Lightning McQueen Volvo Rally Art Car

If you were 3 years old, what car do you want your parents to own? It's not an easy question to ask a 3 year old as there answers are limited. However, Lightning McQueen surely has to be one of the top. And, if you need a sporty looking vehicle to base your Lightning McQueen on - what would you choose? A Volvo 740 of course.

In this case, three grown adults made the car of their dreams, apparently. A Volvo 740 plucked from obscurity that had spent its life driving round the UK's home counties, was now made into an art car. And driven across Europe repeatedly on our events.

I've never actually worked out what the motivation to make this car was, apart from further capitalising on a Cars dvd they had obviously bought.

You may be wondering whether there are any similarities between this car and a real sports car. There aren't.

However, the side effect of being the proud owner of Lightning McQueen meant that the owner was constantly bugged by their kids to take them to school in Lightning, which included half the kids from the neighbourhood. As the owner lamented one day, we can do the school run in a brand new Mercedes, or Lightning. Lightning won every time.

So there we have it. How to impress your children. Make Lightning McQueen.

By Justin Clements Street Safari

Volvo to Build New Car Plant in China, Aims to Sell 200,000 Vehicles in the Chinese Market by 2015

At a press conference held earlier today in Beijing, Chinese-owned Volvo Cars announced plans to build a new plant in the city of Chengdu and continuing investigations for a second factory in Daqing, in north-eastern China. Volvo said that the deal is still pending approval from the Chinese government. "We regard the Chinese market as the second home market for Volvo Car Corporation and a very important part of the plan to build a successful future for the company," said Stefan Jacoby, President and CEO of Volvo Car Corporation. The Chengdu assembly plant will only build Volvo cars and have an initial output of around 100,000 cars annually, with production estimated to start during 2013. Volvo said that the decision to expand in China will not affect operations and employment in Europe. "We will build an entirely new plant in Chengdu and further investigate the opportunities for establishing an additional factory in Daqing," said Jacoby. "Our production in China will, however, not have any impact on decisions affecting capacity utilization of our plants in Sweden and Belgium" says Stefan Jacoby. The Swedish automaker, which was acquired from Ford by China's Geely in 2010, also announced that Shanghai will serve as Volvo Car China's headquarters and centre for product development, design and sourcing. "Among other priorities, Volvo Car China will also support Volvo Corporation R&D in Sweden regarding the development of electric vehicles and hybrids," the company said in a statement. "The Volvo Car China Technology Centre in Shanghai will develop into a complete product development organization on an international level," said Freeman Shen, Volvo Car Corporation SVP & China Operations Chairman. "It will have the competence and capacity to work together with the HQ in Sweden, participating in Volvo Car Corporation's work process for developing entirely new models." Volvo said that it plans to increase its business presence in the China and aims to reach a sales volume of about 200,000 cars a year in the country by 2015. The company's global retail sales during 2010 reached 373,525 (an increase of 11.2 per cent compared to 2009), with only 30,000 of those sold in China.
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Volvo's Iconic P1800 Turns 50 This Year

Even if you are not a specialist in classic cars, you know you have seen this one before. And you're right, its fame came from being Roger Moore's ride in the TV series “The Saint”. In fact, the man who played Simon Templar liked the car so much that he bought one for himself. Revealed at the 1960 Brussels Motor Show, the unmistakably-shaped Swedish coupe was not the first choice for the part in “The Saint”. The producers first asked Jaguar for the E-Type, but the British refused, arguing that the car didn't need more publicity. Volvo said yes and so the P1800 became known worldwide.
Production started in 1961 and almost 46,000 units of the model were made in various versions until production ended in 1973. Probably the second most famous P1800 driver after "The Saint" is American Irv Gordon, who drove his Swedish coupe for 45 years, reaching more than 2.8 million miles (4.5 million km) without changing the engine, the transmission or the axles. A statement for the durability and the quality of an outstanding vehicle. To celebrate the 50-year anniversary of the P1800, Volvo will participate at the TechnoClassica show in Essen (March 30 – April 3) with six special models: the X1 (the first prototype), a 1961 first series model assembled in the UK, a 1963 P1800S Rally, a 1966 1800S Volvoville (US-built convertible), a 1971 1800E and a 1971 1800ES.
Volvo P1800 timeline: 1959 – Volvo announces P1800 prototype built by Frua. 1960 – The car is showcased in Brussels, first pre-production cars tested. 1961 – Production car: 2-door coupe, steel body, 2+2 seating, 1.8-liter twin carburettor engine, 100 bhp/5,500 rpm. First 6,000 cars assembled in the UK by Jensen Motors. 1963 – P1800 is renamed 1800S to mark the start of Swedish assembly. Introduction of the 1964 model with improved 108 bhp engine, improved brakes and modified seats. 1964 – Revised interior, straight bumpers with rubber inserts. 1965 – Power increased to 115 bhp, diaphragm clutch, sealed greasing, improved brakes. 1966 – Modified front grille, chrome side trim introduced. 1967 – Three spoke steering wheel, minor interior changes. 1968 – 2.0-liter engine type B20, 118 bhp/5,800 rpm, fitted with emission equipment. Dual circuit braking system introduced. 1969 – 1800E model with Bosch electronic fuel injection developing 130 bhp at 6,000 rpm (B20E). ZF gearbox, disc brakes on all wheels, alloys, new dashboard. 1970 – Stronger Volvo-built manual gearbox or optional Borg-Warner 3 speed automatic introduced. 1971 – 1800ES estate car launched. 1972 – 112 bhp B20F engine USA-emissions compliant. 1973 – Production ends.

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Volvo Adds Fuel-Efficient DRIVe Variants to S60 and V60 Range

Volvo is expanding its S60 and V60 lineup in Europe with the introduction of more fuel efficient DRIVe variants. Both versions use the upgraded 1.6-liter diesel engine that complies with the Euro 5 standard and is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. The S60 and V60 DRIVe models also benefit from the use of a start/stop system, with the end result being low fuel consumption and reduced emissions. The company said the S60 consumes on average 4.3 lt of diesel fuel per 100 kilometers equal to (54.7 mpg US) with CO2 emissions of 114 g/km, while the station wagon model returns 4.5 lt/100km (52.2 mpg US) with CO2 emissions of 119 g/km. The addition of these two eco-friendly models means Volvo will have a range of seven models with CO2 emissions below 120 g/km, three of which dip under the 100 g/km mark. The Volvo range also include DRIVe versions of the C30, S40 and V50 models, with the V70 and S80 to join the family this spring. Both will have emissions of 119 g/km.
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