One of the advantages of working in our Parts Department at that time was the ability to “borrow” accessories for our evaluation. Now, truth be told, we borrowed lots of stuff and had a hoot installing goodies. As we told Mitch Duncan, we needed to test the installation instructions. I think he saw right through us but never stopped us. One upcoming accessory was an intercooler kit. We knew there was a very short window between being an accessory and being installed as standard equipment. So PR helped by putting out a press release. Me being in Parts and Bob Austin running PR, I hadn’t a clue what that meant. Bob called, “come over and hold an intercooler for a few minutes.” (more about that later in the post).

Here is Bob’s recount of how we homologated Group A, 242 Flat Nose boxes.

From Bob Austin 4-2012

I do know something about this.  I was one of the guys who had to go with the FIA inspectors to view the cars. We inspected them at two ports. The cars all had flat hoods…which was not a normal part of US specification, so it did make these 500 cars visually different and arguably “collectible.” They were built at the factory and sold with that hood. I think we looked at cars in two ports – Long Beach, CA and Port Newark, NJ.

I know these cars were also equipped with a larger turbo. The cars were not sold in that configuration because in street driving applications, that turbo would spool up too slowly and make the car unpleasant to drive. So, the larger turbos were installed…on the cars parked in the first two rows at the ports. After the inspection by the FIA people, the larger turbos were removed and the standard turbos replaced. Part of my responsibility was to keep them near the front of the rows of cars…

I cannot speak to the trick rear ends. I honestly do not remember anything about those. I do remember one of the FIA inspectors was John Timanus, who was head of all things technical at our Sports Car Club of America for many years. He was a super guy. The other person was a German whose father was quite a famous racer. His last name began with the letter B…but it was quite a few years ago.  And I believe he was a Von B…

I do remember that there was a very specific reason that they were built on US spec cars, and that had to do with the emission system. Apparently, our cars were more sophisticated and used an O2 sensor which was very handy in terms of keeping the mixture perfectly tuned even at high boost. I think our European market cars did not have that feature.

I also seam to remember that these cars had rear spoilers…which were painted body color and then “stored in the trunk” to prevent body damage and theft in transit. The cars were not sold with these. I think some were put into our inventory as accessories, and some went back to Europe.

Here is a picture of a flat hood 242 Turbo race car…it belonged to our own Fred Hammond (dj: Fred was Director of PR in Rockleigh). He purchased it from Chuck Cunningham our dealer in Topsham, Maine. I am copying Fred on this note so he can confirm if this is the proper history or not. The car was running in a Sports Car Club of America race at Lime Rock Race Track, in Sharon, Connecticut. Fred was driving. The photographer was Klaus Schnitzer.

Bob Austin

Fred Hammond’s 242 Flat Nose came from Bates and Cunningham, the Volvo retailer in Maine. The way Fred tells it:

“I had this car for about 1 ½ years. Raced at Lime Rock and Watkins Glen and did okay in Showroom Stock class. Actually won two races at the Glen. There I was up against two Camaro’s in what was then the Champion Spark Plug Series. I even made a little bit of money with my winnings. Later I went up against another Camaro at Lime Rock. He really didn’t like that a Volvo box could take him for a ride so at one point he tried to pass on the inside, but when he couldn’t make it, he hit full brakes locking up wheels on gravel and tapped my rear end. This caused my Volvo to roll over five times with only a cracked front windshield.

People were shouting “He must be dead!” I climbed out, stood there and offered back “Of course I’m ok…it’s a Volvo.”

Spoken like a true PR professional. He was taken to a medic tent where the doctor checked him out and said he would be fine – it was only a mild concussion. Fred’s wife came running in “no life support, pull the plugs, I’ll get five times his salary if he dies while working.”

Truly, only as Jean would do.

