Volvo 200 series

The Volvo 200 series is a range of mid-sized automobiles produced by Volvo from 1974 to 1993. This might seem like a very long production run, but Volvo had the replacement model, the Volvo 760, ready in 1982. However, the market thought otherwise, and both the 200 and 700 series were strong sellers for many years. Ironically, the 700 series line was ended in 1990 (replaced by the 900 series), a few years before the 200 series was discontinued.

For many years, it was one of the safest cars in the world.

Essentially a facelift of the earlier 140 series, the 200 was available as the 4-cylinder 240 series or the 6-cylinder 260 series. As with its predecessor it was available in both two- and four-door sedan and station wagon bodystyles. In the late 1970s, there was an unusual 262C model (separate from the two-door 242 and styled by Bertone) which had a more luxurious interior and a vinyl, "chopped" roof.

The original Volvo nomenclature consisted of three numbers: the first letter indicated the model (series), the second the number of cylinders, and the third the number of doors. So a 265 would be a six-cylinder wagon (5 doors). However by the mid-1980s, all models were called 240.

Key differences from the previous car were the use of the overhead camshaft B21-type engine which replaced the older overhead valve B20 engine. In addition to this, the "Douvrin" V6 PRV engine, developed in conjunction with Peugeot and Renault, was used in the top of the range models. Other improvements included a new dashboard, and more modern front-end styling, although they did little to disguise the 1967 vintage of the original design.

The 200 series incorporated many improvements over its predecessor, the Volvo 140 and 164, including:

• Better crash protection with very large front and rear crumple zones
• McPherson front struts for more room in the engine bay
• Rack & pinion steering for more precise steering

From the firewall back, the 200 was almost identical to the last two model years of the 140, 1973 and 1974, which incorporated many improvements over the previous model years.

In true Volvo style, the 200-series offered high levels of comfort and safety protection features, even if the driving experience was soft and ponderous.

The first models to reach the US shores were 1975 models equipped with the old pushrod B20F engine, but most other markets, as well as the US's 1976 models, got the new overhead cam B21F motor. An all-aluminium 2.7 liter V6, the "Douvrin" B27F, was added there for the 1977 model year.

As is usual for Volvo, incremental improvements were made almost every year of the production run. One of the major improvements was the introduction of the oxygen sensor in 1977 (1978 models), which Volvo called the Lambda Sond and developed in conjuction with Bosch. It basically added a feedback loop to the K-Jetronic fuel injection system already in use, which allowed fine-tuning of the mixture and therefore superior emissions, drivability and economy.

About one-third of all 240s sold were station wagons, which featured very large loadspaces. They could be outfitted with a rear-facing foldable jumpseat in the passenger area, making the wagon a seven-passenger vehicle. The jumpseat, of course, came with three-point seatbelts, and wagons were designed to have a reinforced floor section, protecting the occupants of the jumpseat in the event of a rear-end collision.

Questionable reliability and thirst for fuel saw the six-cylinder models being dropped in 1983, and the range was simply known as the 240-series from then onwards. The 240 would become in the 1980s a frequently stereotyped and clichéd automobile— popularly being held as the preserve of large middle-class families, antique dealers (to whom the huge trunk was very useful) and those with a nervous disposition about driving (due to the car's very high levels of safety); so much so that the arrival of the Volvo 700 series in 1982 did not see the 240 go out of production, and it enjoyed production until 1993.

Though out of production, the Volvo 200 series has a strong cult following today with new generations of drivers coming to appreciate the safety, long life and unique beauty these cars offer.

240 Specifications

• Produced 1974–93
• Production volume: 2,862,053
• Body style: 4-door sedan, 2-door sedan (1974-1984), 5-door wagon, 2-door coupe (1977-1981)
• Engine: 4-cylinder in-line OHV, 4-cylinder in-line OHC, 4-cylinder in-line OHC turbo, 4-cylinder in-line OHC intercooled turbo, V6 OHC, 6-cylinder in-line OHC diesel.
• Transmission: 4-speed manual, 4-speed manual with electrical overdrive, 5-speed manual or 3 or 4 speed automatic
• Brakes: Hydraulic, disc brakes on all four wheels.
• Dimensions: Overall length 490 cm/193" (1975-1980), 479 cm/188,5" (1981-1993), wheelbase 264 cm/104".

Special models

• 264 Top Executive (1975-81): limousine version.
• 262 Coupe by Bertone (1977-81): custom body work and interior from the Italian coachbuilder. The custom body work of these two-doors consisted of a chopped roof and a more raked windshield, for a look that some love and some hate.
• 242GT (1978-80): sporty model with tighter suspension and a high-performance motor, although only the former made it to the US market. All US models were silver with black and red racing stripes going from the hood to the side to the trunk. Special black corduroy interior with red stripes.
• 240 Turbo (1981-85): replaced the GT as the sporty model, equipped with a turbocharged engine, with an intercooler from mid-83. 2-door model available 1981-1984; sedans and wagons available 1982-1985.
• 242 Homologated Turbo (1983).
• 240 SE (1991): special alloy wheels, all-black grille.
• 240 Polar (1992): European markets only.
• 240 Classic (1993): only 1600 produced in April and May of 1993, half wagons and half sedans; fully equipped interior, body-matched painted grilles and side mirrors, special 14" alloy wheels, "Classic" badges on hatch/decklid, production-number plaque in dash, and special paint colors--ruby red or metallic dark teal green.

Links

• Volvo Cars (US) Site (http://www.volvocars.us)
• The Brickboard (The Volvo Owner's Resource) Site (http://www.brickboard.com)
• 200 Series Pictures (http://www.brickboard.com/GALLERY/?model=200)
• Trusted Volvo Technical Data (http://www3.bc.sympatico.ca/Volvo_Books/archive.html) (based on The Volvo Performance Handbook and The Gothenburg Bible)sv:Volvo 240