Volvo 240 Touring car???

[John]

Was looking on the web for a new Avatar picture and came across this picture of a Volvo 240 - the filename was BTCC, and its a similar colour to the 850s that raced, but I've never come accross such a car in the BTCC - anyone got any ideas?

Looking at it closely it might actually be a road car because it looks to have a sunroof? But I could be wrong!!!

Thanks

[Reynard]

AFAIK Volvo 240s weren't raced in the BTCC, but I'm almost certain that one variant was raced (works team) in the ETCC in the early to mid 1980s.

I'm sure I have a picture of one side by side with a TWR-run Rover Vitesse SD1...

[Alan]

There is a ref in the 94/95 yearbook saying there was a return of two touring car rivals of the 80's - Volvo and TWR.

Not very helpful I suppose but does lead me to think Reynard may be correct. Afraid my info doesn't go back to the 80's.

[John]

Cheers guys!

Wherever its from it certainly looks a bit different to the S40!! ;)

[Stuart]

The Volvo 240 Turbo never made it to the BTCC, but did win the 1985 European Touring Car Championship driver by Gianfranco Brancatelli. The picture you have looks like a road car mock up but you can never tell as there were so many racing in the ETCC and Swedish Touring Car Championship.
Attached is a photo of the Works RAS Sport Volvo 240 Turbo at the 1986 TT (I'd blagged press passes for the day so got in the Pit Lane just before morning warm up!)
I think that this was the last year of officially backed Volvos in Europe before the 850 estate.

[Keke]

Hmm, it's a road car mock up.

Sunroof clearly visible, and if you enlarge the pic you can see no roll cage fitted either.

Next question I suppose, is why?

[AussieV8]

Have to agree with keke its a road car mock up.

We had the 240 T here in Group A in the 80's

[John]

Yeah but it must be a mock up of an actual race car mustn't it?

[AussieV8]

John

As for the Volvo wagon (avatar) very sad. Do you wear a hat and a cardie. :p :p :p :D :rolleyes:

[John]

Originally posted by AussieV8
John

As for the Volvo wagon (avatar) very sad. Do you wear a hat and a cardie. :p :p :p :D :rolleyes:

Only when its cold! ;) Whats the relative success of Volvo vs Mazda in the BTCC?!? Thats race results not the number of rolls down the pit straight at Silverstone!! :p

[AussieV8]

Originally posted by John
Only when its cold! ;) Whats the relative success of Volvo vs Mazda in the BTCC?!? Thats race results not the number of rolls down the pit straight at Silverstone!! :p

That was a bit bitchy John. :p

Atleast we (Mazda) won that with 6 rolls can the cardie Bingomobile beat that. :D :D :p ;) :rolleyes:

[Reynard]

Well, I had a dig around last night and I found a few things of interest... (How sad am I????) ;)

The first is a report and results from the 1985 Macau Guia touring car race (Autosport, November 28 1985 - vol. 101 no. 9). I won't post the whole report, but here's the results listing:

1. Gianfranco Brancatelli, Volvo 240 Turbo
2. Gerhard Berger, BMW 635CSi
3. Michael Lieu, Colt Starion Turbo
4. Motoji Sekine, Nissan Skyline
5. Kevin Bartlett, Colt Starion Turbo
6. Aguri Suzuki, Nissan Skyline

Fastest lap: Brancatelli, 2m 42.25s (84.31 mph)


The second is another race report (Autosport, May 8 1986 - vol. 103 no. 6), this one from the round of the 1986 FIA Touring Car Championship which was held at Misano. Again, I won't bore you with the report itself, but here's the result:

1. Gerhard Berger / Roberto Ravaglia (BMW 635 CSi)
2. Johnny Cecotto / Anders Olofsson (Volvo 240 Turbo)
3. Tom Walkinshaw / Win Percy (Rover Vitesse SD1)
4. Dieter Quester / Otto Rensing (BMW 635 CSi)
5. Winni Vogt / Markus Oestreich (BMW 635 CSi)
6. Danny Snoebeck / Alain Cudini (Mercedes 190E)

Fastest lap: Granberg (Volvo 240 Turbo)

So there you go! :) As for the picture I was talking about earlier, that was from the Misano FIA race, and I've attached it for your perusal. Told you I was sad...