I wasn’t certain if memory served me correctly as to what year the 242 won the ETCC so I asked Claes Rydholm. Here’s the funny story by Claes:

We did win, in 1985; European Champions and the European Champion driver was Thomas Lindstrom. My first job when I started with VCC  in October 1986 was to write a press release that we were quitting the series and giving up racing, and stage a press conference after the last race of the season in Estoril, Portugal. I got a desk and a computer on Monday, I did the release on Tuesday and left for Portugal on Wednesday! Now how about that for a start! :- )

Claes

A couple years ago, we were looking for some Flat Nose 242s for a Jalopnik-sponsored Xbox racing video game, Forza 3. Our friend at Hemmings Blog (Hemmings Sports and Exotic Cars) wrote this piece to help find that car model. I must warn you, the last image is only for those over legal drinking age in their state. http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/tag/european-touring-car-championship/

So in the end, no I don’t have a Flat Nose.

dan

#LittleRed

Here are the details -

Volvo fans can get involved with the #LittleRed campaign! In our #LittleRed TV spot, the Volvo S60 T6 R-Design is the star. We want you to play director! Mimic a photo of your own Volvo with the look and feel of our commercial, hash tag it #LittleRed and post it to Instagram: http://instagr.am/p/Jkx1FUOfL6/. The best photos will make it onto our Facebook page. Have fun and be sure to check out www.youtube.com/VolvoCarsUS for more.

And check out the latest behind-the-scenes interviews with the designers of the S60 R-Design.

dan

Not that I would buy a VW – well maybe an old Westie – but their Darth Vader spot was so well done, I think it will become a classic.

In general, our still photography has been shot without people but “with signs of people.” For example, in a C70 photo, we placed a pair of sunglasses on one seat and in an XC70, we used a bag of popcorn. Sometimes we bend that rule, with good reason, to include people who help us tell a story. During a video shoot, of course we need someone to drive, but when we add a wee person, it just makes our story complete.

You all know Volvo cake is about people and about enjoying life with a good dose of Scandinavian frosting. This first video, XC90 with “Chatty” (the little girl), just struck a chord with so many people. I heard during down time between video takes, she just kept talking. No one really knew what she was saying, just that her world was to be shared with anyone who would listen.

Kennedi, our Little Red, is 5 years old and was perfect for this spot. Big Bad Wolf was big but far from bad. According to Jay Hamill, Director of Market Operations at VCNA in Rockleigh, “Kane (the wolf) was a mush. HUGE paws and one big animal.” At one point he put his front paws on the shoulder of our production director, who is 6’3 “and gave him a big wet lick.” Jay added, “At all times we had a Humane Society staff member there to make certain Kane was being handled properly”.

While it seems the road was rather long, it was only about 150 feet, and in a campground way up north. They shot from 3:30 to 7 AM for two nights, and to me, it looks rather cold there. Hope the coffee and donuts were flowing/rolling.

Jay and I were talking about what makes a good TV spot. Jay said, “It’s about creating a piece that can only be done by Volvo. It’s not about over the top perceptions but about staying true to the brand.” I asked him to sum up Little Red and he said, “to be credible and unexpected.” Guess that’s why he’s in marketing and I’m in PR.

dan

Hard to believe we are 85 years old…I mean Volvo. Of course my Mom was born in ’27 and that was good, but that was also Volvo’s founding date. The idea of a Volvo was imagined in 1924; and the first car rolled out on April 14, 1927, by our founders while sharing crayfish at the swanky Sturehof restaurant in Stockholm (http://www.sturehof.com/sv-se/start/).  I can imagine a wonderful Midsummer day in Stockholm: flowers blooming, everyone dressed to the nines and winter gone for a few more months. Probably winters were much colder back then and certainly there wasn’t as much home insulation as we have today, probably lots of wood burning stoves. And then there were two guys eating crayfish at a swanky restaurant in Gothenburg. Maybe it was the Aquavit, probably not, but it would make a great story, that helped them decide to build cars in Sweden.

The idea they had was to build a car with soul, to make a car that helped people – with a focus on safety. Back then “safety” was not about crumple zones, steering wheels that fold, lane detection or cars that stop themselves. Safety was to have a car heater fitted as standard equipment. Hey, remember Sweden is cold probably a good eight months a year and a car with heat would be important. In later years we became known for making a durable car, which Volvo’s are, but in many buyer’s minds it would mean – Durability =  a Safe car.

Think back 25 years ago, cars were expected to last 60,000 MAYBE 80,000 miles. Engine oils were paraffin based which just made matters worse.  My father believed cars were designed to fall apart, “planned obsolescence.” When was the last time you heard that? For Volvo, safety has always been about people. It’s not the annual theme de jour, it’s authentic to our soul.

