A few weeks ago I showed you the magic of Scandinavian car culture at the Oslo Motor Show. For an event like this, there are always buildings worth scrutinizing, so I thought I’d share four of my favorite car shows.
Let’s start with Henrik Mattsson’s crazy Swedish Volvo V70 station wagon.
Do you know this? Henrik and his Volvo have been in the same boat since their Speedhunters debut a decade ago.
At the time, the V70 was primarily a fun car. Henrik knew that many aspects of the wagon could be better, so why not take it to pieces, rebuild and redo everything?
Personally, I’d be pretty happy with the 2013 setup, but we’re talking Scandinavian automakers. Of course, things will be flatter.
Take the interior, for example. It’s still very minimal on the inside, but with more color to match the V70’s exterior. The transmission tunnel has been redone with carbon fiber Kevlar, and the shifter is a carbon fiber piece. The latest addition? That’s the Nuke Performance Competition air jack for quick and easy wheel changes.
The rear of the Volvo interior has also been redesigned, featuring a new Nuke Performance fuel system with a smaller fuel cell and polished pipes.
More polished bits can be seen under the car. The chassis, suspension and brakes were all redone with new styling.
But my favorite part of this car is the engine bay. Performance-wise, it still lives up to 2013 specs, but looks better than ever. A new carbon fiber hood was installed, and all parts of the pulley were painted or polished.
To accommodate the new wide fenders (+30mm at the front, +40mm at the rear), the bumper and side skirts had to be modified to complete the look. If you’re wondering about the color, it’s a modified Renault Yellow with some extra flakes.
I wonder what Volvo will look like in ten years? I will come back to you in 2033…
Next we have a 1976 Mk2 Ford Escort 1300 that was rebuilt to resemble an RS2000 (and then some), but was designated “RS2248” by its owner – and you’ll see why in a second. Thomas T. Jønland bought the car in 2019 and made some major upgrades.
The Escort has numerous custom bodywork upgrades, including custom steel wide rear fenders. When Thomas bought the car, the front air dam was molded, so he decided to design something similar in the rear. Add custom side skirts and the whole look comes together. The overall width of the Escort is now 1,830mm (was 1,600mm).
What initially caught my attention was the Work Meister CR01, which measures 15×9 inches in the front and 15×10 inches in the rear, both made of Nankang AR-1 rubber. You don’t see a wheel and tire combo like this on a car like this very often.
The racing theme continues inside the car with items from OMP and QSP. There’s a custom floor, a custom transmission, and of course a custom switch panel.
Under the bonnet is a four-stroke Ford Pinto OHC four-cylinder engine displacing 2,248cc and producing 191whp and 230wNm. Specs include oversized valves with heavy-duty springs, Piper BP300 camshafts, 50mm Jenvey throttle bodies and an Ashley 4-2-1 exhaust manifold, with ignition commanded via the MaxxECU Mini engine management system.
The Escort weighs around 960kg (2,116lb) and, according to Thomas, will hit 195km/h when you run the engine to its 7,300-rpm redline.i bet it sounds like Astonishing this way.
Next came the Stealth B7, rebuilt (and modified) by Jan Øivind Ruud and the RR team to “V2.0” specifications for the Scandinavian time trials, most notably the Gatebil Extreme series.
The B7 stands out at the Oslo Motor Show thanks to an insane aerodynamic design from Sweden’s Elite Projects.
With the back cover completely removed, many details can be seen. Klerud Motorsport’s titanium exhaust system is a work of art.
The engine itself is an all-aluminum, dry-sump NASCAR 5.7L V8, managed by ECUmaster management, which is now claimed to make 813hp after being rebuilt by Anders Ringstad. It will rev to 9,200rpm, with power sent to the rear wheels via a Hewland 6-speed sequential gearbox.
Inside, it’s minimalist yet technical. I’d love to take a closer look at this beast at Gatebil…
My final pick was another Ford Escort, this time Kim Gursli’s RS Cosworth.
I plan to shoot a full feature on this group A machine as it is an amazing build with a lot of history. In the meantime, here’s why I made it into my top four…
First, the appearance. Nothing out of the ordinary, which is why I like it. It’s really simple, clean and in keeping with the period.
Second, the interior. It’s exactly what you’d expect from a rally car: Sparco racing seats and harnesses, Sparco steering wheel, proper FIA spec roll cage, and more.
Third, the engine compartment. Mountune’s enhanced 2.0L YB Cosworth engine has found new life in Kim’s hands. Most of the items you see in the pictures have been swapped, refurbished or refurbished, but some items are too cool to throw away and too difficult to replace.
And finally the number, or more specifically, the date. I asked Kim what the numbers were on some of the parts and it turns out they indicate when they were built, installed or raced. It’s hard to tell which is which, but a very fascinating find nonetheless.
I hope you enjoyed my coverage of the Oslo Motor Show.My next event in Norway is what you will all Familiar with: Gatebil Rudskogen. Summer can’t come soon enough!
Alan Haseda
Instagram: Hazeta