Over the previous couple of months, Alen has been bringing us all of the goodness from the 2 greatest occasions on the Scandinavian automotive fanatic calendar – Gatebil’s Summer season Competition at Mantorp Park in Sweden, and most not too long ago, Gatebil’s Predominant Occasion at Rudskogen Motorsenter in Norway.
We’ve acquired some nice function automotive tales coming from these occasions, however earlier than we begin stepping into these within the coming weeks, let’s wind the clock again 10 years for this week’s throwback publish and take a look at a really cool Gatebil Volvo that Dino shot 10 years in the past.
2014 Characteristic
Like some unusual individuals on the market I’ve at all times been interested in curious automobiles. Vehicles that for some motive or one other stood out, be it for his or her design, innovation, quirky mechanical options, or in some instances – plain ugliness. Magnificence is within the eye of the beholder, and that’s one thing that applies right here.
As a automotive producer, Volvo has by no means actually given an excessive amount of significance to magnificence. Their automobiles have at all times been geared in the direction of performance and security in the identical approach that say an Italian automotive may enchantment for its emotional design or a German automotive for its driving dynamics.
The angular designs that outlined them within the ’80s had been removed from pleasing to the attention. It’s like their designers had been informed to put off creativeness, character, and emotion, and focus on making the automobiles sturdy, secure, and dependable. Little question they succeeded with their goals, the string of boxy automobiles that adopted at all times shining for his or her tank-like construct high quality.
However each on occasion, the Volvo design studio, stripped of creativity, was given the go-ahead to provide probably the most un-Volvo-like automotive potential. Or a minimum of I’m guessing that’s how the story went. That’s why we acquired automobiles just like the 242 coupe, which regarded as sq. and – as dare I say – boring as its four-door counterpart, however one which had that contact of one thing particular. Perhaps it’s the unquestionable coolness a two-door coupe form has, the place even a automotive that regarded prefer it was designed by a bored five-year-old with a crayon can all of a sudden achieve a sure aptitude when stripped of its rear doorways and given a extra flowing roofline. In fact, there was additionally the 262C Bertone coupé, however I at all times discovered that to be the flawed type of ugly.
Quick ahead 30-plus years and it’s not stunning that the 242 coupé nonetheless has its justifiable share of admirers. That is very true in Scandinavia the place I discovered this specific, freshly-built ‘brick’, unsuspectingly sitting within the dusty, gravel space of the Gatebil Rudskogen 2014 paddock.
There are at all times just a few of those automobiles at Gatebil in numerous states of tune, however there was one thing particular that made me discover this Swedish venture. It regarded approach too clear – spotless in truth – and for that motive stood out among the many well-used drift and grip automobiles that we often affiliate with these occasions. There have been too many tell-tale indicators hinting that plenty of time had been spent on this automotive. A fast look by the windscreen revealed the type of roll cage pipework and gussets that wouldn’t look misplaced in a rally automotive.
It even had a TAKATA Racing x Speedhunters tow strap – a must have accent for any severe performance-based construct.
As its proprietor, Jesper Andersson, was lifting the carbon bonnet I used to be anticipating both a Volvo five-cylinder and even Toyota’s venerable 2JZ – an engine that appears to be dropped into each second automotive in Scandinavia. However nothing might have ready me for what I used to be introduced with…
We’re speaking of only a few extra cylinders this time spherical, and a BMW E60 M5 V10 looks as if the right development. When you’re something like me you’re most likely questioning how an thought like this could materialise. However as Jesper defined to me, this engine was by no means supposed to enter a 242 within the first place. After scoring the V10 from a burnt-out M5 discovered at a junkyard, Jesper was planning on retrofitting it in an E46 to make a cool and completely different sort of drift automotive. However then, after seeing an advert for the Volvo, effectively, gentle bulbs should have illuminated his head.
And in order that’s how it began. After buying an appropriate ‘brick’ base, it wasn’t a query of merely making an attempt to shoehorn the motor into the chassis and seeing what occurs, however reasonably taking a look at the entire thing and determining tips on how to provide you with the type of modifications that wouldn’t simply make the automotive one other engine-swapped venture from Scandinavia. That meant a full strip down, and plenty of measuring and planning to get the large 5.0L V10 to take a seat good. To not point out, prepping the chassis to deal with 500 horses and the abuse the automotive could be subjected to on the observe.
