Want A Good Sleeper? Try A Brick-Shaped Supra
A brilliant combo

Could there a be a more perfect combination than a Volvo 245 Wagon and a Toyota’s famous 2JZ-GTE engine? Ok, at first it might not sound so great. I mean why waste the time putting a motor like that in a heavy old Volvo? Think about it a little more though, and you realize just how great an idea it is.

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Old Volvos, while not known for being especially thrilling, have developed an incredible reputation for durability. These cars are quite simple, they’re overbuilt and they have a basic structure that can handle just about any abuse you throw at it.  Like a tank, as they say.

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Then you have the 2JZ. Its design might be well over 20 years old now, but there’s a reason it’s still such a popular powerplant around the world. First, it can make some serious power. We’re quite familiar with the countless 2JZ-powered vehicles out there making well north of 1000hp.

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But more than its power capabilities, the 2JZ is so sought after because of its durability. Not only can these motors make big horsepower, but they can do it while being extremely reliable. Strength is their key virtue, just like the aforementioned Volvos.

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So yes, combining an old boxy Volvo with Toyota’s beloved inline six is about as natural as it gets. It’s taking one of the world’s strongest cars and mixing it with one of the world’s strongest and most capable engines.

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If that’s not enough to sell you on the idea, there’s also the whole sleeper factor. It’s hard to find a more unassuming car than a beat-up burgundy Volvo 245 wagon like this one, and combined with a hotted-up 2JZ, you’ve got a recipe for huge grins and lots of strange looks from other motorists. That’s what it’s all about, right?

Built for fun
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Sweden’s Peter Björck is the man responsible for this car, and there’s a good chance that name will sound familiar to you. That’s because Peter is also the guy who built the 1,294 horsepower JZA80 Supra that we featured last year.

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While the Supra was a full-on mega-build with a ton of time and money invested in it, the idea was for the Volvo to be more laid back. A car that was built for fun above all else.

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When Peter got hold of the engine-less Volvo chassis, he knew he wanted a car that he wouldn’t have to care so much about. Something that could be driven and driven hard without much worry. This is where that great Volvo/2JZ combination comes in.

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His goal at first was to create a car that would be used primarily on the street. You know, load the thing up with some friends and then head out and have some fun.

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Over the years, Peter served up embarrassment to many a high-end performance car, but eventually word got out about what was lurking under the hood and nobody wanted to race him any more. Real sleeper problems.

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When it came to building the car, Peter says that getting the 2JZ into the Volvo was rather easy, and given how much space is in the 245’s engine bay it’s not hard to see why.

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And while even a stock 2JZ would be quite fun in a car like this, we all know that stock never suffices. Especially in Scandinavia.

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Most of the work done on the car has been directed at the engine bay. The 2J’s pistons are stock, but the rods and head studs have been strengthened with parts from Eagle and ARP.

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Boost meanwhile comes from a single KKK29 turbocharger mounted on a PRC manifold.

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Other supporting engine modifications include Bosch 2200cc injectors, a Nuke fuel rail, Walbro fuel pump, PRC wastegate and Nuke blow-off valve. Control is handled by a Link G4 Extreme engine management system.

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The 2JZ is then mated to a V160 six-speed transmission with a Tilton clutch and power leaves the car through a BMW M5 differential mounted in the factory axle assembly.

Sleeper status
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Elsewhere, the old Volvo is very stock and that’s really what makes it so great. Suspension modifications, for example, consist only of some R-Sport shocks with basic lowering springs and a Kaplhenke quick steer roll correction kit.

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Peter says the brakes on the car are essentially stock, while the wheels are modified 17″ steelies from a Peugeot 407. They aren’t flashy, but that’s the point. It’s hard to think of something else that better suits the character of this car.

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Inside, the Volvo has a simple roll bar set-up and a Sparco driver’s seat for track days. Let’s not forget the stereo and subwoofer set-up either.

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Can’t you just imagine that dog staring out the back of the Volvo as it pulls away from some unassuming fellow in a fancy sports car? I love it.

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After Peter sold off the Supra, the Volvo became his only car – meaning it would have to serve both as a street car and as a track machine when Gatebil came around.

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While he says it isn’t the easiest car to drift in its current state, the Volvo has no problem driving to Norway with extra tires on the roof rack, being punished on the track and then driving back to Sweden with no problems.

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Recently Peter actually relocated to Dubai where he’s currently working on a rather crazy-sounding Lamborghini Gallardo project. Fortunately he plans to keep the Volvo to work on and drive when he comes home to Sweden for vacation. Future plans include better suspension and brakes to improve the car’s race track manners, as well as an improved turbo set-up.

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In the meantime though, it’s pretty clear that he has built one of the coolest sleepers we’ve ever seen. I’ve always thought that a great car should make you laugh with joy, and this one looks like it delivers laughter by the wagon load. Keep it up Peter!

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42 comments

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1

Awesome car really really cool.

3

Heavy old Volvo?  The 245 weighs less than a Supra

4

This is one of the cars that has driven a want for a 240 wagon. Always been a fan of the brick and the ability to handle huge power is a plus. Lots of stuff out there to tweak the suspension. I have a built for boost Zetec (300 hp is easy) and T5 sitting in the shed. Just need to find a complete shell to mess with.

