The History

There are many people who wouldn't think about modifying a Volvo. The idea of boxy and safe mixing with any sort of performance seems rather ridiculous. In the last few years, Volvo has been busy trying to change the perceptions people have about the Volvo automobile. Over the years, we've seen the 850, the 70 series, the 40 series, and also the 80 series. Volvos image of slow and lethargic was cast aside, and a new image of speed and style has emerged. But looking back on Volvos past, they already had some pretty quick cars. The old 200 series turbos were pretty fast in their day and the 700 series were the same. Volvo had a very successful racing career with the 240s, and later the 700s. Unfortunately, the boxy styling and tank-like build didn't do much for the Volvo image. Boxy and safe are the two most common words in describing the older Volvo models. But despite the old Volvo stereotype, there are a few of us that see something else in the old Volvos. There is a lot of hidden potential in these cars, plenty of high-performance substance to work with. A few years ago I joined the TurboBricks email list. I learned a wealth of information about what Volvo Performance was about, and about more importantly, about where to begin in the search for higher-performance.

My current Volvo 745 is not my first. When I was 16, I was surprised to find a 1988 Volvo 745 Turbo had found its way to my driveway. It was a great car, not a ding or scratch on the body. It was an automatic, which wasn't bad, though I did long for the 5-speed. Also, the interior was a two-tone beige color, not bad at all, but just didn't match well with the silver/black exterior. Despite those minor problems, its was an incredible find. I drove that car for about a year. I was just learning about the performance Volvo world, and was developing some pretty big plans for the wagon. I did find out that the 1987-1988 B230FT motor was weaker than the other Volvo 4-cylinders. This wasn't so much a problem, I figured I'd rebuild the motor later on anyway, and I'd just locate a different year block. My beginnings with the car involved some simple bolt-ons. I installed a Group-6 cat-back exhaust, IPD swaybars, VDO boost gauge, a K&N airfilter, and limo tinted rear windows. The car really seemed to respond to the modifications, especially the exhaust. I also bolted up the Mille Miglia rims with Pirelli P7000 SuperSports. It started to look like a real performer from then on. Though as quickly as the car showed up in my driveway, it was taken from me just as quickly. On the way back from dinner on a Thursday evening with my parents we were rear-ended at a stoplight. I was hit simultaneously by two cars, both doing 40mph. The good news is everyone was ok, a few sore necks and a broken nose. The bad news though, as you can probably guess, my once beautiful 745 was now slightly bent, and ultimately totaled. I was in shock over it though, not a window was broken on the car, and it was still running after the accident and I was able to pull the side of the road. The other cars were demolished! I watched my Volvo being towed off on a flat bed truck and I was wondering if I'd find anything that was as nice as that car. Insurance declared the car totaled, and I did get a nice settlement since the car was in such exceptional condition. I bought the wreck back from insurance for $1000. Once I had the car back I stripped my parts from it, and some addition components to keep if I ever needed them. Then, it was hauled off to the junk yard.

The day after the accident, Friday, I combed the newspapers looking at Volvos. I decided that I should find something with the stronger motor, and if I could with a 5-speed. I also wanted a black interior, but I figured that would be too hard to find. I started looking for 1990 and newer 700 or 900 series. Since I wanted the 5-speed, I was limited to 1990 or 1991 740. Well as it turns out, I found an ad for a 1990 740 Turbo wagon 5-speed. I called immediately and left a message. It was the only ad that I saw that was close to what I wanted. I also had all the dealers looking for me as well. Finally, two days later on Sunday afternoon, I got a call back about the 1990 740. I verified the information...1990 740 Turbo wagon with the 5-speed. Ok, sweet I thought. Then I found out it was a Charcoal exterior, even sweeter I thought! So what about the interior? Oh, its black leather. Holy Crap!!

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