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8/6/2019 Celebrating 30 Years of the Volvo Turbo, 1981 - 2011
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/celebrating-30-years-of-the-volvo-turbo-1981-2011 1/17
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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