The XC70 Surf Rescue is one of the hottest to come out of watching the bay since... well... Baywatch.

Volvos race, believe it or not, and whether it's a gravity racer or a V8-powered Volvo they're always quixotic and wonderful.

Volvos make for great hot rods. Don't ask us why, they just do.

Most importantly, Volvos make being safe sexy. Someone, please, send us a mint 144 for Christmas.

Car: Tata Nano
Place on the list: 49
Reason it's BS: The Tata Nano isn't ugly, it's simply space efficient. Given the constraints of price, footprint and upright packaging, it pulls off the microcar shape rather well actually. There are certainly uglier cars on the market in India and China right now.

Car: Ferrari Enzo
Place on the list: 42
Reason it's BS: Save the Enzo's! The Ferrari Enzo wasn't built to win beauty contests, it was designed to showcase Ferrari's F1 racing pedigree and tie those techniques and technologies to their road cars. Form follows function and while it's not classically beautiful it's fast and unique. In any case compared to the Mondial, it's a supermodel.

Car: Plymouth Prowler
Place on the list: 31
Reason it's BS: When the Prowler was introduced in 1997, it was the coolest car on the planet, bar none. Unfortunately it was packed with an engine from an Intrepid, and suspension tuning best described as one-of-a-kind. Despite its glaring flaws and how you might feel about the retro-mod style, it was certainly a car that got people looking. When you spot them today, you turn and look longer than you should, admit it.

Car: Lamborghini LM002
Place on the list: 25
Reason it's BS: BusnessWeek complains about "geometric doors, angular fenders, and a busy hood." Perhaps they forgot it was introduced in 1986 when everything cool was geometric, angular and busy. They don't even mention the fire-breathing (for the 80's) 5.0 liter V12 from the Countach under the hood and the take-no-prisoners attitude. You don't get a moniker like "Rambo Lambo" by being lame.

Car: DeLorean DMC-12
Place on the list: 20
Reason it's BS: Are they joking? The DMC-12? Of any car from the 80's this one still plays well on public streets. The stainless steel body is unique, the ridiculously heavy gullwing doors draw crowds and the fastback style screams 80's coke dealer, and nobody was more up on all things stylish in the 80's than coke dealers.

Car:Subaru Brat
Place on the list: 18
Reason it's BS: Apparently BusinessWeek's too busy adjusting its top hat and monocle to enjoy the finer things in life, like riding in the jump seats in the Subaru Brat's cargo bed. It's even got decent capability for an early soft-roader.

Car: Aston Martin Lagonda
Place on the list: 16
Reason it's BS: Oh come on? Really? The Lagonda? It pushed the limit of longer, lower, wider to absurdity and mixed in out of control braggadocio. By all account it was admittedly every bit British reliable, but who cares? Hire a team of mules to pull it around town as you look out upon the unwashed masses from your obnoxious 80's chariot.

Car:Volvo 240
Place on the list: 13
Reason it's BS: Don't you go messing with the 240 BusinessWeek. You have no idea the depths of Volvo love out there, especially by the boxy-but-trusty 240. We dare you, dare you to find a more dedicated owner base. Fine, it's a bit boring, but so is the Camry and that's not on the list. We actually find it handsome, especially with the quad headlight design. You best watch your back BusinessWeek.

Car: Bricklin SV1
Place on the list: 11
Reason it's BS: Okay, this one's a bit on the ugly side, if you look only at the outside, but it was one of the first cars to push the idea of safety in a sports car, even though because of its heavy construction it wasn't particularly sporty. It's got a logical shape, and the nose is designed to prevent expensive damage repairs. Sure it's a bit cluttered in places, but come on, gull-wing doors.

Car:Chevy El Camino
Place on the list: 1
Reason it's BS: Number one. They've got to be kidding. Two words on this one: Screw. Off. First of all, lumping the entire series into one big pile is just plain ignorant. Secondly, it's rude. The El Camino from the outset was a looker and stayed a dynamite design all the way until the fall in the 70s. But then again, everything was pretty fug in the 70s. If they even try to say the 1960 and 1972 were ugly, they might get a Jalopnik-shaped shoe to the butt.

Photo credit: SuperChevy

The roof-mounted vacuum-powered skulls have been retrofitted with electrical innards and anatomically correct arms; when you pull the Metal Switch (a BMW 2002 hazard-light switch) on the dash, a PA speaker blasts Immortal, the skulls' red eyes flash, and the jaws snap open and closed.


We'll have a how-to on this project later on, but for now all you need to know is that Volvo 240 door-lock motors move the jaws, and a turn signal flasher hooked up to a set of three Bosch relays controls them. Sadly, it appears that the VDO designers who made these lock actuators never anticipated a duty cycle involving nonstop up-down-up-down operation for hours at a time, so the skulls have had some reliability issues.


