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Once he told me it was a black leather interior, I was pretty much sold. However, he went on to tell me that there was another couple interested in the car, and I should hurry if I wanted to see it. Well hurry I did. Myself, my brother and my father went out to see the car. And as it turns out, the other couple never showed. A couple hours later, I had the car I wanted and I was ecstatic

Ok, so lets begin with the project.

With any project, its best to have an end goal to work for. Establishing what I wanted from this car was hard to do. A part of me wanted a race car, and another part wanted a more of a smooth daily driver. Over the last couple years that I've had this Volvo, the vision of what I want has become more and more clear. I want the car to be fast, very fast. 0-60-mph should be in the sixes at least, and for a 3500 lb wagon its going to take some real power. I don't want a V8 conversion, I want it to be Volvo 4-cylinder and turbocharged (I love turbos). I'm aiming for 250-300hp at the rear wheels. For the handling of the car, I want it to stick to the road. It should corner flat, and give the driver confidence in the car's abilities. When the car enters a turn, the steering response needs to be precise, and the feedback through the wheel should be moderate and not over-boosted so that it feels too light. When it comes time to stop, the brakes should be very positive, without a hint of squishiness. Fade should be non-existent, and it should stop quickly. As for the interior, it should be comfortable and quiet. The seats should be sporty and hold the person in hard cornering, but comfortable for everyday driving. Critical engine parameters should be displayed from accurate gauges, and should be clearly visible. And finally the exterior should be sporty and attractive but not overdone.

Now that I've established what I want, all that's left is making it reality. The car is truly a work in progress. Its my daily driver, which is exactly what I want. What's the point in putting time and money into something I can't enjoy everyday?? And yes, the car has seen the track, and will see it many times more!

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