The rectilinear and seemingly immortal Volvo 140 and 240 series inspired the popular “Brick” nickname that has adhered to Volvos decades after the last one rolled off the assembly line and yielded the crown (kronor?) to curvier successors. More than a quarter century of production and numerous variations create considerable room for debate on what is the ultimate Brick, though.
The original 1967-74 140, the ultra-practical 145 and 245 wagons, the final 1993 240 Classic sedan and wagon, a million-miler of any year or body style — each of them and others have valid arguments in their favor. To me, though, the ultimate Brick is this specific one that I spotted recently on a Friday morning commute: a 1983 240 Turbo wagon. They don’t come any more Brick-y than this one, and on top of that, it’s a Turbo, and nothing is more reminiscent of cars of my teenage years in the Eighties than a turbo.
To give some context for those who do not remember the short-lived 240 Turbo, this hottest of 240s lasted for only four years in the early 1980s. In 1981, Volvo introduced a boosted version of its “red block” B21 2.1 liter four, using a Garrett AiResearch turbocharger and a compression ratio dropped from 9.3:1 to 7.5:1, producing 127 horsepower in U.S. trim (155 in Europe). Initially it was available as an option only in sedans in the sporty GLT series, with GLT wagons having the same suspension and brake upgrades but not the turbo option. The U.S. version was capable of 0-60 in 8.9 seconds, slow by today’s standards, but a quantum leap ahead of the 107 horsepower and over 14 seconds of the naturally aspirated sedan.
In 1982, the turbocharged engine became standard in both the GLT sedans and wagons. It made the GLT wagon the ultimate in fast freight in the early 1980s, capable of running with any sports sedan of its time.
In 1983 Volvo’s Turbos became even more potent with the addition of an intercooler. U.S. versions now produced 162 horsepower, and the sedan’s claimed 0-60 time now dipped below 7 seconds. Approaching the performance level of a 2000’s V6 powered family sedan made them quite fast by the standards of the early 1980s. Unfortunately, 1984 became the last year for the 240 Turbo, with the introduction of the 740 in 1984 causing the 240 to move down market a notch and concede the turbocharged engine to become exclusive to the 740 series.
The short life of the turbocharged 240 and the even shorter lives of the wagon and intercooled versions make this 1983 wagon with its “1983 BRICK” vanity plate a rare Brick. The Turbo badge on the tailgate is likely to be genuine, as this wagon has the five spoke alloy wheels of the Turbo. On top of its rarity, this 240 wagon shows many signs of being both in excellent condition (aside from a missing rear wiper) and in regular driver usage, as a good solid Brick should be. Shiny paint? Check. Period Volvo-logoed mudflaps? Check. Roof rack ready for heavy duty? Check. Rear three point seatbelts being used to secure a blond-haired boy during the morning school run, blurring whether we are in the United States or Sweden? Check. Even the color is that of a brick. These many factors make this particular 240 Turbo wagon my idea of an ultimate Brick.
It certainly outshines the newer and more modern vehicles that surround it, all of which are successors in different ways: a Volvo S60, a direct descendant; a Toyota Highlander Hybrid, which occupies exactly the same market segment today as the 240 wagon occupied then; and a Ford F150 with four doors and a bed cap, a common family and cargo hauler of today in the same color as the 240 Turbo to underscore the resemblance.
Your idea of the ultimate Brick and of the merits of this 240 wagon against the vehicles surrounding it may vary, though. Feel free to debate both!
If ever there was a need for the legalese at the bottom of an ad, it would be in that second picture down… “Professional Driver on a Closed Course. Do Not Attempt.”
A) In order for that Volvo to be that far around the BMW in its pass attempt, it would’ve had to have pulled out while still on the curve… Unless of course it was a perfectly timed overtaking winding through those curves quickly (which would also get that disclaimer today), meeting the Beemer just as the passing zone started. And….
B) What all new cars like to say when it falls below 37 degrees**, “Icy Conditions Possible”. Look at that snow. We probably have that situation there.
** Which is kinda funny, considering water freezes at 32 degrees (0 for you folks in the rest of the world ;o)
Nice write up!
I grew up in one of these! My mom’s was silver with the blue/black striped interior. I loved watching the turbo gauge push into the boost zone, though I didn’t really understand it at the time.
My parents grew to hate the car, alas. It was pretty junky, and the Volvo dealer was friendly but incompetent. After the brakes failed in traffic, they replaced it with a 1992 Camry wagon (V6), which kicked off about 25 years of Japanese car loyalty.
Interestingly, my dad now drives a Volvo–he really wanted the adaptive cruise control and related safety features. It took over two decades, but I guess he eventually forgave Volvo.
My mom is in a BMW X3 these days. She likes the handling and it has held up well enough for the last four years. (It did fail to start once and required a tow to the dealer, but at least the brakes didn’t fail!)
