Over the previous couple of months, Alen has been bringing us all of the goodness from the 2 greatest occasions on the Scandinavian automotive fanatic calendar – Gatebil’s Summer time Competition at Mantorp Park in Sweden, and most just lately, Gatebil’s Foremost Occasion at Rudskogen Motorsenter in Norway.
We’ve bought some nice characteristic automobile tales coming from these occasions, however earlier than we begin stepping into these within the coming weeks, let’s wind the clock again 10 years for this week’s throwback put up and take a look at a really cool Gatebil Volvo that Dino shot 10 years in the past.
2014 Function
Like some unusual individuals on the market I’ve all the time been drawn to curious vehicles. Automobiles that for some cause or one other stood out, be it for his or her design, innovation, quirky mechanical options, or in some circumstances – plain ugliness. Magnificence is within the eye of the beholder, and that’s one thing that applies right here.
As a automobile producer, Volvo has by no means actually given an excessive amount of significance to magnificence. Their vehicles have all the time been geared in direction of performance and security in the identical manner that say an Italian automobile would possibly attraction for its emotional design or a German automobile for its driving dynamics.
The angular designs that outlined them within the ’80s had been removed from pleasing to the attention. It’s like their designers had been instructed to get rid of creativeness, character, and emotion, and focus on making the vehicles robust, secure, and dependable. Little doubt they succeeded with their goals, the string of boxy vehicles that adopted all the time shining for his or her tank-like construct high quality.
However each on occasion, the Volvo design studio, stripped of creativity, was given the go-ahead to provide probably the most un-Volvo-like automobile potential. Or not less than I’m guessing that’s how the story went. That’s why we bought vehicles just like the 242 coupe, which seemed as sq. and – as dare I say – boring as its four-door counterpart, however one which had that contact of one thing particular. Perhaps it’s the unquestionable coolness a two-door coupe form has, the place even a automobile that seemed prefer it was designed by a bored five-year-old with a crayon can immediately acquire a sure aptitude when stripped of its rear doorways and given a extra flowing roofline. After all, there was additionally the 262C Bertone coupé, however I all the time discovered that to be the improper form of ugly.
Quick ahead 30-plus years and it’s not shocking that the 242 coupé nonetheless has its justifiable share of admirers. That is very true in Scandinavia the place I discovered this specific, freshly-built ‘brick’, unsuspectingly sitting within the dusty, gravel space of the Gatebil Rudskogen 2014 paddock.
There are all the time a couple of of those vehicles at Gatebil in numerous states of tune, however there was one thing particular that made me discover this Swedish challenge. It seemed manner too clear – spotless in reality – and for that cause stood out among the many well-used drift and grip vehicles that we normally affiliate with these occasions. There have been too many tell-tale indicators hinting that loads of time had been spent on this automobile. A fast look via the windscreen revealed the form of roll cage pipework and gussets that wouldn’t look misplaced in a rally automobile.
It even had a TAKATA Racing x Speedhunters tow strap – vital accent for any severe performance-based construct.
As its proprietor, Jesper Andersson, was lifting the carbon bonnet I used to be anticipating both a Volvo five-cylinder and even Toyota’s venerable 2JZ – an engine that appears to be dropped into each second automobile in Scandinavia. However nothing might have ready me for what I used to be introduced with…
We’re speaking of only a few extra cylinders this time spherical, and a BMW E60 M5 V10 looks as if the proper development. Should you’re something like me you’re in all probability questioning how an concept like this may materialise. However as Jesper defined to me, this engine was by no means supposed to enter a 242 within the first place. After scoring the V10 from a burnt-out M5 discovered at a junkyard, Jesper was planning on retrofitting it in an E46 to make a cool and completely different kind of drift automobile. However then, after seeing an advert for the Volvo, nicely, mild bulbs will need to have illuminated his head.
And in order that’s how it began. After buying an appropriate ‘brick’ base, it wasn’t a query of merely trying to shoehorn the motor into the chassis and seeing what occurs, however somewhat taking a look at the entire thing and determining the way to provide you with the form of modifications that wouldn’t simply make the automobile one other engine-swapped challenge from Scandinavia. That meant a full strip down, and loads of measuring and planning to get the massive 5.0L V10 to sit down good. To not point out, prepping the chassis to deal with 500 horses and the abuse the automobile could be subjected to on the monitor.
