30k DT Exclusive DTO: 1963 Holman Moody Volvo 1800 Racer

The DTO (Daily Turismo Omologato) is a rare or interesting example of a DT-friendly classic or performance vehicle, but priced somewhere above the self imposed DT cap of $20k. We see these cars as weekend fun machines that you probably wouldn’t want to drive to work every day, unlike a regular Daily Turismo. Today’s DTO feature is none other than a genuine Holman Moody engineered 1963 Volvo 1800 road racer. The car has a long and documented history, has been a privateer track car since new, and was thoroughly reengineered and rebuilt by famed NASCAR racing team Holman Moody in the early 1980s. This is a Daily Turismo Exclusive listing – you won’t find it anywhere else! It would be a great vintage racer and a solid investment given the history and unique setup. It is being offered by current owner Mitch Duncan, who has owned it since 1996 and is a retired Volvo Cars North America executive. It is available for $30,000 in the Moosehead Lake region of central Maine. Email us here if you are interested, and we will put you in touch with Mitch.

Previous owner / driver Bobby Ford looking rather dapper next to car No. 55.

This car not only sends off vibes of being the baddest 1800 on the block, it has the engineering, history and performance to back up the racing stripes and blacked-out lights. The genuine magnesium Minilites are a rare and cool treat; most aftermarket wheels are aluminum alloy but these true “mags” will both lighten up the unsprung mass significantly, and light up your night if you get them too hot. This is a fully caged, fiberglass skinned, dry-sumped, stripped out race car with a fuel cell, fire suppression system, and massive brakes. This is not Irv Gordon’s 3 million mile cruiser – it’s the black sheep of the family. If this car could talk it would quote Ricky Bobby in saying “I wanna go fast.”

The Holman Moody 1800 is chassis #3835, and though it has been through many changes and iterations over the years it is currently painted in its original race livery and wears historic number 55. Seller Mitch has written up a nice summary of the car’s history. He says:

The 1800 was originally purchased new by a Frank Dumproff on Long Island, N.Y. He raced the car in relativity stock form at Bridge Hampton. He was in the textile business and subsequently relocated to Lincolnton, N.C. He campaigned the car still in relatively stock form at various Southern road courses where he took 1st place at Road Atlanta.

He sold the 1800 to a local gas station owner, Bob Ramseur. Ramseur and his friend Bobby Ford raced the car for a short period with a 3rd place finish at Road Atlanta Regional in F Production. Bobby Ford acquired the car and began racing in 1972 with moderate success throughout the Southeast. Ford went into a 6 year hiatus to attend to his car business in Hickory, N.C. and raise a family.

In early ’80 he commissioned Holman-Moody to completely re-engineer and rebuild the car to its current specifications, including two complete engines developed by Holman-Moody, along with three unique cam profiles to optimize different track requirements. He campaigned the highly modified 1800 with many first place and top 5 finishes through 1982 and then retired.

Ted Lebsack of Colorado, acquired it in 1984, painted it red and renumbered it to #78. He raced several vintage racing events in the Midwest.

Mitch Duncan then bought it in April 1996 while living in Southern California and subsequently brought it back to New Jersey where he had Bob Alspach go through it and prepare it for returning to the track. He raced it extensively in 1998 and 1999 in the Volvo Historic Series but after moving to Northern Maine ran a couple races a year until 2005 when he decided to repaint it in its original livery. Mitch has the SCCA log books and can provide additional details on the history.

Mitch has maintained the car in running condition, and is currently in the process of freshening up the engine bay and reinstalling the fuel injected B20 2.0L engine which will make it up to snuff for vintage racing with all pertinent sanctioning bodies. He says it will be ready and legal for the following organizations (barring specific tire rules): Vintage Driving Club of America, Vintage Sports Car Drivers Association, Historic Sport Car Racing, Sportcar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA), Sports Car Club Of America (SCCA), and Vintage Auto Racing Association of Canada.

Below is the spec sheet in its entirety.

1963 Holman-Moody Volvo 1800

Chassis #3835

Features

Engine

Two recently built B20-based engines (zero races):

2000cc Fuel Injected

Holman-Moody modified head and special camshaft

IPD variable mixture FI computer

Stahl Exhaust Header

2130cc Carburated

Volvo R-Sport Stage 4 head and “S” grind camshaft

Stahl exhaust header

Both engine blocks are prepared as follows by Duane Matejka:

Crankshaft ground and micro polished to .010 under

Wiseco forged pistons

Crower forged rods

Vandervell tri-metal rod and main bearings

R-Sport timing cover and rear main seals

R-Sport steel timing gears

Full dry sump oil system, Weaver 3 stage oil pump, cooler and remote filter;11 qt. capacity

Fuel System

ATL 12 gallon fuel cell in steel can

Bosch high pressure fuel pump and fuel filter, aircraft type braided lines and fittings

Drive Train

Volvo M40 close ratio needle bearing 4 speed gearbox

Tilton twin plate clutch and alloy flywheel

Holman-Moody rear axle, full floating hubs and axle shafts; Volvo carrier with 4.30, 4.56 ratios

Suspension

Front – Reinforced control arms

Modified bump steer, heim jointed steering

Carrera competition shock absorbers

1 1/8” stabilizer bar, adjustable heim joint links

Rear – Holman-Moody 3 link adjustable tubular trailing arms and heim joints

Carrera competition shock absorbers

3/4” stabilizer bar and adjustable heim joint links

Brakes

Dual master cylinders, remote reservoirs, adjustable brake bias

Wilwood 4 piston (front: 1.75, rear: 1.38) calipers

11” rotors and alloy hats

Wheels and Tires

Original 15” x 7” American Racing 5 flat spoke S200 wheels 

Goodyear GS-CS 225/50 ZR15 tires

Original 15”x6” Minilite 8 spoke magnesium wheels

Hoosier 205/50 x 15 tires

Chassis-Body

Lightweight fiberglass composite body panels consisting of front clip, fenders, hood, rear quarter panels, deck lid

Full SCCA 8 point roll cage with NASCAR type driver side bars

Simpson platinum 6 point camlock harness

Phoenix 10 lb. fire suppression system

Interior aluminum floor panels

Aluminum dash panel including:

Autometer monster tachometer

Westech quad exhaust gas temp gauge

Original Stewart-Warner water, oil temperature and oil pressure gauges

Holman-Moody switch module

Trans X 260 AMB transponder

Weight Distribution (with 170 lb. Driver)

          Left   Right   Total

Front  599   574  = 1173

Rear   575   537  = 1112

Grand Total = 2285 lbs.

Cross weight = 49.7%

We sincerely hope one of the Daily Turismo faithful is looking for a Volvo to go vintage racing with; this 1800 is another perfect example of the best money spent being the previous owner’s as the car is already built and sorted out. Rather than spending years building your own from scratch, you could hop into this cool piece of history and start having fun right away.

If you are interested in pilfering your piggybank and purchasing the car, email CFlo@dailyturismo.com and we will put you in touch with owner Mitch Duncan.

Click here for the album of all full-resolution photos.

Have another awesome vintage racer for sale? Tell us by emailing tips@dailyturismo.com and we will feature it!