Yup, just your regular dime-a-dozen old Volvo wagon with a turbocharged engine and all-wheel-drive.
Wait, what?
That’s right! This 1957 Volvo Wagon has the turbo engine and drive-line out of a ’91 Eagle Talon TSi AWD (remember those?). I love this. This is awesome looking wagon with an awesome swap that can be driven daily. Or is it?
[Source: Craigslist via BaT | Thanks for the tip CraigSu!]
Here is the thing, despite what millions hundreds of DSM lovers out there say, this engine and this particular AWD system are just kind of sucky. I have witnessed my friend’s ’91 Talon TSi snap a timing belt while idling (!!) in the driveway, 40,000 miles after the car left the factory (circa 1995). Then it did it again at 65,000 miles.
The turbo also blew, some seal or gasket, I don’t recall exactly now. It nearly starved the engine of oil in the process, by sending the said oil out the exhaust pipe, covering the rear bumped in it. It was quite comical. Yes, it was all stock because at that point he was so paranoid he wouldn’t turn up the boost. Also, google Crank Walk.
With regards to the driveline, unless upgraded to a post-1995 (feel free to correct me here DSM-lovers), the 1991 rear diff was a three-bolt, and therefore weaker (at least by drag racing standards), which maybe an issue in the presumably heavier Volvo.
But I love the idea behind this, I really do. And I like DSMs too, have a lot good memories of those cars. The AWD with some extra boost were fast as shit in street races, often breaking into the 11s. Talk about a sleeper… on the street, at the time, most other cars lost to a DSM.
Is this Volvo TSi worth $7500? I want to say, at least to the seller, that it is. I just don’t know how many people will actually pay that much.
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