Together with the stiffening modifications that Jesper added, Sellholm Tuning took care of fabricating {custom} entrance suspension turrets and topping them with MK Motorsport totally adjustable camber/caster plates.
With the chassis prepped and freshly sprayed in a couple of coats of Audi Daytona Silver, the engine was test-fitted with all of its auxiliary elements, checked for clearances, after which mounted in place. It solely takes one look to determine that focus to element was a excessive precedence right here, all the pieces is cleanly laid out with presentation very a lot in thoughts. The radiator shroud is a good instance.
The V10 sits so completely within the engine bay. The 2 intakes, stripped of their air movement meters and prolonged downwards in entrance of the wheel arches, breathe via a pair of froth filters. As Jesper stated, the Twister ECU from Kōhler Racing which is wired in to manage the BMW motor, solely runs off the throttle place sensors with no issues so far. Jesper intends to drive his automobile laborious, however that’s as soon as he’s completed taking it to automobile exhibits the place it’s already doing a very good job of taking house award after award.
Sending drive to the rear wheels is a BMW E39 6-speed Getrag transmission linked as much as a stronger Volvo 1988 axle. The rear has obtained much more suspension work than the entrance, with Jesper having fabricated a four-link setup across the Torsen differential-equipped Volvo axle. Not like the entrance which runs Bilstein shocks, the custom-fabricated rear suspension turrets are mated to GAZ coilovers.
The close-to-stock exterior doesn’t give a lot away, besides on the very rear the place a sneaky pair of downward-curved and centrally-mounted exhaust tailpipes make a shy exhibiting. Unsilenced V10? Oh sure, please!
Except for the darkish silver paint, the one actual change made to the outside was the elimination of the black plastic trim that ran the size of the automobile. It leaves behind solely the steel crease it was mounted on, giving a barely extra clear really feel.
On the entrance, hiding behind the wheels are 6-pot 997 Porsche GT3 calipers mated to cross-drilled and grooved rotors. They’re a vital addition as a result of other than the substantial acquire in energy, there may be additionally extra weight over the entrance wheels now regardless of the V10 engine being all-alloy.
The rear finish is anchored down with a set of BMW 4-pot calipers painted crimson to match the Porsche stoppers up entrance.
Lexan home windows have changed all of the heavy glass the Volvo was fitted with, which seeing how the remainder of the automobile was constructed had been in all probability bulletproof and triple-glazed.
The {custom} rear finish meant the inventory gasoline tank was eradicated. As a substitute now could be a racing gasoline cell taking heart stage within the trunk. Braided gasoline strains are plumbed into the surge tank and the Bosch exterior pump that retains the thirsty 5.0L motor topped up with gasoline. And very like within the engine bay, all the pieces is neatly laid out.
The intensive work that has gone into the Volvo hits house when you look within the cabin. The driving force and the passenger are safely enclosed by a severe multi-point roll cage with gusseted door crossbars.
Whereas the sq. sprint has remained, it’s been stripped of its analog instrumentation and closed off with a shiny carbon panel onto which a Racetech LCD information logger has been positioned. It’s all very minimalistic and really driver-oriented – simply how you’ll count on a correct race automobile to be laid out.
The gear shifter and hydraulic handbrake additional emphasize this. Each tall levers are at steering wheel peak in order that they’re inside simple attain.
Inside all of the complexity of bars sit a pair of Sparco fixed-back buckets, a well-liked seat selection in Europe that’s present in most of the vehicles we’ve featured from Gatebil.
These are mated to the new-gen black TAKATA Racing harnesses – one other must-have addition, particularly if you’re operating the tow straps!
Sticking the digital camera behind the seats it was potential to get a view of the aforementioned rear suspension turrets, which as you possibly can see sit extra inboard than the standard inventory place. These are additional stiffened with a set strut tower bar so as to add much more rigidity to the fully-prepped chassis.
With the continual bombardment of loopy builds from Scandinavia over the past couple of months, you virtually start to dismiss these vehicles as they turn into the norm. Name it the ‘Gatebil Impact’ if you’ll. However in case you take a step again for a second, you notice we now have been taking a look at among the most evocative {custom} vehicles on the planet. It’s laborious to get bored with this form of innovation and outside-the-box considering.
The Speedhunters
Instagram: thespeedhunters
Dino Dalle Carbonare
Instagram: dino_dalle_carbonare
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