Otto and I got back very late at night – well, I suppose early morning, really – from that Hemmings Rally that we used as an excuse to drive our plucky Nissan Murano CrossCab and give me a chance to really test the tolerances of my kid when it comes to spending time in marginal cars with me, which we’ve done an awful lot of this year. The CrossCab actually did great, but there’s some other cars I want to show you because, duh, that’s why we’re here, right? And one is that orange Volvo.
The rally wasn’t huge, but there was a nice set of interesting vintage cars; I suppose maybe it was like 40% older/interesting, and then the rest were new, fast things, largely dominated by modern Porsches. Oh, and then the CrossCab, of course.
A couple of the vintage cars were sleepers, looking nice and vintage but having some significant changes under the hood. This is, of course, one of my favorite general categories of cars, thanks to how much they lend themselves to satisfying underestimation. Anyway, this Volvo 242 was one of them.
Looks like a nice 242, right? In a proper shade of Traffic Cone Orange, nice reasonable transportation for college anthropology professors or something. And the pair that were driving this one seemed to fit a charming father and daughter combo who made the wise choice to bring along a bunny, which was named Oto, which, of course, delighted my Otto:
So, what’s under the hood of this Volvo? Here’s a clue:
Huh, 6.0 seems a much bigger number than what you usually find there, right? That’s because it’s not one of those Volvo red blocks in there, it’s one of these:
Yep, a Corvette engine! Sure, an LS swap is probably what you guessed anyway, but it’s still nice to see how well this works and how cleanly it fits in this orange brick’s engine bay. Plus, this car is a daily driver, which just makes it even better.
Remember that BMW 1600 I showed you last time?
Sure you do. It’s charming. It had a lot more than 1600 cee-cees under its hood:
Two more cylinders, and a lot more tech. Also a really clean fit! These are impressive builds!
There were a number of other really fantastic cars that showed up, like this not-quite-an-XR4Ti:
I say it’s not quite a Merkur XR4Ti because it’s the OG version, a Ford Sierra RS Cosworth:
Who doesn’t get excited seeing these and their massive wings?
This Alfa was one of my favorites, too. I had a lot of favorites, I suppose. But this little Giulia Sprint GT was a charmer, and let’s take a moment to appreciate these taillights:
Lovely things.
This immaculate gold 928 was also wonderful, and allowed me to introduce my child to the magic of the Car with Rear Sun Visors.
But enough good cars! Let’s enjoy some shots of the CrossCab!
Look how at home the CrossCab is next to an NSX. Two-car garage dreams, right?
Big, beautiful skies are best enjoyed in a convertible, right? Well, maybe a convertible where the top reliably opens and closes would be better, but you know, can’t have everything.
These are lovely pictures. How’s your tolerance for something a bit more, um, grisly? If low, then just scroll past to the comments, because I’m gonna show you a notable thing we saw that maybe you don’t want to see. Here it is at a distance so you can judge; it involves what seems to be roadkill, so, again, scroll past the next two pics if you’d rather avoid that.
No, I didn’t hit that animal. It’s a boar, and I’m sure it’s just sleeping.
Sleeping very stiffly. I’ve never seen a dead boar by the side of a road before, so this was new for me. It looks like it rolled there but was remarkably intact; these are pretty rugged beasts!
There’s another rugged beast. It’s hard not to notice the proportional similarities of the CrossCab and that unfortunate boar there, too. I bet they handle about as well on the twisty roads.
RIP boar.
That Volvo is awesome, props to the owner! I can’t understand people that considered LS Swaps played out, I have removed 2 engines in my life and replaced one, keep in mind that replacement was a stock engine from a junkyard, I am constantly impressed that people shoe horn OTHER engines into engine bays. Seems like a guy who freakin loves his Volvo and I am here for it. Someday, I endeavor to perform an engine swap, and I guarantee you it will be an “easy one”, that is well documented.
That Sierra takes me back many years when I drooled over it in the annual roundup of all cars on the market in some auto mag.
That was one of my favorite cars when I was a kid. My mom managed a bookstore which happened to sell British car mags, and I’d get to take home the extras. I fell in love with it through CAR and others at age 4…still have them all.
Nice. Mine got tossed many years ago. I wonder if PDFs have been made.
My other favourite was the Aston Martin Lagonda. It evoked mixture of love, fear, and revulsion.
Used to be in the Volvo Club of America. Their meets were nerdy, stodgy, and fun.
They run an autocross sometimes. A guy shows up with a 2 door Volvo wagon. Those don’t exist normally.
I don’t know what it had for an engine, but it ran the autocross like a freaking Fast and Furious Turbo Subra. I I have forgotten the name of the mental patient that cobbled together that monstrosity.
I have since learned that this is “A Thing” and I support it all the way.
Jason, it was great to meet you and Otto. Y’all are great. And thanks for the pics and words! Hope to see you out there again sometime soon, maybe in that 2CV or Beetle?
That’s my Volvo, and I just want to answer some questions and add a few details.
It’s been my daily driver for the past 8 years and 60k+ miles. It’s been on multiple huge road trips and vintage car rallies with my family of 4 (and pet rabbit) inside, as far as Utah, Idaho, Oregon, up and down the California coast multiple times. There’s a lot of work in that car that I’ve tried my best to hide. Ford 8.8″ rear end, 4L60E trans, LQ4 6.0L engine, Bilsteins with custom springs on adjustable perches, functioning heat and A/C, 6 pot Brembos off a Toureag in front, Mustang Cobra floating calipers in the rear, behind 2007 Dodge Charger 17″ steel wheels. Some good chassis bracing and heim joints, adjustable suspension parts, custom 1 piece driveshaft. And of course, IPD sways. Most of it bought used off Craigslist. It’s very much a budget build. All-in, I have around $15K in it, including the orange Recaro spectrum seats.
As for why- well, I have a few vintage cars, and I want to drive them every day. But I have a lot less time on my hands for repairs and maintenance than I used to. I needed something with enough power to keep up with modern traffic, reliable enough for every day, reasonably comfortable and safe enough (compared to my Karmann Ghia), quiet enough to take a call inside, and able to be built for under $10K. Bonus points for American drivetrain parts that can be bought at any local parts shop wherever the road trips take us.
Call LS swaps boring and played out if you want, but it’s hard to argue that it just works, for cheap, forever. I didn’t choose this engine to impress. I chose it because it was the best option for this.
That is one of the coolest cars I’ve ever seen. Well done.
Excellent work.
It’s perfect- nice execution sir, great combo and parts selection. All that and like you said, parts availability basically everywhere.
These motors just work, and sound great in the process.
People suggesting BMW v-10 and whatever else just don’t get it. You actually use the car.
Kudos
I can’t look at a Volvo now without imagining those wheels on a Ferrari
No Volvo 100/200/700/900 series wheels ever looked like that, but a cool touch to fit the original old centercaps to them! 😀
Every single car pictured : Nothing but taste!
Oh I am serious.
Wait until you see the Volvoghini…
Joke in there using lipstick and pig…but no words are coming forth
That’s because the pig is dead on the side of the road. RIP
You’re right. I did guess LS swap. Traffic Cone Orange is not my favorite color on those, and I thought later models looked better with halogen bulbs behind rectangular lenses. Bet it’s a hoot to drive, though. That was a beautiful 928 and the Alfa looked pretty too.
That construction equipment orange Volvo had me guessing there would be a Cummins diesel in there. Probably converted to running on fry oil.