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A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing: Celebrating 30 Years of the Volvo Turbo, 1981 - 2011 By:NevilleBritto Thefifties, sixtiesandseventies wereallabo utperformanc e,andVolv owasleftat thebacko f thetrack.TheconservativelystyledVolvo122and140ofthe1960’shadrobust,durableandvirtually indestructibleenginesandtransmissions-buttheyweren’ttakingyouanywhereinahurry!However,the NorthAmericandominated"PerformanceAge"camecrashingdownveryfast.Intheearly1980’s CanadianandA mericanlawmaker sandinstitutionsdeci dedtoclamp downonemissioncontrol standards,a ndwiththat the“big engine/smal lcar”formulametits demise.Year lyemissionss tandards hadtobemetorthecarwasnotapprovedbythegovernmentforproductionandcertification. Americansliterallyhadtoadaptovernightorfacecertainextinction,andintheperformancearenadid theyever! Thesenews tandardsandr egulationsspelledthe endofAmeric andomination. TheEuropea nshowever sawthisastheirgoldenopportunity.MorefuelefficientEuropeansportscars(Porsche,BMW, Mercedes,etc.)werethenewfavourite.However,the80’swouldbelongtoSweden,andnotGermany ashadbeenanticipated.SAAB’snew99Turboturnedtheautomotiveindustryonitshead;herewasa carthathadthestylingofaturtleshellbutunderthehoodanaircraftinspiredturbinemechanismcalled aturbochar ger.Totheaveragepersonitlookedlikeacontraptionyouwouldfindin aPopular Mechanicsorasciencefictionnovel.TotheengineersattheVolvostablesinGothenburg,amere75

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AWolfinSheep’sClothing:Celebrating

30YearsoftheVolvoTurbo,1981-2011

By:NevilleBritto

Thefifties,sixtiesandseventieswereallaboutperformance,andVolvowasleftatthebackof

thetrack.TheconservativelystyledVolvo122and140ofthe1960’shadrobust,durableandvirtually

indestructibleenginesandtransmissions-buttheyweren’ttakingyouanywhereinahurry!However,the

NorthAmericandominated"PerformanceAge"camecrashingdownveryfast.Intheearly1980’s

CanadianandAmericanlawmakersandinstitutionsdecidedtoclampdownonemissioncontrol

standards,andwiththatthe“bigengine/smallcar”formulametitsdemise.Yearlyemissionsstandards

hadtobemetorthecarwasnotapprovedbythegovernmentforproductionandcertification.

Americansliterallyhadtoadaptovernightorfacecertainextinction,andintheperformancearenadid

theyever!

ThesenewstandardsandregulationsspelledtheendofAmericandomination.TheEuropeanshowever

sawthisastheirgoldenopportunity.MorefuelefficientEuropeansportscars(Porsche,BMW,

Mercedes,etc.)werethenewfavourite.However,the80’swouldbelongtoSweden,andnotGermany

ashadbeenanticipated.SAAB’snew99Turboturnedtheautomotiveindustryonitshead;herewasa

carthathadthestylingofaturtleshellbutunderthehoodanaircraftinspiredturbinemechanismcalled

aturbocharger.TotheaveragepersonitlookedlikeacontraptionyouwouldfindinaPopular

Mechanicsorasciencefictionnovel.TotheengineersattheVolvostablesinGothenburg,amere75

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kilometreskilometresawayfromSaab’sheadquartersinTrollhättan,itwouldmarkthebeginningofa

newera.

By1980,theVolvoexecutiveshadhadenough!Afterdecadesofbuildingsolid,reliable,safe,

spaciousbutsluggishsedansandwagonsitwastimetoshedthatimageanddiveintothecompetitive

sportsmarket.Volvohadexperimentedwithperformancemarketofferingsinthe‘60sand‘70swith

greatsuccess.AlthoughstylishandsleektheP1800andP1800ESwerebynostretchoftheimaginationaperformancecarworthyofcomparisontotheseeminglysteroidinfusedBMW’sorPorschesoftheday.

