Gentle reader,
As you may have determined by following my blog posts, that when I get into something, I really get into it!
As you may recall, last year, I bought my first Volvo, a 2005 V50 T5. It has a 2.5 liter turbocharged five cylinder engine and a six-speed manual transmission. I showed it here:
Since I cannot afford, nor have the room for a fleet of real Volvo wagons, I chose the next best way to collect them in die-cast 1/43rd scale replicas.
Above and below was my final purchase for the collection. Yes, someone actually professionally raced a Volvo station wagon. The driver's name was Jan Lammers. See: Jan Lammers
That is a link to his homepage. He's a couple months older than me and from the Netherlands. The racer was made from an 850 station wagon. In "R" trim, it was turbocharged and all-wheel-drive. This model is from MiniChamps.
I will now show the domestic (non-racing) wagons in chronological age. Oldest first:
This a Volvo 220 wagon, sometimes called Amazon. It's from the 1960's. A friend in Richmond, Virginia had one in the early 1970's and it was my first exposure to Volvos. It was rear-wheel-drive. This model is from PremiumX.
Next, from the 1970's.
It is actually way more yellow in person than in these photos. It is a 145 model. It too is rear-wheel-drive. This model has no company or maker's name on it.
From the 1980's:
Looking lovely in gold metallic, this is a model 240. It too is rear-wheel-drive and also has no maker's name on it.
Now, a group shot of the three rear-wheel-drive models. The thing I have found about die-cast replicas, is "scale" seems to be loosely defined. Since all three of these are from different makers. chances are in real life they may very well be closer or farther apart in actual size.
Still, from right-to-left, you can see the progression and changes. Which was my intent in forming this collection.
Now, there are several other model numbers of Volvo wagons and different sizes as well. I did not bother to get all of them. Starting from the 1980's to early 1990's, the more recent and all are front-wheel-drive except the "R" model, the 850 T5-R:
Auto-Art makes a 1/18th scale one of these in the same pale yellow color. But it is way more than I want to spend. This one is an Atlas Editions Collection model.
Now a pair of photos comparing the street and race versions:
Again, these are from different makers, but there is no hiding that the racer is "slammed" as they call it. Lowering the center of gravity to help it corner faster is why they do that.
Again, a 1/18th scale version of this car was made, but hard and expensive to get. By the way, this car was raced in the BTCC: British Touring Car Championship. TCCs are held in various countries and very popular because they are made from street cars and the fans can clearly see that. Unlike NASCAR.
Next, one of the prettiest and sleekest wagons made, the early to mid-2000's V70.
Volvo changed the 850 name to V70 and the first V70's looked just like 850s. This is the next generation of V70s. Quite pretty. This is a 2000 version and made by MiniChamps.
Next, what I actually considered buying a real one of, but ended up buying the Capri, the Volvo V40. In the USA, it only came with an automatic transmission.
Next, a replica of my 2005 V50. The V50 and it's sedan version; S40 replaced the old V40 and S40 with a slightly larger and heavier models starting in the USA in 2005. Larger, more powerful engines made up for the weight difference, however.
Close in color to mine. This one has the optional 17" wheels. Mine has seven spoke 16" wheels. It has a five cylinder turbo engine as I mentioned and is VERY quick and unfortunately likes to go fast. Thank goodness for cruise control! It has 2003 on the bottom and too was made by MiniChanps. It has a rear spoiler and roof rails, which mine does not.
Next a side-by-side comparison of the V40 and V50. I actually researched the specs on both to find out how different they really are as the V40 looks so much smaller than the V50. It is not by much.
Now, is it me, or isn't the V50 a much better and more modern looking car than the V40?
Much snazzier rear end too. Check out the tall tail lights. Volvo invented those and many car makers have copied it. But Volvo was first!
The V70 progressed through time to a third iteration as seen below:
Still a nice looking car, but in my opinion, it isn't a sleek looking. Similarly, the mid-2000s Subaru Legacy wagon is very sleek, and the newer ones, well really most newer Japanese cars just aren't that attractive to me.
So, briefly Volvo stopped selling wagons in the USA, only sedans and SUVs. Of course, the V70 was available all-wheel-drive in two versions. The V70xc and later it was called XC70. These are raised up and black plastic clad wagons like Audi All-Road models and Subaru Outback models.
But the real one to seek out is the V70R. Like the 850 T5-R, they have five cylinder turbo engines and all-wheel-drive. They also top out at 300 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque! Fast, quick, nimble and unless you know cars and Volvos in particular, they are sleepers!
So, after a couple years with no wagons from Volvo, they came out with the V60 which replaces both the V50 AND V70. They come between the two in size.
The whole Volvo boxiness is completely gone with the latest models, as you can see. This was made by Motorart. No year given, but they sell them currently along with larger models.
Lastly, and although technically, not a wagon, the C30 which I lust after every time I see one. From the front, identical to the V50, it is smaller all around and of course, only has two doors. It was a tribute to what many consider the most beautiful Volvo ever made, the 1800ES. What the British call a "Shooting Brake" a two-door station wagon. The ES was just made from the P1800 sporty car. Most often associated with The Saint as played by Roger Moore in the 1960's.
And here it is. I also have a lovely one in 1/25th scale in a bronze color:
As quick and fast as my V50 is, these have the same engine and are lighter. Can you spell fun?
Finally, this is a group shot from above of the whole collection. What, no 1800ES? Not yet, they too are dear and expensive!
That's it for now! Thanks for looking.
Scott
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