The drivers of a Swedish car must be armed with Thor's Hammer, aka Mjöllnir, so I made some for the team out of rusty steel and spikes. A few junkyard trips netted a bunch of Volvo emblems, while various emblems provided many numeral 8s (BMW 318s, Mercedes-Benz 280s, and Volvo 850s were good sources). You don't want to step on one of these babies barefoot!


Add some post-Halloween clearance-sale monk costumes, and there's your Black Metal V8olvo uniform!


Your metal is weak! That's what the Swedish text down the sides of the car means.

Editor-in-Chief

Now here's an original project. Some guys who post over at VWVortex are building a Nissan 240 truck. The weirdest thing is not the fact that they are converting a former drift car to a pickup, but that they are adding a cantilever rear suspension, sorta F1 style. More pics after the jump. And if you click through to the thread, you'll see a fairly skillful truck conversion on a VW Fox wagon. Update: Josh just provided this link to a thread on the Nicoclub.com with even more pics of the car.

Hmmm... "Get Corporations Off Welfare" bumper sticker...


And the telltale Berkeley residential-area parking permit!

As a result, you'll find that a huge percentage of the import-car sections at East Bay wrecking yards is comprised of Volvo 200s. This reality was a huge factor in the decision to go with a Volvo 240 as a 24 Hours of LeMons hopeful, since parts are laughably easy to find (we'd considered a Datsun Z, but you're lucky to find even one Z at a big self-service yard these days). To illustrate my point, I photographed many of the Volvo 200s I saw at one such yard last weekend.


And, as an added bonus, here's an Amazon that survived a good 40 years before becoming a parts donor.

Of course, we believe Volvo 200s really belong on the racetrack (and we're walking the walk when we say that, too). But they're still on the street in huge numbers.


I spent a summer in southern Sweden as a teenager, and the family I was visiting had an '80 DL just like this one. Same color, but without the JC Whitney plastic hubcaps. We even took a road trip all the way up to Göteborg, where I visited Volvo's museum. And yet, even with all this serious exposure to the glories of the Volvo 200 series, I still prefer the Amazon.


You say these cars are strictly about function, with no unnecessary decoration? Check out this stolid whimsical bit of pillar trim! Hmmm... is it just covering up a weld line?


I always figured the "Lamda Sond" emblem on these cars meant "Ja, here is the powerful engine for the hoonage, you betcha!" But no- it means the engine is equipped with an oxygen sensor-based fuel-delivery feedback system. How exciting!

Press Release: LOTUS EXIGE SPORT 240 - AUSTRALIAN DESIGN, F1 TECHNOLOGY, SYDNEY DEBUT Special Edition Exige with extra power and F1-style traction control

Lotus Australia has announced the fastest, most-desirable and exclusively tuned Lotus Exige to ever go on sale in Australia, the Lotus Sport 240.

Conceived and designed by Lotus Cars Australia, the special edition Exige Sport 240 will make its world debut at the Australian International Motor Show in October where it will officially go on sale.

With power improved to 179kW, this will also mark the first production car in Australia fitted with driver-adjustable stand-alone traction control, similar to the systems currently used in Formula 1.

"Designed specifically for Australia, we are excited and proud to add this bespoke Exige to our existing range." said Jonathan Stretton, Sales and Marketing Manager of Lotus Cars Australia. "Cars like the Exige Sport 240 show our passion and commitment to the Australian market."

"This Exige Sport 240 will only be available in Australia. We have worked with the Lotus factory in the UK to select specific styling and performance parts based on what we know will improve performance, but also taking into account customer feedback and current trends in this market.

"The Exige Sport 240 is a car entirely comfortable on the road for everyday use. Take it to the track and it will be blisteringly quick and will outpace cars two or three times the price," Stretton added.

Tuned with more power, bigger brakes, body mods, two bespoke colours, interior changes and limited edition badging, the Exige Sport 240 will be the most exclusive Exige to hit Australian Lotus showrooms.

Just six of the Exige Sport 240 will be initially available in launch colours of Blaze Orange or Sapphire Black, each with a special edition interior plaque.

The Blaze Orange model will feature black highlights, including front splitter, rear wing endplates, wheels and a rear beaver panel infill around the rear lights.

The Sapphire Black model will feature a Chrome Orange front splitter and rear wing endplates.

Both models will feature lightweight Lotus Sport forged five-spoke OZ alloy wheels. The Blaze Orange car has wheels finished in black with the Sapphire Black using silver. This is the first time this wheel design has featured on an Australian model.

Also for the first time in Australia, the signature Exige roof scoop will extend forward from the engine compartment to the top of the windscreen to supply an increased volume of air to the intercooler, whilst also giving the car more visual presence.

Special Exige Sport 240 badging will mark the exclusive model's exterior.

As the name suggests, power output is 240hp, or 179kW, a 10 percent improvement over the Exige S. Torque also increases from 215Nm to 230Nm. Upgraded fuel injectors and a new ECU allow the supercharged engine to reach greater heights.