ForVolvotobreakintothemarkettheyneededtwothings,somethingreliableandsomething

unique.ThesuddensurgeofGermanandEuropeanimportsposedasignificantdilemmaforthe

averageconsumerthough.Theonlypeoplethatcouldaffordtheseoverpriced,cramped,twodoor,rear

seatlessrocketswerepeoplethatonaveragehadtwoorthreekids.Volvowouldforeseethisasan

“image”savingopportunitythatothermanufacturershadignoredaltogether.Consumerswantedacar

thatwouldservetheirfamilyneedsbutstillhadstaggeringperformance.

BuildingtheLegend.

In1981,Volvoansweredtheircries.Volvochosetheirmostpopularfamilysedanthe240asthebestsuitedcandidate.TheVolvo240’srobustanddependableenginewasstrongandofferedmoretorque

thanpreviousmodels,butwasstillbasicallythetraditionalfuelinjectedpushrodfourcylinderpeople

hadpraisedfordecades(dubbedtheB21F).TosqueezemorepoweraGarrettTB03AiResearch

turbochargerwasadded.Onequestionhoweverremained.Howwouldthestock240equipment

compensatefortheextrapower?

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ThenewengineswouldrunathigheroperatingtemperaturesthanthestockB21F,createfar

moretorqueandwouldneedwidecavernousenginebaysforalltheequipment!Theyalsohadtobe

fairlylightweight.Sobacktothedrawingboardsthebodystylingandmechanicalengineerswent.Asa

result,theinternalorgansoftheB21Fengineswereliterallyguttedandwerereplacedwithredesigned

pistons,upgradedsodiumfilledvalves,newergears,aperformancecamshaftandoilcoolertoreduce

theengineandturbotemperatures.TotheVolvoengineeringteamiswasjustanewer,fasterengine.

Lurkingundertheunveilingcovershowever,wouldturnouttobeoneofthemosticonicturbocharged

enginesinhistory,theB21FT(Fforfuelinjection,TforTurbo).

Unleashingthepotentialofthe242GT

Oncetheenginewascompleted,thefocusshiftedtothebodies.Liketheengines,thebodies

wentthroughasimilartrialanderrorprocess.Whentheywerefinishedtheyhadafourdoor244sedan

andanearlymodel“alllooksnogo”twodoor242GTthatwereliterallystrippedtothebone!Tosave

oncoststhegaudychromeDLandGLmodeltrimwasreplacedwithsteelandpaintedasleekand

stealthyflatblack,thechromegrillswerealsoreplacedwithblackplasticequivalents.Allthe

unnecessarystuffliketheGT’sfrontairdamwastossedinfavourofalowprofileairlouverthatforced

airintotheenginebayratherthanawayfromit.Theheavyearlierstyledfinespoke242GTrimswerealsotossedinfavourofstrongerbutlighter15"Alloy"Virgo"TurboRimsandamatchingsetofPirelliP6

highspeedradials.Theinteriorswerestrippeddowntothebareessentialstoreducetheweightand

costofthevehicle.Tocompensatefortheaddedtorqueandhorsepowerunitsbuiltwithmanual

transmissionswerealsoequippedwitharedesignedclutchandpressureplate.TogivetheTurbosa

competitiveedgeonthetrack,newshocks,swaybarsandbraceswereaddedtokeepallfourplanted

andthechassistaught.

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UnliketheotherclassrivalsthisnewVolvowasallbusiness!Whereasothermanufactures

compensatedforsluggishperformancewithfruity“TURBO”trimdecals(Saab99),hoodscoops,dual

exhaust,airvents,throatysoundingmufflers,andaplethoraofseeminglyuselessgaugescapableof

lightinguptheRockefellerCentreChristmasTreethiscarcompensatedwithpleasure,handlingand

performance!Admittedlyhowever,understiffaccelerationitdidsoundalittlelikeChewbaccathrough

KeithRichard’sdistortionpedal.Infact,ifnotforthediscreteTurbobadges(thenumericmodelsbadges

weredroppedontheTurbo)onthetrunklipandgrill,aslightdullwhinefromunderthehoodandthe

blackenedgrillandtrim,thecarsreallylookedlikeaveragerunofthemill244or242DLs,arealism

manytrackjunkiesofotherbrandloyaltieswouldlaterfindoutthehardway.Theseohsocommon

scenariosgaveprominencetotheslogan“Awolfinsheep’sclothing”asRoad&Trackbrilliantlyputit!

