The Car that Sten Built... a Volvo 740?
I want this car. THIS CAR! Not a car like it. This one. Why do I want this ordinary looking Volvo 740? Because this the car Sten built, and it is by no means ordinary.
Who's Sten? Sten was this crazy old Swede, an artiste-inventor, with an amazing sense of humor. Sten had been an engineer who worked for Volkswagen, but he liked Volvos. When Sten retired he had some time on his hands, and turned his attention to this Volvo as a project--or shall I say canvas.
If you are in or around Montreal and you think you have a fast car, be warned--this inconspicuous Volvo will pull the paint off of your very fast ride as it smokes you. Sten liked Volvos, but he also liked F-Body Camaros and Firebirds with a 5.7-liter V-8s and 6-speed manual transmissions. Perhaps you can see where this is going.
My friend Branden bought this Monster Volvo from Sten. Sten needed a
new project, and he was getting tired of shaming Ferraris,
Lamborghinis, and Porsches with his very custom 740 station wagon. They
talked for about an hour on the phone. Sten lovingly described all the
mods ... how he had recovered the engine and transmission from a wrecked
Firebird ... how the tranny was blown so he bought a new crated 6-speed
from GM ... how he had removed any hint of the 740 Turbo that the Volvo
had come from, including taking a dremel tool to the badge and
carefully cutting off the word "turbo."
Branden bought the car. What committed motor-head could pass up the opportunity to own a monster-sleeper like this? The V-8 and 6-speed fit perfectly into Sten's Volvo. The giant orb of the gearshift knob was the only clue that this wasn't a stock 740. I suppose there was one other hint, something that could not be easily disguised--the loud, very big V-8 sound. Even that could get mistaken as an exhaust "problem," because even the exhaust looked stock.
Branden used the Volvo to great effect No one expected anything from a
bland white 740 wagon. Owners of muscle cars and exotic wonders sat
slack-jawed behind the wheels of their uber-cars, as the wake left by
Sten's Volvo sucked the fillings from their teeth.
Comfort was not lacking in the Monster Volvo. Sten had acquired a set of seats from the Volvo 780 Bertone Coupe. They had been used to train mechanics in the workings of these remarkably comfortable and complex seats. Sten had an inside line and got them for a song.
Eventually the price of gas counter-balanced the joy of ownership. A big V-8 needs a lot of feeding. The car, though beautifully detailed and lovingly crafted, was a bit of a Frankenstein. You need a mechanic who can fully understand a car like this and appreciate the joke.
When Branden put it up for sale, he got a call from Montreal. They
talked. "Montreal" asked him to take the car to a local guy he knew in
Los Angeles. The mechanic pronounced the car fit. "Montreal" flew in to
L.A., handed over the money, and headed north--very quickly--across
the border.
This has to be one of the all time great sleepers, and I would buy it in an instant if I could find it. Branden talks about getting in touch with "Montreal," in case he ever thinks of selling the car. I'm trying to coax the contact information out of him, because I want this car. This may be like one of those legendary precious gems that travels from owner to owner building a history as it goes. If so, I want a piece of that legend. I want Sten's Monster Volvo.
--Mochi Mochi
David Traver Adolphus on September 12, 2008 at 07:13 AM
How about a pic of the engine, then?
Mochi Mochi on September 12, 2008 at 11:35 AM
You asked for it ( I was sure I posted it...). You got it. Behold the engine shot...
Chris Hafner on September 12, 2008 at 11:36 AM
Fantastic. Big V-8 power in a Volvo wagon? Sleeper par excellence, and great for helping a friend move. This is very close to my ideal.
Ricart Auto on September 12, 2008 at 11:40 AM
This is a very sweet ride. Taking this to the local track and wiping the smiles off the 20somethings' faces as I leave them in the dust would be priceless! If only...
Ricart Auto
Rob the SVX guy on September 12, 2008 at 04:22 PM
Psshhhawww. I'd prefer to use it to wipe the grins off of 40-50-60 somethings that spent a ton of money on something fancy like a corvette, shelby mustang, etc. :P
Beating up on civics in a straight line is like outsmarting a kid with disabilities.
David Colborne on September 12, 2008 at 10:31 PM
Ah, so, "Are you faster than a five-banger?" Could be a new series, pitting various cars against a diesel Dodge Sprinter or a diesel Mercedes wagon or something.
Cookie the Dog's Owner on September 13, 2008 at 08:58 AM
A fire-breathing terror-of-the-dragstrip Volvo station wagon? I love it!
Slick on September 14, 2008 at 12:30 AM
The act of shoehorning a v8 into an old volvo is not a new idea at all (although this is one of the better ones), in fact jalopnik did it for their 24 hours of lemons racer.
P.S. a volvo powered by a chev v8 is called a "volvette", which sounds like a 19th century term for piece of clothing worn by hookers.
P.S.S www.jagsthatrun.com (one of my favorite car part websites) have a kit on doing this awesome swap for yourself)
Shawn on September 15, 2008 at 06:39 PM
I remember reading in Car & Driver years ago that actor Paul Newman loved to drive around in a stealth V8 Volvo wagon of his own. I really like this one for having the beautiful 780 seats, hopefully a future car lust topic itself.
bryce on October 10, 2010 at 03:56 PM
Yeah i remember an Aussie car mag running a step by step on a Holden V8 into Volvo the original V6 ovlov was rubbish [same motor as Delorean] and this was an economic choice as opposed to repairng the V6 oh and a shitload more performance into the deal. Great sleepers as Volvos are usually the slowest cars on the road.