Volvo is a company founded 85 years ago on the idea that what we do must be about people. Not only how to help protect them, but how to help them enjoy life through a Scandinavian driving experience. I think there are only a few car companies that can trace what they do today to what was promised when they were founded – we can.

When the founders designed a symbol for Volvo, it was the shield and spear for the Greek God Mars. Mars is a symbol of war and strength. Looking back on hood emblems of that era, only a few are still around today. I just did a Google search (1927 hood emblem, subgroup: images) and there are some very beautiful emblems from those years but not many of those cars have stood as long as Volvo. Sweden was known for their steel, a special, very hard, naturally occurring iron ore, mined in Sweden. Hard steel was what brought the first U.S. dealers to Sweden. As merchants, they appreciated Sweden’s good steel nails, saws, hammers, etc. Mars as a symbol of iron and strength was and continues to be very appropriate for Volvo.

Today Volvo manufactures buses, truck, construction equipment, jet engines and marine engines, just to mention a few. As a brand, AB Volvo and Volvo Cars are bound together by Assar Gabrielsson and Gustaf Larson’s vision of helping people with their transportation needs in a safe and dependable way.

Happy Birthday Volvo!

dan

I used to rebuild B16 and B18 engines (Irv’s is a B18) and can attest to how hard that iron block is. I needed one block bored out from 1400 cc’s to 1600 cc’s and my local machine shop owed me a favor so he agreed to do it for free. “It broke two bits getting it to 1600, never again.” Most of the time, engines went bad from broken piston rings or valve guides, it’s very rare to wear out a cylinder bore.

Today, we use materials only dreamed of back then. Our engines are lighter and just as tough. Will they last an Irv Gordon 3 million? Hard to tell but there are many white (aluminum block, iron sleeved) engines with over 200k on them, my XC70 included, and still they keep on ticking perfectly.

Here’s a note from Irv from the road.

Hello All,

Been driving all day and night and now in Texas…200 miles from San Antonio. Weather finally cooperating…skies clear…light wind and stars shinning bright. Now killing time in a truck stop on I-35 as I will arrive very early otherwise. (dj: Irv is driving from NY to one of our Texas retailers for an event).

Satellite radio has been a great companion all the way. GPS has given me someone to argue with since I left home. If I had listened to “her” I would have been right in the middle of all those tornadoes!! Glad I took my own route. Nothing beats experience on the road. The old car is running 110 percent and has not used any oil….averaging 28 mpg. Obviously my friend, Duane, who rebuilt the engine over 100,000 miles ago, did a great job.

Snapped a few pics along the way…sorry about the quality.  So much for my entertainment along the way. Sent pics of the menu so you can all just salivate and realize what you are missing!! LMAO!!!!!

Now to fill up for the last time before arriving in San Antonio.

My best to all….wish you could all share this adventure. Too much to describe here…would need a secretary to take notes! LOL

Irv

Also, be sure to check out this cool project Google did on Irv Gordon and his Volvo P1800:

http://www.projectrebrief.com/volvo/#page=original

dan

Last fall, Will and Greg, long time Volvo friends, VCOA members and just two really cool guys, sent a letter, yes, a pen and ink kind of letter, meaning whatever was written was worth reading. Will used to be with Rolling Magazine (VCOA Club magazine), and with Volvo Sports America (the premier club pubs in US and Canada) and he is just one good writer. He sent over a mini-travel log for his annual Amish country road trip and with his permission, here it is below.

We’re just back from our monthly run out to Amish country in PA. Goin’ back –oi vey! – 20 + years that we’ve gone to Carlisle (dj: awesome classic car event-Google it). We always take the back roads home. Since I’m a Civil War nut, we always go through Gettysburg. The route  from Carlisle to there is awesome for those of us who love to drive – hilly, winding – a great country road. Ditto from G’burg to York and Lancaster to Strasburg, where there’s a terrific railroad museum and the Red Caboose Motel, at least 50 old cabooses from every RR imaginable, each one fitted out as a “motel” room. The restaurant is a few old Pennsy RR diner cars linked together.

(dj: This railroad museum is awesome. Great place for kids. Amazing collection.  a nice video of Carlisle Import show. Of course what would that weekend be like w/o rain. I’ve never been there when it didn’t rain for a couple of hours.)

