Volvo 200 Series - 240 in Motorsport

240 in Motorsport

Despite its non-sporting image the Volvo 240 was a successful competitor in touring car racing in the 1980s. In 1983 Volvo produced an evolution version of the 240 Turbo with a larger turbocharger and other performance modifications. All of these special cars were reputedly exported to the United States. Most of them were subsequently stripped of their racing equipment and sold as standard road cars, which later led Volvo into difficulties with the sport's governing body, the FIA, which questioned whether the necessary 500 cars had in fact been built. Debate continues to this day among enthusiasts about how many of the special-edition cars were built and what happened to them.

Nevertheless, the 240 Turbo proved a successful competitor. In Group A racing form, the 240 weighed less than 1,100 kg (2,425 lb), and its turbocharged 2.1-litre engine produced more than 350 bhp (261 kW; 355 PS). Although the 240 was a big car and lacked the agility of some of its competitors, it was fast in a straight line and it was very reliable. Volvo did not run the cars directly, instead engaging the services of established teams to prepare and manage them. The Eggenberger Motorsport team was the most successful of these. One of their cars, driven by Gianfranco Brancatelli and Thomas Lindstrom, won the 1985 European Touring Car Championship outright. Meanwhile, cars run by other teams, such as RAS Sport, competed in other championships around the world, with a fair degree of success. An Australian Dealer Team car driven by the New Zealander Robbie Francevic won the 1986 Australian Touring Car Championship and the Wellington 500 street race in New Zealand. The car also won the Guia Race in Macau consecutively in 1985 and 1986. Volvo withdrew from the sport at the end of the 1986 season, partly because of the controversy over its adherence to the rules, but also because the 240 had achieved what it set out to do. Volvo did not return to touring car racing until the early 1990s, with the 850 model.

The 240 also enjoyed some success in other branches of motorsport. Although Volvo had pulled out of rallying in the early 1970s, the 240 Turbo did see action as a Group A rally car in the mid-1980s, but without works backing it met with only limited success. The normally aspirated version remained eligible for international competition until 1996, and to this day the 240 remains a popular clubman's rally car in Scandinavia. Its popularity has in recent years been boosted with the establishment of the Volvo Original Cup, or VOC. This is a championship for amateur rally drivers using Volvo 240s, 740s and 940s. In the interests of cost control, only very limited modifications are allowed to the cars. The series attracts large numbers of competitors, attracted by its low cost and by the Volvo's rear-drive handling and reliability.

Because it is cheap and robust, the 240 has also become very common in folkrace competitions. In the UK the 240 is popular for banger racing, due to its strength. The Volvo 240 is now a common choice alongside Ford Granadas and Jags for using at 2.0-litre + banger meetings.