Howwouldalltheworkbereceivedthough?Woulditbeenough?Youbetterbelieveit!

Althoughstrippeddown,theTurbosdidhaveafairamountofstandardcreaturecomforts.From

thefactorytheycamewellstockedwithairconditioning,asingleTurboboostgauge,powerwindows,

powerlocks,manualcranksunroofandaheateddriver’sseat.ARadiowasoptionalbuttheR-Sport

performanceandgeneralVolvoaccessorycatalogueswereverygenerous.Forownersseekingalittle

morecustomizationthefollowingwasavailable:Thuleroofracks,windowdeflectors,acruisecontrol

system,foglights,rearwindowblinds,trunkspoiler,MomoR-Sportsteeringwheel,amassiveassortmentofAM/FMDolbyMicroprocessorcassettedecks,astereographicequaliserandevena

plasticAutoplasrearwindowlouver.

WhattheengineershadhopedforwasacarfasterthanafullyloadedKenworth,whattheygot

insteadwasa2,900lb,metallicpaintcladfirebreathingtorquemonsterthatcharbroiledjustabout

anythingthatcrossedit!Atastartingpriceofonly$13,600USD($32,800in2011),halfthepriceofa

highperformanceBMWorMercedesBenz,theTurboswerenotonlyastealbutovernightsuccessstory!

ForthefirsttimeinitshistoryVolvobegantodominatetheNorthAmericanperformancemarket.With

theperformanceclaimsandthehelpofamassivepublicitycampingcarriedoutbytheadvertingagency

ScaliMcCabeSloves,theTurboswerejustflyingoffdealerlots.Infact,thedemandwassogreatthat

Volvoannouncedthatproductionofthenewmodelswouldbecarriedoutatthreeseparatefacilities.

TheiconicTorslandaproductionfacilitywouldhandlethemajorityoftheunitswhiletheGhentBelgiumfacilitywouldhandleasignificantchunkoftheexportandEuropeanmarkets.ForeagerCanadianand

AmericancustomersVolvoCanada’sPier9plantinHalifaxwouldbuildagoodportionoftheirunitsfrom

unassembledcompleteknock-down(CKD)kits.Nowyoucouldtakethekidstobaseballpracticewhile

blowingthedoorsoffaBMWonthewayback,andbestofallinthetrustedsafetyofaVolvo!

Testingthe242

ThenewlybrandedTurboswerepopularbutjusthowfastwerethey?Theycouldhavebeen

builtwithgoldbutifCar&Driverortheothermajormagazinesweren’timpresseditmightaswellhave

beenarustedoutLada!Withallthenewrumblingsthereviewguruswereeagertopitthemupagainst

thecompetitorsandputthemthroughthepaces.OnceagaintheTurbodidnotdisappoint.Although

stylisticallyhuskyandrigid,Turboswerestillwellsuitedfortherigoroushighperformancetesting.

SomethingVolvotunerslikeIPDofPortland,Oregonhadbeentryingtotellpeopleforyears!

In1981,withtheentirecar’sfutureontheline,VolvoofNorthAmericagavetheCar&Driver

testteamasilver242GLTTurbotheycouldliterallybeatthesnotoutofonthetrack!Whenallwassaid

anddonethetestnotonlyrevealedthecarsimpeccablehandlingtweaksbuttheblisteringacceleration

0-60mph(100km/h)timeofunder9.2secondsanda¼miledragsprintof17.2seconds.Specification

timesthatwerenotonlyfasterthantheSaab900Turbositwasdesignedtocompetewithbutthe‘80

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Porsche924Saswell(0-60in9.7,¼milein17.3).In1982,Volvodecidedtouptheanteandequipped

the245WagonwiththekillerB21FTandthe“UltimateFamilyPerformanceCar”or“WhooshWagon”

wasborn.Therewassimplynootherwagonouttherethatcouldkeepupwithit.Eventhoughitwas

heavier,itmorethanhappilypulledthe0-60mphinablistering8.9sandthe¼milein16.7s!

