Volvo 480: The Unconventional Sporty Swede For $7k

Volvos are for sensible people. Pillars of the community who prefer cheese to cocaine and enjoy thorough garden-based debauchery. The sort of individual who finds beige sexy, and gets the hots for tricky crossword puzzles. 

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They wouldn’t want pop-up headlamps, an impractical cabin, or aesthetics against-the-grain. They would rather have space for the Afghan Hound, Laura Ashley’s latest overpriced couch, and the steadfast ability to carry the parish Teasmade.

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God forbid, what would the Rotary think if you turned up to the village fête with this Volvo 480, currently for sale in the Netherlands at $7k? Sporting chiselled alloy wheels and a wedged bonnet reminiscent of a Triumph TR7 – that thing the local teenager hooned around with back in the day – Maureen may well suffer a heart attack upon catching sight of the forgotten Swede in the church parking lot. 

Chances are, most would believe you’d gone mad; deeply affected by the Go-Go 1990s. However, naysayers and aloof automotive snobs are missing out. It has funky pop-up headlamps! How could you not like that?

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Here we have all of Volvo’s worshipped safety measures wrapped in a striking – dare we say, aesthetically pleasing – shape with a 0-60mph sprint in 9.5 seconds and a top speed beyond 120mph. Some claim to have breached 140mph in their 480. Madness. 

Sadly, the unconventional Volvo never really found enough of a cult following to survive the following two decades in strong numbers. Most were fed into the crusher, lacing the palms of scrap merchants nationwide. A damn shame – just because it was different, it seems as though contemporary society wrote it off almost immediately.

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It’s why finding a good one makes us sit up straight and pay attention. Stuck in a world where Jaguar’s XKE remains the classic car pin-up and everyone seems hell-bent on owning a Porsche 911, it’s refreshing to witness Volvo’s unique brainchild lurking in the classifieds. Especially as the Volvo 480 is now rarer than a watchable show on the Syfy Channel. 

This example from our classifieds appears to be in rude health, with strong mechanicals and a crust-free body. It’s top spec, too – offering torque and mind-numbing fuel consumption courtesy of Volvo’s 2.0-litre fuel-injected powerplant. As an ES level specification, there’s part-leather seats and an automatic gearbox, not to mention a (once) state-of-the-art tape deck and radio. Get T'Pau on there for the full retro experience. 

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The interior design sports the definition of ‘snazzy’, with bouffant styling amid 1990s plastics and innovation. You’ll be far removed from the problems of modern society after the shortest of journeys behind the bendy steering wheel of this Waif-look throwback.

Does it handle? Not really. It’s far from lighting quick, either. You’ll need paper-thin legs for sitting in the rear and the boot offers a ridiculously small amount of space. Yet, who really cares about these aspects? As a distinct modern classic and conversation starter, this Volvo 480 is second to none.

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Get a closer look at Volvo's criminally underrated and almost forgotten sports car here.