[AussieV8]

I'm trying to watch the cricket (Oz 5-319) and have 3 forums going at once. I'm so glad I'm not blonde.

[John]

Cool, thanks for that information - so it seems the car was actually quite good, capable of fastest laps and wins - despite having the aero design that a brick manufacturer would be pleased with!! :p ;) :p

[Reynard]

No problems - I knew I saw some stuff recently while sorting out a box of Autosports that had escaped The Big Sort Out just before Christmas. It was just a question of emptying the box all over the kitchen floor last night...

I have quite a lot of odd stuff floating around - but who said I was blonde??? :) Female yes, but blonde, NO WAY!

Oh, in the Misano race, the Granberg / Lindstrom Volvo was on pole, but they dropped to 8th by the end because of duff brakes.

Interestingly, there are a few familiar (BTCC) faces on the entry list: Roberto Ravaglia, Johnny Cecotto, Win Percy, Jeff Allam and Steve Soper.... And chez BMW, the team boss none other than Charlie Lamm! (Not to mention the crazy scot himself - Tom Walkinshaw)

[AussieV8]

And the scarey thing (240T) actual won the 1986 Australian Touring Car Championship. What the.............:confused:

[Stuart]

Wasn't that Robbie Francevic?
I remember seeing him race a 240T on TV in the James Hardie....

[AussieV8]

Originally posted by Stuart
Wasn't that Robbie Francevic?
I remember seeing him race a 240T on TV in the James Hardie....

Stuart that was right but the Volvo only lasted two seasons.

Thank GOD !! :p :p :rolleyes: :D

[MGmad]

You say that the Volvo only lasted two seasons Aussie V8. Well, surely that raises a point not yet mentioned. Confidence. Could Volvo know how to run a team well, like Proton and or MG? Could Volvo be confident their new way of operating be a success?
They didn't obviously do that well the last time.

The road going Volvo engine is sturdy atleast, which is a good basis to work on and modify, but their is other things to take into consideration. Handling for instance. The tyres are much use if the handling components like the suspension can't take tight corners well.

Volvo will need to be 101% sure that they have not only everything right, but that it will be Succesful.


So I ask, if you failed an exam could you be sure not to mention confident you could be sure you could get it right a second time?

[AussieV8]

Volvo in Oz has the reputation of a " would be if you could be car"
The era of when the Volvo raced was two years that we down here would like to forget.

When the rules changed, and Mark Petch the owner of the Vovlo Team cease to run and sponsor the team the cars when back to NZ with him.

Unfortunately I don't share any passion for Volvo's as you have to be 100 in the shade and wear a cardie and this black duck aint doin that.

I'm quite happy with my Mazda's thankyou.... :p

[vitesse]

Originally posted by AussieV8
And the scarey thing (240T) actual won the 1986 Australian Touring Car Championship. What the.............:confused:

Nothing scary or surprising about that- around 1985/6 that 240 Turbo was one of the fastest touring cars in the game, anywhere- (admittedly they were helped by some fairly 'creative' interpretation of the rules, but that kind of thing wasn't unusual in Group A.....) I remember watching the Volvo v Rover v BMW action in the ETCC during those couple of years, and it still has to be one of my favourite periods of touring cars

[AussieV8]

Vitesse,

We here in OZ don't think much of Volvo's as the only people that drive them wear cardigans and hats and are about a hundred in the shade. The fact they get in the way as well when motoring along the freeways is a pain in the butt. When Jim Richards started racing the S40 it was another story as it was him and he was up against the Audi's and they weren't like either.

[Stuart]

Lets face it, the Volvo never stood a chance of being popular in the country that gave the world the Holden Commodore VK!
Watching Mike O'Brien win the 1987 Snetterton BTCC round in Alan Grices old car is one of my favourite Touring Car memories.
Whistling Turbo charged brick or rumbling V8 monster? Not much of a choice really hey!