Let’s face it, when the general public views a Volvo 240, they think people mover or grocery getter. However, those in motorsport know better. The Volvo 240 won touring championships back in the day. It performed well in rally and was great in endurance racing. And, if you question the viability of a Volvo in racing, just ask Randy Pobst, …
Here's a good YouTube channel for those that like drifty Volvos https://youtube.com/@driftsnlifts?si=w9aVfC-w66EudMZN
I love seeing Volvos turned into stuff like this.
I have owned a 242, 244, and 760 all of which served my family well. Modifying the older Volvos is a rewarding experience, because the before and after effect is so tremendous. They are rock solid cars and take to mods pretty well. I used IPD for most of the performance parts. Fond memories! Someday it would be great to do a V8 swap too :)
"LSes are overrated", but at least they fit under the hood...
240s can be turned into fire breathing beasts.
I have fond memories of Bill Malik's 240 rally car at The Rim of The World Rally.
“They’re well built–other than the motors that come in them.”
Disagree with that.
Two of the best engines hand down. LS, and redblock.
In reply to EvanB :
I agree. The VOLVO 4 cylinder engnes, with 5 main bearings, were durable powerplants that easily see 200,000+ miles.
Even Hot Wheels knows it
This is not helping my brick lust.
On my dreamcar list is a 242 Turbo Flathood. I was "this" close to owning one before buying my E36. The downside to the 240 is keeping up with incremental changes when you're trying to repair a car from the junkyard.
I always wanted to build a stretched 245 with a two door 242 with its stretched front door front half and a 245 back half. Or the same with a stretched 164 front clip, 142 stretched front door section, and 145 rear door section and rear end.
I got the idea from a guy I used to know who would buy smashed VW bugs, cut them in half at the B pillar, and weld the good ends together to create a whole car. It looked easy. 
EvanB said:“They’re well built–other than the motors that come in them.”
Disagree with that.
Here's a B230 engined, solid axle converted E30 M3
It has an Evo head and is run out to 3 liters of displacement, true, but how many LSs out there have the stock heads or displacement?
No reason that this can't have been a 240
VolvoHeretic said:I always wanted to build a stretched 245 with a two door 242 with its stretched front door front half and a 245 back half. Or the same with a stretched 164 front clip, 142 stretched front door section, and 145 rear door section and rear end.
I got the idea from a guy I used to know who would buy smashed VW bugs, cut them in half at the B pillar, and weld the good ends together to create a whole car. It looked easy.
You are exactly the same crazy that I am. A 163 is what I want. 164 front, 242 doors, 245 rear.
Also, Bo Skowronnek won the Canadian open class rally championship in about 1985 with 19 pounds of boost on a k-jet B23, and an M46 with overdrive in 2nd and 3rd as well as 4th. Zero to 100mph on gravel was amazing.
I snicker at people who speak of fragility and 240's in the same sentence.
Also, this guy is hardly a pioneer, and has some...interesting takes (especially the one about redblock fragility). People have been drifting bricks in Scandinavia since they were new. And Rob Prince campaigned a 262c Bertone for several years in USDrift before switching to a 242. I would hazard a guess that he's running BC coilovers.
240's are starting to get expensive, at least around here.
People asking $6-8k for beat up examples. Also seems like a lot the odo's stopped turning decades ago, so who knows what the real mileage is
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