1978 Volvo '244R': Reader ride

By: Boyd Symington, Photography by: Boyd Symington

Date: 06.01.2015

Boyd Symington's 1978 Volvo '244R'

Boyd Symington's 1978 Volvo '244R'

Boyd Symington's 1978 Volvo '244R'

Boyd Symington's 1978 Volvo '244R'

Boyd Symington's 1978 Volvo '244R'...

Boyd Symington's 1978 Volvo '244R

Boyd Symington's 1978 Volvo '244R' (244DL)

My mate gave me this car in about 1998. It was a bog-standard 244DL with a 2.1-litre fuel-injected four and a three-speed auto, but it wasn’t running at the time. I spent $200 on parts to get it running, then used it as my work vehicle every day all over Sydney. It cracked a ring after about 200,000km and that’s when I started spending money on it.

I bought a used 7-series Volvo to get its turbo B230FT engine but it expired after I pushed the power too far: the rods couldn’t handle it. It now runs a B230FX normally-aspirated engine that I’ve had turbocharged. The bottom end is stock but it has a late-model 2-series head with an IPD cam, 50cc injectors, and a modified Garrett T04 turbo running 12 pounds of boost for the road and 19 for the track. It puts out about 330hp at the wheels. I hillclimb the car and need torque to pull it out of corners. It’s quick enough to do a 1min 12sec lap at Wakefield.

It runs custom front coil-overs, a Supra five-speed, a Detroit Truetrac diff with 3.91:1 gears, MoTeC M4 engine management, stiffer sway bars and 17x8-inch Simmons rims. It’s got a replica Group A rear wing, a front spoiler off a 242GT and I managed to find a GT dash too.

The colour scheme? Yes, it’s pretty bling under the bonnet but that’s because the first can of heat-proof paint I picked up to finish an intercooler pipe was good old Holden Rocket Red so I just continued the theme. But it doesn’t bother me because I’m colour blind! They tell me the car is yellow.

Unique Cars magazine Value Guides

Sell your car for free right here