The engine is a 1.8-litre supercharged intercooled four-cylinder. Features include twin-overhead camshafts, 16 valves and VVTL-i variable cam timing and lift, along with a distinct, characteristic supercharger whine.

A six-speed close-ratio C64 gearbox is standard and has been upgraded with a heavy duty clutch kit including a strengthened clutch and pressure plate.

Putting this extra power to the ground will be assured through mechanical and electronic traction aids. A torque-sensing limited-slip differential is standard on the Exige Sport 240, the first time it has been offered as factory equipment on a Lotus in Australia.

The Sport 240 will also be fitted with Lotus Sport adjustable traction control. Developed from the Lotus Sport UK GT3 motorsport program, the advanced electronic system utilises a driver-adjustable control knob to dial-in one of 18 preset levels of traction control intervention. This allows for the ultimate in driver control in any road condition, wet or dry.

This system also utilises electronic launch-control where the driver can dial in the desired revs, floor the throttle and it will hold at the determined point until the clutch is released for perfect starts every time.

Performance figures are equally impressive with 0-100km/h in 4.2 seconds, 0-160km/h in 9.9 seconds and an estimated top speed of 249km/h.

Lotus is already known for its outstanding stopping power, and the Exige Sport 240 is even more effective with AP four-piston callipers on the front with 308mm two-piece front vented discs and braided hoses. On the rear, new Brembo single-piston callipers work on 288mm rotors. Pagid brake pads are fitted all around.

The suspension uses one-way adjustable dampers with adjustable ride height and an adjustable front sway bar to suit those wanting to tune the car to their own driving style.

Maintaining its track focus, the Sport 240 is fitted with grippy R compound Yokohama A048 LTS tyres, 195/50x16 front, 225/45x17 rear. It also benefits from a BS4 T45 steel roll-over hoop and struts.

The Exige Sport 240's interior hasn't been forgotten and includes the elements of a Touring Plus pack. With this comes air-conditioning and sound insulation amongst other enhancements throughout the cabin. Exige Sport 240 sports seats (finished in black leather) with a harness bar complement the purposeful nature of the car. The seats display an orange Exige logo and, along with the door trims and centre console, also have orange stitching. The black floor mats also feature an orange Exige logo.

Even the air-conditioning system is designed for performance. Weighing just 15kg for the entire system, the air-con uses an advanced clutch that automatically turns the compressor off when it senses full throttle to preserve maximum performance.

The special edition Lotus Exige Sport 240 is priced at $149,990 plus dealer delivery and statutory government charges. It will debut and go on sale at the Australian International Motor Show, from October 11.

The Sport 240 is released in what is the most successful year for Lotus Australia. According to Stretton: "Year-to-date, Lotus Australia has more than doubled its 2006 retail sales. In 2007 we are likely to exceed the highest sales ever in Australia by 20 percent. Adopting a more focused strategy in Australia is serving us well and the introduction of the Exige Sport 240 further emphasises the importance and relevance of Australia for Lotus Cars."

1.) Warren Buffett
Rank on Forbes Billionaires List: 2
Net Worth: $52 billion
Vehicle: 2006 Cadillac DTS

2.) Ingvar Kamprad
Rank on Forbes Billionaires List: 4
Net Worth: $33 billion
Vehicle: 1993 Volvo 240 GL

3.) Jim Walton
Rank on Forbes Billionaires List: 23
Net Worth: $16.8 billion
Vehicle: 2002 Dodge Dakota

4.) Sergey Brin
Rank on Forbes Billionaires List: 26
Net Worth: $16.6 billion
Vehicle: Toyota Prius

5.) Steve Ballmer
Rank on Forbes Billionaires List: 31
Net Worth: $15 billion
Vehicle: 1998 Lincoln Continental

Billions in the Bank, Bargains on the Drive [ForbesAutos]

Related:
The 10 Greatest Bond Cars? ForbesAutos is at it Again; ForbesAutos Touches Its Joystick, Fires Out A Top Ten List Of Car Video Games [internal]

Before there was Photoshop, car-design freakers had to use actual sheetmetal to render their creations. This meant the truly outlandish ones, envisioned by nutcases or absinthe abusers, wound up existing in the physical world. To wit: Here's a mashup of two 1983 Mercedes-Benz 240 wagons and a Chrysler Imperial. It's got three axles, a stove, microwave, freezer, TV, two air conditioning units and more chrome than Chip Foose's dumpster. The seller, Traderconnection.com, says the Merc diesel-powered unit took more than 2000 madness-hours to complete and has traveled around the US twice, possibly on that errant garbage barge a few years back . Still, we find ourselves drawn to this sad creature in sympathy, as if it were a two-headed kitten at the ASPCA. Though there's not enough absinthe on the planet to make us take it home. – Mike Spinelli

1983 MB-MB-Chrysler [TraderConnection]

Related:
Enter the Hall of the World's Ugliest Corvette [internal]