we like to showcase some European cousins from the land of Abba, so if you’ll grant me a little leeway we’re going to look at this particular Volvo. As Volvos go, I think the 262C Bertone might be the least attractive made. That’s saying something, since I think the 240 might be the least attractive car of the 1980s. But the 262C was basically gone by the 1980s, and it embodied all of the wrong things of the 1970s. There was the chopped-look that Bertone gave the ungainly coupe. It was always somehow out of proportion to me, and despite the top-tier name I don’t think it’s an attractive design at all. Then there’s the reputation of the parts; assembled by Bertone in Turin, Italy, the 262 also featured the anemic and much maligned Peugeot/Renault/Volvo “PRV” V6. Top that off with a vinyl roof, and the 262C always seemed like a bit of a joke to me – what Swedes thought people in Florida would like if they bought a Volvo. So, I was not upset at all to find that someone had modified one. And when I say modified, it’s hard to see what they left alone:
In case you missed it, Volvo released a stunning concept at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show. The Concept Estate is a modern take on what seems like an extinct breed these days: the shooting brake. The estate car is experiencing a little bit of a resurgence amongst enthusiast communities across the US, mainly due to fast five-doors like the Cadillac CTS-V Wagon and Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG Estate. However, the two-door estate vehicle, or shooting brake, is still a bit too obscure for the mainstream American motoring public. The MINI Clubman is about as close as we’ve seen lately to a two-door estate vehicle, and even that one had a third door on the side.
The Volvo P1800ES was a curiosity, built towards the end of the P1800 run for 1972 and 1973 only, with a little over 8,000 produced. The trademark glass rear hatch would go on to be copied in later Volvo hatchbacks such as the 480ES and C30. This example for sale in New York is a well sorted example in a sharp red orange color that looks idyllic against the autumn backdrop in these photos.
As one who enjoys an oddball motor, I get distracted every time I see a Volvo 480ES. Sort of a hatchback with a bit of shooting brake in its profile, this car was the spiritual successor to the P1800ES of the 1970s. The 480 was an odd duck in the Volvo lineup during the 1980s and into the mid 1990s, manufactured in The Netherlands at the factory that gave us the Daf. This would be the first front-wheel drive Volvo and injected a sporty attitude into the model range at a time where the company was still designing cars with a straightedge and #2 pencil. This 480ES for sale near Hannover, Germany has under 40,000 miles on the clock, making it quite a rarity as few are left in this condition.
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.
