| Specials |
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| Intro The Volvo 480 series has several versions. In The Netherlands, badges read ES, turbo, S, GT, GT-turbo and two-tone. Quit a different story are the prototype versions. They ranged from renderings to roadworthy. Below a summary. |
| Cabriolet The ultimate Volvo 480 is, of course, the cabriolet version. While the Volvo 480 was an eyecatcher, the Volvo 480 beat it all at the Autoshow of Geneva in 1990. Members of the Volvo 480-Register could see it in real life at a special exhibition in Rotterdam. Some even dared to touch it or even sat in it. But sadly, it was not meant to be. The cabriolet never made it to the market.The cabriolet alone would justify a book. First, it seemed as if there would not be a cabriolet at all, later everything was ready for marketintroduction, with press releases and photos and all, but in the end, the project was abandoned. The stringent Volvo safety requirements could be met, but there were too many hurdles. The bankruptcy of a major supplier being the worst. By that time, several prototypes had already been built, with or without rollbar, in 2+2 or as two-seater. When the project was cancelled, all prototypes were demolished, except some museumcars. When it became clear that Volvo would not introduce the cabriolet, others stepped in. E.g. EBS and ACT in Belgium built prototypes. EBS is known for the Renault 5 cabriolet conversion and ACT built the Volvo 440 estate and Lada cabriolet. Members were even given first options. But this was some years after Volvo, and it was not viable anymore for these organisations which have limited sales and distribution facilities. It is also difficult to get authority approval for after sales conversions. Thanks to the good life in Belgium, some Volvo 480 cabriolets were nevertheless approved. If your interested you may want to track them down and import the car. By the way, the first chairman of the Volvo 480-Register was married in a Volvo 480 cabriolet. |
| Targa Less well known is that Volvo also had a targa prototype. But this is something of a semi-cabriolet, so this project was soon ended. Photoscoops made it to some car magazines, but that was the end of it. |
| Policecar Having your cars on the road as police cars gives car manufactures tremendous exposure. The same applies to Volvo. In The Netherlands, Volvo 850 and S/V70-models are used by the police. The Volvo 480 nearly made it as police car. Test cars with striping and warning lights were presented. The Dutch police decided otherwise. Even today, I am not sure if that is a pity. |
| 2.0l Turbo All Volvo 480 models deliver adequate power, let that be said. But one always wants more. Volvo is said to have experimented with a 2.0 liter turbo. But it is difficult to put a 2.0 liter engine without turbo in the motor bay, let alone a turbo. After a while, Volvo succeeded, but by that time the Volvo 480 was too old a model for a costly investment in a new version. Pity of course, because this would definitively have been a car for the fast lane. |
| Electric 480 As car manufacturer with great attention to the environment, Volvo has experimented also with electrically powered cars. The Volvo 480 too was used as a research project. The back seats were taken out to fit 375 kg of NiCad batteries. Performance and radius are still below petrol burning engines. As of today, there still is no electrically powered car on the market. |
| Other versions The above versions were designed more or less under the responsibility of, or cooperation by Volvo itself. There have also been companies and persons who modified Volvo 480's to an extent that it might be called a new version. Volvo 480's were used for rallying and racing, and there is also supposed to have been a dragster Volvo 480. Another example is the Volvo 480 prototype with active suspension. The car remains exactly level in bends, by means of an ingenious system I will never understand. |
| Modifications alone do not make a new version. Chiptuning
e.g. turns a 480 turbo into a 480 T4 so to speak, but it is not really a
new version. The Volvo 480 modified into a T-version (canary yellow, lowered,
titanium wheels) and other conversions I do not consider to be new versions.
The same goes for Volvo 480 in van-form, whereby the backseats are removed
for tax reasons. Still, despite a design which can hardly be improved, some
creative person may want to express himself. I would be anxious for example
how a Volvo 480 in XC-disguise (cross country, see V70) would look like.
Is there anyone out there who, to name something weird, has stretched his
Volvo 480? Are there pick-up versions around? How many cabriolet versions
are on the road? And, although the Volvo 480 never made in to the U.S. market,
Volvo made several cars in U.S. specification. Are they still around? Maybe
there are more special versions around?
Do you want to know more on special version? Do you know if the above is a complete survey? Please get in touch. I would love to hear from you. |
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