The Volvo 200 Series (designated internally as the 240 and 260 models) was a range of mid-size cars manufactured by Swedish automaker Volvo Cars from 1974 to 1993.[6] Designed by Jan Wilsgaard, the series was developed from the Volvo 140 Series and incorporated safety innovations from Volvo's VESC experimental safety vehicle program.
The 200 Series was produced in sedan, station wagon, and limited convertible body styles. Over 2.8 million units were manufactured during its 19-year production run, making it one of Volvo's most successful model lines.[7] The series established Volvo's reputation for safety and durability, with many examples remaining in service decades after production ended.
Production overlapped with the introduction of the Volvo 700 Series in 1982. While the 260 Series was discontinued in 1984 and replaced by the 700 Series, the popular 240 model continued production until 1993. The final 240 was manufactured on 14 May 1993, concluding nearly two decades of production.
History
The Volvo 240 and 260 series were introduced in the autumn of 1974, and was initially available as six variations of the 240 Series (242L, 242DL, 244DL, 244GL, 245L and 245DL) and two variations of the 260 Series (264DL and 264GL). The 240 Series was available as a sedan (with two or four doors) or a station wagon, however, the 260 Series was available as a coupé (262C Bertone), two-door sedan, four-door sedan, or station wagon. The 200 looked much like the earlier 140 and 164, they shared the same basic body shell and were largely identical from the cowl rearward. However, the 200 incorporated many of the features and design elements tried in the Volvo VESC ESV in 1972, which was a prototype experiment in car safety. The overall safety of the driver and passengers in the event of a crash was greatly improved with very large front and rear end crumple zones. Another main change was the new engines offered, which were of an overhead cam design based on the earlier B20. The 260 series also received a V6 engine in lieu of the 164's inline-six.
The 200 Series had MacPherson strut-type front suspension, which increased room around the engine bay, while the rear suspension was a modified version of that fitted to the 140 Series. The steering was greatly improved with the introduction of rack-and-pinion steering, with power steering fitted as standard to the 244GL, 264DL and 264GL, and there were some modifications made to the braking system (in particular the master cylinder).[8]
The front end of the car was also completely restyled with a "shovel nose" which closely resembled that of the VESC prototype vehicle – that being the most obvious change which made the 200 Series distinguishable from the earlier 140 and 160 Series. Other than all the changes mentioned above, the 200 Series was almost identical to the 140 and 160 Series from the bulkhead to the very rear end. In 1978, a facelift meant a redesigned rear end for sedans, with wraparound taillights and a trunk opening with a lower lip. The dashboard was derived from the safety fascia introduced for the 1973 model year 100 Series – the main change for the 200 Series was the adoption of slatted "egg crate" style air vents in place of the eyeball style vents used in the 140/160 and the square clock. All models were available with a choice of four-speed manual or a three-speed automatic transmission. Overdrive was also optional on the manual 244GL, while a five-speed manual gearbox was optional on the 264GL and 265GL.
In the autumn of 1975 (for the 1976 model year in America), the 265 DL estate became available alongside the existing range, and this was the first production Volvo estate to be powered by a six-cylinder engine. The choice of gearboxes was also improved, with overdrive now available as an option in all manual models except the base-model 242L and 245L. As before, a three-speed automatic was optional in every model. The B21A engine gained three horsepower; a new steering wheel and gearknob were also introduced.[9]
At the 1976 Paris Motor Show Bertone first showed the stretched 264 TE, a seven-seat limousine on a 3430 mm wheelbase, although it had entered production earlier. The raw bodies were sent from Sweden to Grugliasco for lengthening, reinforcing, and finishing. Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden used one, as did much of East Germany's political leadership.[10]
For 1977 the B19A engine with 90 PS replaced the B20A in most markets, although the old pushrod type soldiered on for another two years in some places. This is also the year that the sportier 242 GT arrived.[9]
In 1978 the grille was altered, now with a chrome surround. Rear view mirrors were now black, while the front seats were changed as were the emblems, while interval wipers were introduced. 1978 models were also the first 240s to receive a new paint formula, to help solve the severe rust problems in previous model years.[9]
The 1979 model year brought a full facelift front and rear, the most obvious change being the adoption of flush fitting square headlamps on the DL or rectangular headlamps on the GL, GLE in place of the recessed circular units. The sedans received new wraparound rear lamp clusters and a restyled leading edge to the trunk lid, while the rear of the wagons remained unchanged. The GLE was added while the L was cancelled, and the six-cylinder diesel arrived late in the year. For 1980, the sporty GLT arrived, replacing the GT. For 1981 there was yet another new grille, while the station wagons received new, wraparound taillights.[9] The B21A gained some four horsepower, now 106 PS, while the carburetted B23A with 112 PS was introduced in some markets. The Turbo arrived, while six-cylinder models now had a more powerful 2.8-liter engine.[9] 1981 also saw the dashboard altered significantly, which a much larger binnacle in order to bring the radio and clock within the driver's line of sight. The instrument pod itself, which had been unaltered since the 1973 model year 100 Series, was also redesigned.