I know everyone praises the durability of the old Volvo bricks, but that wasn’t our experience at all. Same goes for my dad’s contemporaneous 760 diesel, which was replaced by a 100% trouble-free Maxima.
I always found the exhaust pipe on these Volvos to be amusing given the way it’s bends and twists under the rear cargo hold. Good catch there with a cool car and here is my Volvo contribution from Portland.
There it is: Peak Volvo, hands down.
Robert,
Was that photo taken in Crystal City (Arlington), near DCA? I live in Alexandria and know that road very well.
I once left a note on that same ’83 wagon asking for dibs on the car if or when they sell. That was 3 years ago. I haven’t gotten a call – yet.
You are correct, Crystal City at the left turn lanes from Route 1 onto 23rd Street was the location. I work in that area now. The underground garages have some interesting long-term residents which may be good material in the future.
I had forgotten about these. My law school roommate had a Volvo fixation going on at the time, but he was more interested in the lower end models. For some reason, these Volvos did not call my name at the time. But a Saab Turbo did? Hard for me to figure now . . .
It is funny to think about what magic the name “Turbo” conjured in the early 80s. Everyone who was anyone had a Turbo to offer back then.
CC gold. Just one thing to add: It needs the manual 4-speed with overdrive (M46). These cars were my first love.
I was an occasional passenger in a 240 with the 4 speed + overdrive, and I also remember it as a fascinating feature. I consider it a deficiency that I have never driven a car with a push button overdrive, except for Toyotas with 4 speed automatics with a top gear lockout button, which isn’t the same thing at all.
Beautiful brick. But for some reason, the mythical 240 that lives in my head is always this shade of blue…
In my mind, as a result of sightings over the years, late 80s/early 90s 240s are that shade of blue, early 80s examples are the dark red of the featured car, and 70s 240s are tan, orange, or green. Anything else looks wrong to me.
The son of the wealthiest family in Canada drove a 240 Turbo in the early 80’s. He’s worth millions and is a real car-guy. He could have afforded anything, but bought one of these.
He became a semi- professional race car driver. Maybe thats what a 240 Turbo and a pile of money leads to.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Thomson_(racing_driver)
Sorry to be pedantic about a great article – but I think we’re talking about 0-55 in under 7 seconds not 0-60. The 182hp 760 Turbo estate achieved 7.7 seconds 0-60 when tested by Autocar and I don’t think it was much lardier than the 240. I don’t think aerodynamics count much to 60 (if the 760 is really more slippery than a 240).
That red colour was quite popular in the UK on 240GLTs (we didn’t get the Turbo) as it was the only one available with a beige interior. Otherwise you got black leather, black carpets and black headliner which was very gloomy on the average British day, and far too hot in summer (AC wasn’t available on 240s).
I had the same thought. During this period 55 MPH was the law. Kind of sneaky the way Volvo presented this, Most (US) ad’s of the period would never mention performance tests exceeding 55 MPH.
I really like the boxy styling of these wagons, esp. the later models with the composite headlights. They have great interiors as well. But alas, never having owned one, I also hear the mechanicals are just so-so. One thing I never noticed before from the first pic is just how large the tail gate window is, it actually dips below the beltline.
My favorite generation of turbo Volvo. Where are they now? All driven into the ground after 400,000 kms I assume.
Keep in mind that Volvo had an issue with degrading engine wire harnesses from about 1980 to 1987 so a lot of them were probably junked because they needed a new engine harness. For a person that has basic electrical and car repair knowledge, it is easy enough to replace(I replaced one in about 4 hours and that was with a break in the middle) but most folks cannot do it so it went to the dealer which made it cost prohibitive for a lot of folks. The car was then junked or traded in and then junked.
Mercedes also had the “enviro’ wiring in their cars from abt 1990 to 96 in all models. A shame but it can lead to bargain purchases.
I went to high school with a kid whose college-age sister drove a black 240 turbo 2 door with tan leather and manual trans, his dad drove a SAAB 900 turbo 3 door, black with tan interior, 5 speed, and his mother had a BMW 528i, silver with black leather, also manual transmission…coolest cars of any kid I knew.
That poor bastard got a brain tumor and died not long after we graduated in 1985.
Volvo 240 wagons are amazing beasts of burden. I briefly owned an off-white 240 wagon with blue vinyl seats, flipped it and doubled my money. I’d be nervous about buying anything old with a turbocharger, partially because of more stuff to go wrong, but also assuming a driver of a car with a turbo might be inclined to drive it more enthusiastically, which would be harder on the whole car. Not sure if that’s a valid concern or not?!?
One thing that the old bricks introduced me to was the concept of “up-right” seating. So very comfortable!
I remain convinced if Volvo produced a “brick” today without going all cross-over they would double sales overnight. Classic designs, while updated with modern acruments and “safety-ized”, are always in demand.