Together with the stiffening modifications that Jesper added, Sellholm Tuning took care of fabricating {custom} entrance suspension turrets and topping them with MK Motorsport absolutely adjustable camber/caster plates.
With the chassis prepped and freshly sprayed in just a few coats of Audi Daytona Silver, the engine was test-fitted with all of its auxiliary parts, checked for clearances, after which fastened in place. It solely takes one look to determine that focus to element was a excessive precedence right here, all the pieces is cleanly laid out with presentation very a lot in thoughts. The radiator shroud is a good instance.
The V10 sits so completely within the engine bay. The 2 intakes, stripped of their air circulation meters and prolonged downwards in entrance of the wheel arches, breathe by a pair of froth filters. As Jesper stated, the Twister ECU from Kōhler Racing which is wired in to regulate the BMW motor, solely runs off the throttle place sensors with no issues up to now. Jesper intends to drive his automotive exhausting, however that’s as soon as he’s completed taking it to automotive exhibits the place it’s already doing a great job of taking dwelling award after award.
Sending drive to the rear wheels is a BMW E39 6-speed Getrag transmission linked as much as a stronger Volvo 1988 axle. The rear has acquired much more suspension work than the entrance, with Jesper having fabricated a four-link setup across the Torsen differential-equipped Volvo axle. In contrast to the entrance which runs Bilstein shocks, the custom-fabricated rear suspension turrets are mated to GAZ coilovers.
The close-to-stock exterior doesn’t give a lot away, besides on the very rear the place a sneaky pair of downward-curved and centrally-mounted exhaust tailpipes make a shy displaying. Unsilenced V10? Oh sure, please!
Apart from the darkish silver paint, the one actual change made to the outside was the elimination of the black plastic trim that ran the size of the automotive. It leaves behind solely the steel crease it was mounted on, giving a barely extra clear really feel.
On the entrance, hiding behind the wheels are 6-pot 997 Porsche GT3 calipers mated to cross-drilled and grooved rotors. They’re a vital addition as a result of other than the substantial achieve in energy, there’s additionally extra weight over the entrance wheels now regardless of the V10 engine being all-alloy.
The rear finish is anchored down with a set of BMW 4-pot calipers painted pink to match the Porsche stoppers up entrance.
Lexan home windows have changed all of the heavy glass the Volvo was fitted with, which seeing how the remainder of the automotive was constructed had been most likely bulletproof and triple-glazed.
The {custom} rear finish meant the inventory gas tank was eradicated. As a substitute now’s a racing gas cell taking heart stage within the trunk. Braided gas strains are plumbed into the surge tank and the Bosch exterior pump that retains the thirsty 5.0L motor topped up with gas. And very similar to within the engine bay, all the pieces is neatly laid out.
The in depth work that has gone into the Volvo hits dwelling when you look within the cabin. The driving force and the passenger are safely enclosed by a severe multi-point roll cage with gusseted door crossbars.
Whereas the sq. sprint has remained, it’s been stripped of its analog instrumentation and closed off with a shiny carbon panel onto which a Racetech LCD knowledge logger has been positioned. It’s all very minimalistic and really driver-oriented – simply how you’d count on a correct race automotive to be laid out.
The gear shifter and hydraulic handbrake additional emphasize this. Each tall levers are at steering wheel peak in order that they’re inside simple attain.
Inside all of the complexity of bars sit a pair of Sparco fixed-back buckets, a preferred seat selection in Europe that’s present in lots of the automobiles we’ve featured from Gatebil.
These are mated to the new-gen black TAKATA Racing harnesses – one other must-have addition, particularly in case you are working the tow straps!
Sticking the digicam behind the seats it was potential to get a view of the aforementioned rear suspension turrets, which as you may see sit extra inboard than the same old inventory place. These are additional stiffened with a set strut tower bar so as to add much more rigidity to the fully-prepped chassis.
With the continual bombardment of loopy builds from Scandinavia during the last couple of months, you virtually start to dismiss these automobiles as they turn out to be the norm. Name it the ‘Gatebil Impact’ if you’ll. However when you take a step again for a second, you notice we’ve got been taking a look at among the most evocative {custom} automobiles on the planet. It’s exhausting to get uninterested in this type of innovation and outside-the-box considering.
The Speedhunters
Instagram: thespeedhunters
Dino Dalle Carbonare
Instagram: dino_dalle_carbonare
dino@speedhunters.com
