AN UNOFFICIAL HISTORY of the 1975-1993 Volvo 240/260 Series © 2019 Eurosport Tuning
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AN UNOFFICIAL HISTORY OF THE 1975-1993 Volvo 240/260 Series © 2019 EuroSport Tuning. All rights reserved. The information contained within the ebook is given in good faith and is believed to be accurate, appropriate and reliable at the time it is given, but is provided without any warranty of accuracy, appropriateness or reliability. EuroSport Tuning does not accept any liability or responsibility for any inaccuracies to the extent available by law. 2 AN UNOFFICIAL HISTORY OF THE 1975-1993 VOLVO 240/260 SERIES Introduction ...................................................................................................................................04 Part 1: Citizen Cinderblock .....................................................................................................05 THE FATHER OF THE 240/260 SERIES: THE VOLVO EXPERIMENTAL SAFETY CAR ...............................................................05 THE CREATION OF THE 240/260 SERIES: INVESTING IN SAFETY .................................................................................................06 THE SAFETY SUCCESS OF THE 240/260 SERIES ..................................................................................................................................06 240/260 VS. 140/160: DIFFERENT, YET THE SAME ........................................................................................................................07 VOLVO ENGINE NOMENCLATURE OF THE 240 ERA .............................................................................................................................08 FOUR-CYLINDER ENGINES: OLD AND NEW ...............................................................................................................................................09 THE CREATION OF THE PRV ENGINE ............................................................................................................................................................10 THE PRV V-6: THE RAISON D’ÊTRE ................................................................................................................................................................11 THE 200 SERIES: SAFE AND SENSIBLE .......................................................................................................................................................12 TOUCHING UP A BRICK .......................................................................................................................................................................................12 Part 2: The Sporting Bricks ....................................................................................................14 THE 1978–1981 VOLVO 262C COUPE .......................................................................................................................................................14 THE 242GT AND GLT ...........................................................................................................................................................................................15 VOLVO 240 TURBO ...............................................................................................................................................................................................16 GROUP A TURBO ....................................................................................................................................................................................................18 Part 3: The Mature Cinderblock ...........................................................................................20 POWERTRAIN SHUFFLE .....................................................................................................................................................................................20 THE RATIONAL CAR RATIONALIZES ..............................................................................................................................................................22 THE VENERABLE VOLVO.....................................................................................................................................................................................23 TWILIGHT OF THE 240 ........................................................................................................................................................................................24 BIBLIOGRAPHY .......................................................................................................................................................................................................26 3 AN UNOFFICIAL HISTORY OF THE 1975-1993 VOLVO 240/260 SERIES INTRODUCTION The Volvo 240/260 is an icon, and these classic “bricks” are known for their longevity. Offered for sale between 1974 and 1993, the evolution of this vehicle is one few know about, at least not in any detail. That’s why we partnered with Aaron Severson, an award-winning automotive historian and author of AteUpWithMotor.com, to dive deep into the 240 and it’s subtle but complete transformation over nearly two decades. What follows is a complete history of Volvo’s iconic vehicle, one we often get questions about from EuroSportTuning.com customers. We hope you learn as much about the Volvo as we did. Thank you for reading. Sincerely, Frank Derks EuroSport Tuning Founder 4 AN UNOFFICIAL HISTORY OF THE 1975-1993 VOLVO 240/260 SERIES Part CITIZEN CINDERBLOCK1 THE FATHER OF THE 240/260 SERIES: THE VOLVO EXPERIMENTAL SAFETY CAR In the early ‘70s, manufacturers around the world developed advanced safety cars to study what was and was not technologically feasible when it came to collision safety. Several of these cars were actually built under contract for the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as part of the agency’s Experimental Safety Vehicle (ESV) program. The Volvo Experimental Safety Car (VESC) unveiled at the 1972 International Geneva Motor Show was not among the NHTSA-funded examples. However, in designing the VESC, Volvo looked closely at the ESV requirements, which included the ability to endure a 50mph frontal impact, a 40mph side impact, and a 70 mph rollover — far more severe than U.S. law required, then or now. Volvo engineers were also guided by data from the company’s own in-house accident research group. Most safety cars came and went without having much perceptible influence on production models. However, Volvo would adopt several of the VESC’s features in production, beginning by relocating the fuel tank of the 1974 140-series and 164 to a position just behind the rear axle to prevent the tank from being ruptured in a rear impact. The VESC would also inspire the redesigned front end of the new 240 and 260. VESC: VOLVO EXPERIMENTAL SAFETY CAR 5 AN UNOFFICIAL HISTORY OF THE 1975-1993 VOLVO 240/260 SERIES THE CREATION OF THE 240/260 SERIES: INVESTING IN SAFETY In the 1960s Volvo was among the handful of automakers with a genuine interest in crash safety. The 140 series’ front and rear crumple zones and stout box-section passenger compartment “safety cage” were very capable, as Volvo advertising demonstrated. The roof would support six times the car’s own weight. And, the safety features were designed well before the first U.S. safety legislation ever passed Congress. By 1969, all 140s and the six-cylinder 164 also had three-point harnesses with inertia reels, which were not required by U.S. law until 1972 and 1973 respectively. The four-wheel disc brakes were a rare feature at the time, typically only seen in Mercedes Benz and BMWs. They featured Volvo’s unusual “triangular-split” hydraulic system, which two circuits each controlled three of the four brakes. Safety and solidity, not style or performance, had become Volvo’s defining characteristics. In the summer of 1974, Swedish automaker Volvo undertook a major revamp of its 140-series and 160-series cars. Externally, the changes amounted to little more than a facelift, but the renamed 240 and 260 featured new engines, a new suspension, and new advances in collision safety. 1977 VOLVO 244 Such an extensive update was surprising because by Volvo standards, the existing cars were relatively new designs; the 140 series was not quite eight years old, the six-cylinder 164 only six. They had also received many recent updates, including a new dashboard, reinforced door beams, and new bumpers. THE SAFETY SUCCESS OF THE 240/260 SERIES The Volvo Experimental Safety Car’s influence on the Volvo 240 and 260 was not limited to the early 240’s slanted black plastic grille. Volvo also applied lessons learned from the VESC towards a more ambitious goal: increasing survivability in frontal impacts at speeds beyond the 30 mph threshold of federal safety standards. Even a 10% increase in collision speed means over 20% more kinetic energy to absorb. Achieving the survivability goal required extensive structural changes and the replacement of the 140’s double wishbone front suspension with more compact MacPherson struts. The nose also had to be stretched more than 3 inches to allow additional crush space. 6 AN UNOFFICIAL HISTORY OF THE 1975-1993 VOLVO 240/260 SERIES The results impressed the NHTSA so much that the agency selected the Volvo 240 as its regulatory baseline and a test mule for passive-restraint development. The Volvo would later do extremely well in the NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program (NCAP). Even in 1986, 12 years after it was developed, the 240’s crash performance in the NCAP 35 mph barrier test was superior to