The Swedish Situation

The Swedes are quite a curious people. They've given us some of the most niche yet successful things in the world. In the 70s, there was ABBA. in the 80s, there was IKEA. However, from those years and still going on today, the Volvo remains as the most popular Swedish export. So, it's no wonder why in Europe and all over the globe the Volvo has become a staple in nearly all cliques of car culture. From track-day 240s to commuter 850s, and everything in between, the cars from the Swede manufacturer have definitely earned their place in the wide, wacky world of car enthusiasts.

So, it's rather understandable that I jumped at the chance to take a look at Smurf's Volvo 850, even if it meant driving up to Washington state in the non-reclinable bucket seats of my FC RX-7, which also gets roughly 15 to the gallon on the highway. Maybe I should have taken the Porsche. I dunno.



From 1991 to 1996, over 760,000 Volvo 850s were produced. So, it's exactly the point I made in Grunge to Glory; there's so many, you have to make yours unique!

And make it unique, Smurf has definitely done so. The front bumper sports a one off lip from Doge's shop, for starters. Tracing upwards takes us to the yellowed headlights and eBay eyelids. Smurf told me that he had done the yellowing himself with some film, and the eyelids were supposed to come in the factory red, but were so off he decided to spray paint them black and put them on anyway. Keep moving up, and you'll spot the bike rack that actually has a accompanying bike, spotted on the left of the car.



As the hood opens and the camera moves up and to the left, a whole new world of this car opens up. We can openly see the impossibly clean interior of Smurf's daily driver, the custom black roof, and no, your eyes are not fooling you, that is not the original longitudinal five cylinder in there. That is, in fact, a 4G63, the same engine that Brian O'Connor fried the piston rings of in Fast and the Furious. Interestingly enough, Smurf is not the person that did the swap. Rather, the previous owner did it with more than likely intentions of showcarship. However, the previous owner hastened the swap, and left it naturally aspirated (not that there's anything wrong with that) and also with the bog standard four speed 2G Eclipse FWD transmission (which is totally not okay). Also seen are the HRE 501s the Volvo sits on, the drop provided by the ever classic cut springs.



The rear is completely stock, but this angle is particular goes to show how neat and taut the fitment is on this Swedish shotgun of expression, I still cannot believe that there are no actual coilover kits on this car. Imagine, cutting a spring in your garage and the fitment coming out this well. Insanity, I tell you.



Despite the fact that the first 850s are 25 years old now, Smurf's is somehow impeccable in it's sincere cleanliness. I'd be lying if I didn't expect to smell the new car smell when I saw the interior for the first time. In here, not much has happened, aside from Smurf painting over the wood grain of the original interior with the same black that rests on his roof and eyelids.



Seriously, look how clean it is!



So, I sincerely am a fan of this Swedish shooter of surprising subtle style. (Sorry.)



In all seriousness, I love what Smurf has done with his Volvo, especially considering that it's a rather uncommon model to be modified like this, and that he's displayed clear lack of fear and self-doubt when making decisions in this build. Call me a fan, and keep me posted on what happens to this car in the future!

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