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February 27, 2008
Volvo Tries its Hand at Traditional Hardcore
By Jen
Editor
Talk about a modern classic. I remember seeing the hard-topped version of Volvo’s first production car, the 1927 V4 codenamed the "Jakob," at the 2007 New York Auto Show as part of the Prancing Moose’s 80th birthday festivities. But the party isn’t over, as Volvo has commissioned this Jakob hot rod (foreground) to be built based on one of those original cars—and they’re set to unveil it later this month at the Volvo Museum in Gteborg. The look is traditional hot rod, but there’s nothing rough-hewn about this roadster: it’s got a carbon fiber chassis, aluminum-spoke wheels, and an ethanol-powered, turbocharged inline-5. Looks like a fun ride, though the engine bay is a little heavy on the plastic shrouding—I thought the whole point of the stripped-down rat-rod aesthetic was mechanical simplicity and ease of workability, but maybe that doesn’t apply to Volvos. Check out more pics after the jump!
Via Motor Authority
Comments
danny
Feb 28, 2008 at 5:57 pm
thats sick ill take two please
Ted
Feb 28, 2008 at 3:52 am
yeah, what the heck is that thing on the front… a boot scraper?
kap0w
Feb 27, 2008 at 5:33 pm
Be still my heart! What a beautiful car – minimal but modern. I know it might not be that practical and I’m really not sure what that is hanging off the front bumper, but I loooove how this thing looks!
Ted
Feb 27, 2008 at 5:16 pm
i want those tires, too.
Highspeedhijinks
Feb 27, 2008 at 1:47 pm
I love it, I like differnt versions of the same idea. I think 4 (or in this case 5) cylinder turbo charged engines in a classic 20s era body is an awesome concept. I loved GM’s ethanol roadster too.
Lars
Feb 27, 2008 at 9:15 am
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retroman
Feb 27, 2008 at 2:20 am
Who knows? this is Volvo. Either they’re trying to be innovative like they were with headlight wipers or they did it for some strange safety reason. Since this is a show car, I’d have to say the former.
Ted
Feb 27, 2008 at 1:57 am
That little roadster… THAT’S my favorite Volvo of all time right there. Volvo’s have been anything but what that car is… over the top.
I wonder how long it will take the Chinese to make a really poorly-done clone of it available…