Rt. 30, the old Lincoln Highway that runs across PA – indeed, one of the first East-West roads to the Left Coast – gets so congested with tourists that we explored back roads over the years. One, Rt. 10, runs North/South from 30 up to Morgantown and is another great cruise, especially, say, with a 6-speed manual (dj: Will’s way of begging us for another manual transmission Volvo).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anyway, eventually we found a bunch of way off the beaten path Amish farms that we go to for all our meats and produce. You can’t beat the quality, and we save 30% to 50% off local supermarket prices. Of course, we ^%&& away those savings on gas, but it’s a great day out – 100 miles each way – through picturesque landscapes, rolling hills with great views of a patchwork quilt of various field crops, dotted with neat farmsteads with all their outbuildings, critters, etc.

We’ve made some great friends with a half dozen families. It’s funny, because, depending on how “orthodox” they are, they don’t have electricity in their houses, but what goes on in their barns is another matter. They might have an answering machine and computer in their barn. We call on Rachel on Wednesday, and she bakes us wonderful breads. “Zeke” – his real name’s Steve, but he’s a classical Ezekial – makes great cheeses, butter, eggs and produce in season. Amos (real name) and his family have acres of orchards producing dozens of apple varieties, plus peaches and nectarines, not to mention home made yogurts at $4.00 a quart to die for.

We’re also just back, kind of, from a wailin’ 3-week, 4,500 mile, 12-state vacation odyssey in the V70. We take our vacations in September ’cause (1) kids are back in school = fewer tourists; (2) the weather’s generally ideal; and (3) off-season room rates slide into place.

I’ve asked Greg to share some of his vacation notes and tips, so his saga will continue.  If you have a favorite spring ride route and want to share with other Volvo friends, drop me an email (pics would be cool too). It would be fun to do some road time stories. Thanks John for your video link to Carlisle.

Welcome to spring!

dan

djohn116@volvocars.com

In this piece, Perdue Farms is mentioned. The story I heard was from the beginning, Mr. Perdue would explain to the copywriters what chicken farming was all about, that it should be told this way or that way. In the end, they said he was the chicken man and had him do all their on-camera work. To me, he kind of looked like a chicken.

This article also mentions that the only other real creative automotive ad work was coming from VW. One time we did an ad with a VW Beetle inside our 140 sedan.

Click on the videos below for an ad from 1967 and an ad from 2012.

dan

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PS: I think that old “Bourbon in the second desk drawer” mad men lifestyle was sometimes practiced here in Rockleigh too. One story I heard was that we needed a press kit finished by a fixed deadline. Of course both PR guys were the “we’ll get to it tomorrow” kind of folks and procrastinated until the deadline was heading south of 24 hours. So I’m told, they finished the kit in the wee hours of the morning, and their Bourbon.

We’ve come a long way but we still have that “hey, got a match” soul.

I’d like to share another video with you. It is only a minute, but the way it communicates who we are today and where we are going is very clear. That what we do, is and will always be about people. In 60 seconds, this is Volvo.

dan

But Volvo plays, and plays well considering what we just scored. Right now it’s a hat trick: sales are doing very well, Polestar power is available for our cars and we just signed Jeremy Lin to our team. Here’s more information about what took place yesterday in New York City.

dan

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Luxury car brand Volvo announced today that it signed popular basketball point guard Jeremy Lin to a two-year brand endorsement deal, with a focus on China, the United States and other markets in Asia.

According to the agreement, Lin, the first Chinese- or Taiwanese American to play in the National Basketball Association, will participate in Volvo Cars corporate and marketing activities as a brand ambassador. He will also appear in advertising.

“Volvo Cars’ choice of Jeremy Lin as the company ambassador derives from our shared ethos of passion, dynamism and progressiveness,” said Freeman Shen, president of Volvo Cars China.

“We believe Jeremy Lin’s character, intelligence, perseverance, and pursuit of excellence are perfectly in tune with Volvo car owners’ appreciation of smart, understated luxury with a human touch,” added Richard Monturo, vice president of marketing, Volvo Cars Corporation.

Volvo is long known as the premier leader in safety and continues to ratchet up its luxury and performance credentials. Leveraging the Swedish carmaker’s sports heritage, the deal is fitting of Volvo’s evolving brand appeal.