5

Fimpish This makes me want to build a sleeper...

6

hahaha fantastic. i would pay just to see the look on peoples faces! tummen upp!

7

A great man once said "Volvo is turbo and proper mad" and it couldn't be more fitting for this car. What a machine! 
I'd love to do something like this. But if it has to be a daily I'd try to make it AWD for when the road is wet or snowy.

8

Very cool car, I like that people are revitalizing these old beasts. Poor dog looks smashed against the rear window in more than one picture though :/

9

@Jared Lol! Good job it's not real!

10

but why do this to a volvo? why not just do a cressida goon instead?

11

86jackThat.. thing.. aint made in swedish steel. And its not cool looking either. And it is basically impossible to get your hands on in Skandinavia.. Rust..

12

Wow!!!! I think all I can say is that this would be my reaction watching this thing smoke cars at the track:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0GIGKYVeNCc

14

That guy has serious balls to more than quadruple the original power and keep the brakes standard

15
reginald_reginald

86jackhard enough to build a decent cressida wagon in the US apparently. there are like 2 that i know of worth anything. x7 rear end isnt up to the power, what else are you going to swap in? mki supra rear? marginally better. ferd 8.8? headed in the right direction, but you're going to need to fab your mounting points and perches. front stuff is easy enough, you can go 5 lug with x8 parts and off-the-shelf coilovers.
plus, still cheaper to find an old volvo wagon (US or scandinavia) than it is to find some stance-wannabe whored out x6 or x7 wagon going for 5-10x actual value.

16

Explain the rear end for me again? 200s have live axles, the default for a high-power build is a Ford 9" or similar. What did he do with the rear suspension to accommodate an M5 diff?

17

JoeWhaler Discs on all four corners and dual pistons up front. They're actually pretty sturdy. FC RX-7 brakes are a relatively easy swap, though, if it were my build I'd go that route.

18

Is that actually the exhaust exiting in front of the font right wheel? Or is it some wastegate or something?

19

Wastegate aka screamerpipe

20

There are a lot of builds like this one in Sweden. Makes perfect sense when you consider spare part availability and (if it's the right year) you can make it road legal. After all, this is a track build meant for events like gatebil where no f*cks are given whatsoever. If he totals it, he can just pick up a used shell for peanuts.
I have friends that built similar cars, like amazons, 240's and 740's with Volvo five and six cylinder turboed engines from the 850/s70/v70 and 960/s80 series, making 500-800hp.
Google Vöx amazon...!
Speedhunters featured builds like this before, like the green 242 last year.
I guess it started back in the 80's with Chevy and Rover v8 transplants. But that's another story.

21

SuzyWallace  Sure its real, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymi0xkErqWI

22

Its spelled Kaplhenke

23

Let me correct something, 200 series volvos aren't actually that heavy as people seem to think. 1,371–1,421 kg (3,020–3,130 lb) stock, and if you compare these weights to cars nowadays, VW Golfs and such are as heavy as this.. And if you switch some of the panels to carbon or glass fibre etc...

24

Sedans are 1210–1390 kg..

25

JussiNieminen They are heavy compared to other cars of the era.   Compare them to a honda civic of the same vintage or an e30 and they are kind of porky.

26

LOL sleeper with fake dog staring at you.   :)

27

Something I've always wanted to do haha. Awesome car!

29

BeigePower JussiNieminen  Yes but the Supra weighs 1700 kg.... So the volvo is much lighter!

30

CossieDrifter BeigePower JussiNieminen 
Yeah, nobody seems to remember that ^
The volvo is actually much longer and wider than e30 bwm, still the bwm weighs between 1100 and 1300kg. It's about the same size as e34..

31

It blew my mind watching this car tandem with Vaughn Gittin Jr at Gatebil last year!

32

DanielCarlsson I meant the dog - not the car! :D

33

Dogknob1 I like this better. Can’t beat a V8… http://t.co/c748NdM2G5

34

robgt2 Oh yes I have seen that one before but it is stunning,just love that sleeper look though

35

Dogknob1 there’s a place in the US which sells conversion kits to drop in a V8. Would have liked to do that to my dad’s old 245GLE.

36

A subwoofer?

37

Konkrite YES!!!

38

best ever! 
that is all

39

Amazing ! <3

40
PatrikJohansson

levdir JoeWhaler
Actually it has 4 piston calipers in front and 2 piston calipers in rear stock.
With some better pads, brake fluid and steel braided lines you have quite track capable brakes.
Volvo 240 brakes are popular to use on smaller cars for racing purposes.

41

DanielCarlsson SuzyWallace
good afternoon guys, fabulous project. i got a project myself on going. 1987 toyota royal saloon crown with a 2 jz vvti twin turbo, 6 speed tranny. should be wired up by friday afternoon. however as i have the car complete stock in regards to suspension, disc brakes all round, independent shock an spring at rear etc. seeking guidance as to what would be the best replacement for my diff setup, suspension an etc. please assist. want to whoop anything on the road especially those "high end factory tuned vehicles" they claim are the best thing on the road.

best wishes
Bruise It

42

I know these questions are coming in late, but i am doing 240 research rn. Is the center lights on the instrument cluster a shift light or rpm read? Also, is it dumping straight off the header into a short exhaust behind the front right bumper?

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