Incremental improvements were made almost every year of the production run. One of the major improvements was the introduction of the oxygen sensor in North America in late 1976 (1977 models), which Volvo called Lambda Sond and developed in conjunction with Bosch. It added a feedback loop to the Jetronic fuel injection system already in use, which allowed fine-tuning of the air and fuel mixture and therefore produced superior emissions, drivability and fuel economy.
For the 1983 model year, Volvo dropped the DL and GLE labels, selling the cars simply as 240s. In the domestic Swedish market, the 240 could be had with a 2.1- or 2.3-liter engine (more options were available in export), but the bigger engine always came coupled with a five-speed transmission and tinted windows.[11] The 1983s also received wider side trim and all models had the larger taillights introduced on the previous year's GLT model. A B23E-engined GLE variant was also added (not available with two doors).[11] Buyers protested against the lack of grades and they returned for 1984.[9] A new manual gearbox also arrived for 1984, while a four-speed automatic option was available in the GL. The GLT and Turbo versions received a taller grille.[9]
While Volvo had been planning to discontinue the 200-series since the early 1980s, the design kept selling well and Volvo provided steady updates. In late 1991, for the 1992 model year, it received 160 detail improvements including changes to the heater controls, heated rear view mirrors, and revised front seats.[12] For the final, 1993 model year, air conditioning units were upgraded to use R-134a rather than the ozone-depleting R-12 (Freon).
About one-third of all 240s sold were station wagons, which featured very large cargo space of 41 cuft.[13] They could be outfitted with a rear-facing foldable jumpseat in the passenger area, making the wagon a seven-passenger vehicle. The jumpseat came with three-point seat belts, and wagons were designed to have a reinforced floor section, protecting the occupants of the jumpseat in the event of a rear-end collision.
A 1993 Volvo 240DL was driven by IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad, who stopped driving it when he was told the car was too dangerous due to outdated safety design two decades later.[14]
The last regular 200 series car produced was a blue station wagon built to Italian "Polar Italia" specifications, displayed at the Volvo World Museum. It was manufactured on the 14th May 1993.[15] To round off the production, Volvo produced one shortened two door station wagon, to symbolize shortened leadtimes.[16] The car was white, with the text "KORTA LEDTIDER" (Swedish for "short leadtimes") on the doors.[17]
Engines
The 200 series was offered with three families of engines. Most 240s were equipped with Volvo's own red block, 2.0–2.3-liter four-cylinder engines. Both overhead valve and overhead cam versions of the red block engines were installed in 240s. The B20 was used only in the early years and subsequently replaced by the B19, a smaller version of the B21. Power of the carburetted versions increased for the 1979 model year. V6 engines were also available, first in the 260-models, but also later in the GLE- and GLT-versions of 240. Known as the PRV family, they were developed in a three-way partnership among Volvo, Peugeot and Renault, 240 diesel models are powered by diesel engines purchased from Volkswagen. In Greece and Israel the 1.8-liter B17 engine was available beginning with the 1980 model year (also as a luxuriously equipped 260). This smaller twin-carb engine developed 90 PS, and had considerably higher fuel consumption than even the turbocharged top version.[18]
The 1974 240 series retained the B20A inline-four engine from the 140 Series in certain markets, with the new B21A engine available as an option on the 240 DL models. The new B21 engine was a 2,127 cc, four-cylinder unit, which had a cast-iron block, a five-bearing crankshaft, and a belt-driven overhead camshaft.
Badges
Nomenclature
The 200-series cars were identified initially by badges on their trunk lid or rear hatch in a manner similar to the system used for previous models. The 4 and 6 codes soon lost their original meaning as signifying the number of cylinders with the introduction of B17-engined four-cylinder Volvo 260s for export to Greece and Israel in the late 1970s. There was also a six-cylinder 240 GLT in some markets, as well as both six- and five-cylinder diesels labelled 240. The second digit now only denoted how luxurious the car was. By June 1982, with the introduction of the model year 1983 Volvos, the third digit too lost its meaning and the 242/244/245 became simply the 240.[31]
For the American market:
- 1974–1982: three digits (in the format 2XY, where X usually represents the number of cylinders and Y represents the doors: 2 for coupés, 4 for sedans, 5 for station wagons) followed by trim level letters. For example; 244 and 245 were four-cylinder sedans and wagons respectively and 264 and 265 six-cylinder sedans and wagons respectively.
- 1983–1993: 240 (or 260 until 1985) followed by trim level letters (third digit no longer reflects body style, although it is reflected in the engine compartment label, as well as on the label in the trunk on sedans or under the main cargo compartment storage lid on wagons). Special models (e.g. Polar and Torslanda) sometimes omit the 240.