OtherreviewersfollowedsuitclaimingthenewTurbowas“AMissile”(Car&Driver),

“Exemplary”(Road&Track),or(myalltimefavourite)“YoukeephopingforastraySaab900TurboorevenaBMWyoucansniffoutandthensendscramblingtotheroadsidewhileyoublowitsdoorsin”

(MotorTrend).Endorsementsthatwerenotonlyworththeirweightingoldbutalso100%alltrue!

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UnleashingtheBeast-TheVolvoTurboandtheIntercoolerfromHell

Howeverthatsimplywasn’tgoodenoughfortheVolvotopbrass;sotheyonceagainwent

downandyelled“CommonBjorn,Olaf,LeifandErik!Letyourhairdown,stoplisteningtothatbloody

ABBArecordandbuildussomethingevenfaster!Nomoreofthissafetyanddecentperformance

nonsense!Wewanttowinsomeraces!”Afterafewyearsofperfectingtheartofscaring/shockingthe

helloutofBMWandSaabdrivers,theengineersatVolvowerealsogettingtiredofthesameoldhum

drumgame.Theirresponse?MakeitevenfasterandreleasetheVolvoTurbo-fromhell!

Turbochargersgeneratedmassiveamountsofheatwhichinturnmakeanengineworkharderand

increasesstrain.Inordertoimproveefficiencyaheatexchangerwouldberequiredtocooleverything

down.TheExcaliburcameintheformofaradiator-likecontraptionwhichtheengineersdubbedanIBS

(IntercoolerBoostSystem)thatcooledtheincominghotairandinturnpumpedoutcoolerairintotheintakemanifold.Sincecoolerairisdenseritiseasiertocompress.Morecompressiontranslatesinto

morepowerandthus...theVolvofromhellorthe“Turbo+and/orTurboIntercooler”(asVolvocalled

it)wasborn.WitharoarthatsentbonechillingfearthroughPorsche928Turboand944ownersandthe

torqueinfusedtiresquealingthatsenteventhehealthiestofBMWdriversintocardiacarresttheTurbo

Intercoolerwascertainlynot“UncleDave’s”Volvo!Thefirstdealertestdrivecandidatesprobably

thoughtitwaspossessedbecausemandiditgolikestink!

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ThetestingphasesofthefirstVolvoTurboIntercoolersprovedveryrevealing.TheIBSsystemalone

increasedefficiencyby24%,crankedupthepowerastaggering30+bhp,sentthetorqueratingthrough

theroofandslashedthe0-60timerightdowntoapavementscorching8.5seconds(Road&Track).This

provednotonlytoVolvonutsbutthedriversofotherforeignexoticsthatVolvowasnotplayingaround,

norwasittheweaklingofthepackanymore!Inastraightline0-60and¼mileaccelerationtestthenew

TurboIntercoolerwouldmorethanhappilydusttheperformancebreed Pontiac(FirebirdTrans-Am),

Chevrolet(CamaroZ28/Berlinetta/IROC-Z,MonteCarloSS,Corvette), Ford(ThunderbirdTurbo),Datsun

(280ZX),Porsche(924Turbo,944),BMW(318i,320i,325e,524TD,528),Jaguar(XJ-SHEV-12,XJ6),Audi

(4000S,5000Turbo),MercedesBenz(380SL,580SEC),Volkswagen(GolfGTIMk.1),andwould

effortlesslyleavehumiliatedOrthodontistsandtheir“reasonablypriced”bloodredFerrariMondail8sin

acloudoftiresmoke!Notsurprisingly,itwasalso3-4secondsfasterthantheentireSaabline-up.Asif

theshameoflosingtoa“Volvo”wasnotenough,justtosaltthewoundsyoucoulddoallthatwithtwo

childseats,adogandanantiquedresserinthebackifyouhadaTurboIntercoolerstationwagon!

WhiletheexecutivesandengineersdecidedthatthenewTurbowithIBSwouldbestandard

equipmentforthe1984and1985modelyearstheydecidedinsteadtograduallyintroducetheminthe

tailendof1983.However,therewasoneproblem!Hundredsofcarswerealreadyorwaitingtobe

deliveredtocustomersthatdidn’thavethenewperformanceboostingupgradesandamilduproar

ensued.AstheIBSlayoutonlyreallyconsistedofafewminortweakstotheexistingengine,Volvo

decidedtoreleaseanR-SportCompetitionServiceaccessoryupgradekitthroughtheirNorthAmerican

dealernetworktoretrofitthebackdatedTurbos.

