Project Car: Daily Turismo is Entering the ipd $25,000 Build Off!
by CFlo
We’ve decided to enter the little white 242 known as the Daily Turismo Project Car into an awesome competition hosted by Volvo performance parts kings, ipd. The $25,000 Build Off will be giving five lucky winners $5k each towards completing their Volvo project cars. For our entry we are considering an alternate universe Trans-Am racer theme…but we need your input to finalize it!
A few days ago I created this preliminary concept sketch showing one direction we’d like to take the DTPC. Imagine if you will, an alternate universe in which Volvo’s 240 series existed during the golden age of Trans-Am racing, the late ’60s to early ’70s. Now imagine that Volvo created factory 242 Trans-Am racers to compete against the likes of the 1970 Boss 302 Mustang driven by Parnelli Jones and the 1971 AMC Penske Javelin of Mark Donohue. What would that 242 look like? The above sketch is one attempt at answering that question. Trans-Am cues include the angular black chin spoiler, matte blackout panel in the center of the hood, simple black numbers in white circles, and a Gurney flap style rear spoiler.
I have taken a lot of inspiration from cars like this ’69 Boss 302 Mustang, seen during DT’s coverage of the Coronado Speed Week last year (the number 83 is actually a coincidence; I chose it because our car was built in 1983). However I would be remiss not to consider the real 242 race cars that proved themselves in the FIA Group A touring car series in the 1980s. I’ve taken the Scandanavian “hockey stick” style graphics from the Nordica livery Group A 242s, as you can see. But instead of stopping the stripes short on the rear quarter panel, the DTPC’s stripes wrap all the way over onto the trunk and connect to the other side. In contrast to the original count of four stripes I’ve gone with three for a simpler, cleaner look. They would be light blue, medium blue and dark blue in order from front to back.
The concept sketch shows a few more modifications: black steel wheels, an earlier 240 flat hood, and some custom aluminum covers to hide the four-eyes rectangular headlights on the track. Alternatively, we at DT are tossing around the idea of Minilite style alloy wheels and a front-end aesthetic change to the early single 7″ round headlights as found on the ’75 through ’80 240 cars. We could also go with a later upright 240 turbo grille and keep the original “coffin” hood and quad lights. But what do you think, DT readers? Give us your feedback, ideas, and heckling below in the comments section!
For those of you who missed the original posts, here’s what we are starting with: a clean, refrigerator white, one owner (until 2012) 1983 Volvo 242 with 292,000 miles. It’s got a B23 inline four and an M-46 manual trans, and it needs a lot of attention. But it runs and drives, and should be an excellent blank canvas to start from.
We’ll be keeping the rest of the build plan details under wraps for now but look for more updates and revised concept sketches soon. Applications are due to ipd by April 15, so we still have some time!
Find a full explanation of the $25000 Build Off contest here on ipd’s website.
I dig the idea, but it may be difficult to differentiate the end result from a Touring Car tribute.
I think you should make a Bosozoku 242. Fat-ass Watanabes, bolt on flares, and fender-exit exhaust.
Or maybe a SoCal Hot Rod theme. Candy red paint, AR Salt Flats (in raw mag, of course), and one big C3-esque side pipe.
~ i'm elated to see this idea going into action, CFlo. when the iPD competition first pooped up on Facebook i emailed Vince who told me you were already working up an entry description and proposal. i've got my fingers crossed for you.
I love the idea of a 242 trans-am is awesome. I think you should go with the older round headlights, I have a soft spot for those cause they were on my moms 🙂
Rear wheel well flairs, right? I think most of them had flaired back ends for bigger wheels.
How bout going with more traditional 70's Volvo colors for the stripes? A little orange, blue, green? Something to take it further from the touring cars?
Thanks for the input guys! I agree it might be hard to differentiate from a Group A theme with the blue stripes, and changing up the colors is an intriguing idea. I'm thinking yellow, orange and red stripes now, to both match the DT tach logo and give it the '70s vibe. I will incorporate some color in the next concept sketch and see how it looks. Maybe OE Volvo colors for the stripe, like Carlsbad yellow for one.
Flared wheel arches is a possibility, but they already have a bit of flare naturally so that might be enough. The rear axle is narrow on a 240 which leaves some room to go wider in the wheel & tire department already.
Bosozoku? Crazy…but we've been known to do worse (e.g. the Bavarian Brougham).
Hot rod theme might work too, and those Halibrand style Salt Flat wheels are the business. I sense a few more sketches in my future…