200 Series specifications
- Produced: 1974–1993
- Production volume: 2,862,053
- Body style: 4-door sedan (1974–1993), 2-door coupe (1974–1984), 5-door station wagon (1974–1993)
- Engines: see the engine section for more detail. Engine configurations included:
- B20 four-cylinder inline OHV
- B17, B19, B21, B23, B200, B230 four-cylinder inline OHC
- B19ET, B21ET, B21FT four-cylinder inline OHC turbo (intercooled with factory installed IBS – intercooler boost system kit or Volvo R-Sport dealer retrofitting kit for 1981-early 1984 models starting in mid-1983.)
- B27, B28 V6 OHC
- D20 five-cylinder inline OHC diesel (1979–circa 1984)
- D24 six-cylinder inline OHC diesel (1979–1993)
- Transmissions: Volvo offered various transmissions depending on the year, model, market, and engine combinations including the:
Market differences
European/Australian market
For 1980, the 240 GT and GLE were dropped from most markets, as well as the 265 GLE. In the UK and Australia the 265 GLE was available until 1985 (now badged "260"). The new GLT model which replaced GT and GLE had the GT's 140 PS fuel injected 2.3-liter engine with manual transmission (sedan only), or the 260's 2.7-liter V6 with 141 PS in station wagons or in automatic-equipped sedans.[25]
- Glass-lens headlamps compliant with international ECE headlighting standards, 1974–1993
- Fender-mounted side turn signal repeaters introduced various years in different European markets per local regulations; worldwide except North America starting in 1984, Australia starting in 1989
- Daytime running lamps implemented by a second, bright 21W filament in the parking lamp bulbs, introduced mid-1970s in Scandinavia and the UK, and in some other markets outside North America in the early 1980s
- White parking lamps (with white front turning signals for Italian market until 1977)
Special editions
- 244 DLS (1977–1978): Export model to the former German Democratic Republic with 264 hood and grille from 264DL. Engine B21A. Five different body paintings (solid) available. Total amount exported approx. 1,000 units. The cars were mainly sold to residents of East Germany.[37] Sedans only.
- DLi – MY 1978 limited edition for West Germany. DL trim; equipped with fuel-injected B21E engine (instead of B21A carbureted engine on standard "DL" models). Mostly sedans.
- GLi: MYs 1981 and 1982 specification for the Netherlands. GL trim; equipped with fuel-injected B21E engine (instead of B21A carbureted engine on standard "GL" models there and then). Only estates.
- 264 TE (top executive, 1976–1981): A limousine version of the 264; many now reside in Germany as 135 production models, two in landaulet form, were converted and exported to the former German Democratic Republic until 1984 for transporting government officials, who would neither use the small Trabant or Wartburg models nor import West German autos such as BMWs and
Concept models
Volvo produced a prototype for a hatchback version in 1975, badged the Volvo 263 GL, but it was not chosen for mass production and is now on display in the Volvo World Museum in Gothenburg, Sweden.[45]
Volvo also produced a prototype in 1978 called the 242 GTC Turbo, which had roof pillars similar to that of a 262 C, and a body design of a 242 GT. It also came with striping on the sides, close to the bottom of the car with the word turbo on it to make it seem lower than it actually was. It was originally planned to have two engine choices, a 16 valve I4 engine (made for racing), and a turbocharged version of the B21 Redblock I4 engine which was under construction.[46]
240 in motorsport
Despite its non-sporting image, the Volvo 240 was a successful competitor in touring car racing in the 1980s. In 1983 Volvo produced 505 evolution version of the 240 Turbo with a larger turbocharger and other performance modifications. All of these special cars were exported to the United States with the special equipment kit in the trunk of each car. 270 of these cars were retrofitted with the special equipment at Long Beach and further 240s were simultaneously fitted with the same kit on the East Coast at the Volvo Penta facility at Chesapeake Bay. All 500, except for one car which was returned to Sweden, were subsequently stripped of their GpA homologation equipment and sold as standard road cars. This was allowed under the Group A regulations, the cars only having to have been made and not necessarily sold. Nevertheless, it did lead to protests from other teams, until Volvo was able to produce proof that the 500 cars had indeed been manufactured.[47]
Nevertheless, the 240 Turbo proved a successful competitor, and in 1984 won the Zolder round of the European Touring Car Championship. In Group A racing form, the 240T weighed 1065 kg, and its turbocharged 2.1-liter engine produced approximately 350 bhp. Although it was a big car and lacked the agility of some of its competitors, and despite its boxy, un-aerodynamic appearance, it was fast in a straight line (approximately 260 km/h on faster circuits such as Monza, Hockenheim and Bathurst) and proved to be reliable. Volvo Motor Sport, VMS, did not run the cars directly, instead contracting the services of established teams to prepare and manage them, with technical assistance from VMS.
The Eggenberger Motorsport team was the most successful of these. Late in the 1984 European Touring Car Championship
References
- Volvo Car Production Statistics volvoclub.org.uk, 31 December 2009, retrieved 9 October 2010^
- Volvo will cost $11,000 less New Nation, 6 May 1979, retrieved 9 April 2020^
- Quek Peck Lim. S.M. Motors takes over selling of Volvos