As the Repco Bathurst 1000 draws closer, the Garage had a search through the archives and found one of the most weirdest entries in the race’s history.
Known as that ‘bloody Volvo’ courtesy of Peter Williamson’s Racecam coverage of the 1979 Bathurst 1000, the grey 242GT shared by Spencer Martin and Peter McKay proved a bugbear to the faster entries all day.
Homologated ahead of the 1979 Great Race, the Volvo was effectively standard running a B23E engine and M46 gearbox, but the most interesting part were the Uniroyal Steel Cat tyres it used.
After it lasted the whole day much to the chagrin of the other entrants, the Volvo finished 20th prompting Uniroyal to run full page advertisements in all the major newspapers and magazines highlighting the tyres longevity.
The only modifications made to the 242GT were a 120-litre dry brake fuel system, the installation of a roll cage, Koni shocks, Bathurst Globe wheels 15×7, a side exhaust and harnesses.
Arriving six years before Robbie Francevic shook up the established runners in Mark Petch’s Volvo 240 Turbo as the Swedish marque began to shake its boring tag.
Volvo in fact won the 1986 Australian Touring Car Championship with Francevic and briefly entered a factory team led by John Sheppard.
After a fiery exit at the end of 1986, Volvo returned when the Super Touring regulations spread to Australia in the early-1990s entering Tony Scott in one of its famous Tom Walkinshaw Racing-built 850 Estates.
Peter Brock and Jim Richards spearheaded the Volvo campaign until once again petering out when Super Touring entered, before again resurfacing in Supercars through a partnership with Garry Rogers Motorsport between 2014 and 2016.