Forapproximately$595thelocaldealerwouldshoehorninanintercoolerinfrontofthe

radiator,linkupallthenewhosesandslaponasnazzylittlechrome“Intercooler”badge.Therewasone

slighthitchthough,forallthemanualsitwasasimpleswapofparts.ForownerswiththerarerBorg

WarnerAW71automatictransmissionsthesurgerywasabitmoreinvolved.Duetothehighertorqueratingstwocriticalcomponentshadtobeswappedtocompensate.Firstthevalvesandspringsin

transmissionhadtoberemediedwithaseparateR-SportKitthatretailedfor$35US,butthatwasthe

easypart.Carsbuiltfrom1982tomid1983haddifferentreardifferentialsandgearing,althoughitcould

handletheupgradeundernormaldrivingsituationsitwasn’trecommendedforextendeduseorstiff

accelerationsotherearaxleshadtobeswappedformorerobustgearingatacostof$400.Buthow

couldyoucompare$1000buckstotheprospectofsmokinga$65,000($127,000in2011)FerrariV8or

inthecaseoftheJaguarXJ-SevenahighoutputV-12!Needlesstosaythekitssoldlikehotcakes!With

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relativeeaseandaninstallationtimeoflessthanthreehoursitgaveownersampletimetogoBMWor

Saabhuntinglaterthatnight.EverySaab,BMW,PorscheorAudiownerknewthatifaVolvoTurbo

pulledupnextyouitwouldshowyouonething,itstaillights!

PassingontheLegacy

Allgoodthingsmustcometoanendandin1985thisonedid.Afterfouryearsofbuildingthe

meanest“familystoplightrockets”itwastimeforthe240Turbotodriveoffintothesunsetandpass

thetorchon.In1985,VolvointroducedanewmodeltotheirTurboline-up,thesleekerwedgeshaped

740TurboIntercoolersedanandwagon.However,therewerenotearswhenthelast‘85Turbosrolled

offtheassemblylines.Volvoenthusiastshadlostalegendbutwhattheygainedwasanevermeanercar

withfarmorepower!Although,the740Turbowasequippedwitharedesignedhigherdisplacement

versionoftheB21FTengineknowastheB230FT,itsharedthesameGarrettturbochargerand

intercoolercorewiththe240.Thenew740Turbosweresopowerfultheywouldeasilydo0-100kphina

blistering7.9secondsandthe1/4mileinamere15s(Car&Driver).Likethelegendary240Turbothe

740Turbowouldinitiateanotherseriesofperformancecomplexesandcrisesamongdriversofitsrivals.

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TheLegacyContinues

Evenbytoday’sstandardstheTurbosarestillverycompetitive.Ithasbeenalmosttwentyyears

sinceproductionended,yettheseextremelyraremasterpiecesstillmanagetoturnheads.Today240&

740TurboIntercoolersingoodconditionarehighlycovetedandsoughtafterbyautomotivecollectors.I

wouldknowasI’mprivilegedenoughtoownanoriginalfirstyearlightbluemetallic1985740Turbo

Intercoolersedan.Mostownersstillrememberthreethings,thedaytheygottheirlicence,thedaythey

gotmarriedandfinally,thedaytheydiscoveredtheiconic240&740Turbofortheveryfirsttimeand/or

thedaytheyflooreditandsmokedaBMW!Theyrememberasimplertimewherelooksweren’tquite

everythingandwhereaggressiveandintimidatingstyling(referredtoas“ugly”or“boxy”bytheignorant

passerby)reignedsupreme.The240’sand740’sstartedoffaturbochargedVolvoheritagethatliveson

eventodayintheC,V,SandXC-SeriesVolvos.The240’sand740’slaidasolidframeworkforthewell

receivedturbocharged850T5/T5-R/Rs&940Turboswhichreplacedthem.After30yearsthatsame

legacyisstillgoingstrong,ironicallysoaremanyoftheoriginalcarsthatstaredit!

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