Vehicle Description
We've all seen our fair share of Fords, Chevys, and Mopars get the
streetrod treatment, but it's not often we see classic Volvos get
in on the action. That doesn't mean they aren't the perfect
candidates to soup-up, in fact many hotrodders have long-loved the
1940-Ford-esque styling of the Volvo PV444/544 line. Take this
particular 1959 Volvo PV544 Restomod, with it's round headlights,
big and curvy fenders, swooping roofline, and fastback/slantback
styled rear - all of which form a stylish body that really lends
itself to customization. Well, the builders of this custom beauty
took those cues and proceeded to turn this Volvo up to '11'.
Sinister two-tone paint, a custom bucket seat interior, a
performance suspension worthy of a muscle car, and the coup de
grace that was swapped in from a late-model Lexus: a 3.0L 2JZ Twin
Turbo V6 matched to a 5-speed automatic. This beautifully built
Volvo is ready to shake-up the streetrod game in a BIG way.
After the war, European automakers answered the public's calls for
smaller, more fuel-efficient family cars that still had enough
style to shake off the monotony of pre-war styling. In Sweden,
Volvo built their first ever unibody vehicle (which meant
quicker/easier production) that would ultimately save the company
from insolvency - the PV444 - a streamlined car design based on the
'39 Hanomag and '40 Ford complete with a pointed hood and fastback
profile. PV544's like this 1959 example were an improvement on
those early renditions, featuring a one-piece windshield, larger
taillights, reimagined trim, and more accommodating interiors. It's
easy to see that classic ancestral DNA in this Silver-over-Black
beauty, although with it's gorgeous restoration and long list of
upgrades, it's curb appeal is off-the-charts. Fully restored from
top-to-bottom, the builder's got the bodywork straight, aligned the
panels and doors, evenly set the gaps, and then applied layer after
layer of Silver Metallic and Black paint. The results speak for
themselves, as this Volvo restomod looks amazing in person, with
only the smallest of imperfections to speak of. Seldom driven since
it was finished, the paint still has a great shine and gloss, and
the two colors complement each other wonderfully. The PV's bumpers
were swapped in favor of bumperettes - black up front and chrome in
the rear - the black mesh grille sets the tone up front, and all
the brightwork shines beautifully, especially the heavy-duty
hardware on the hood (those Land Cruiser-style latches are
especially cool). All the glass is in excellent condition, the drip
rails are so clean we wonder if this PV's ever been wet, and the
way the back-up lights frame the quad-exhaust tips out back makes
us weak in the knees when this beauty's driving away.
The surprisingly spacious interior was completely redone during the
build, with modern buckets (swapped-in from a VW Passat), an
updated rear bench, custom door panels, and a reworked dashboard
taking the place of the typically spartan Swedish confines. The
perforated black upholstery looks very high-end and show
practically zero wear, plush black carpets insulate the floors, and
the builders installed a late-model center console up front that
adds loads of practicality to the cabin. There's a modern shifter
inside that console that manages the late-model 5-speed automatic
below, and it's topped with a carbon fiber Momo knob that matches
the carbon fiber accents on the console and dashboard. Speaking of
that dash, all the funky Nordic styling is long-gone, swapped in
favor of a pleated vinyl pad, a full array of Dolphin gauges set
inside a billet bezel, and a leather-wrapped Grant steering wheel.
It's a perfect cabin for a sporty restomod, and with options like
cold Vintage Air A/C, front seatbelts, push-out rear windows, and a
Pioneer AM/FM/CD/AUX head unit that's mounted in the spacious trunk
out back, there are plenty of amenities to go along with all that
style.
In a build this high-end and complex, it can be tough to figure out
where most of the attention was spent, but on this Volvo it's
obvious the majority of the time and money went under the hood.
Representing one of the most unique restomod swaps we've ever seen,
this Volvo is powered via a 2JZ-GTE 3.0L DOHC Twin-Turbo Inline-6
borrowed from a 2001 Toyota Aristo, aka Japan's Lexus GS. We can
barely imagine the expertise it took to get this drivetrain swap to
work, but it's been expertly executed and the results are simply
stunning. It took us on one of the best test drives we've ever
experienced, with plenty of power, smooth shifts, excellent braking
and handling, and a wicked soundtrack. The donor Aristo sacrificed
in the build only had 25K miles on the clock, so this Volvo is
going to be dominating for years to come, and with a serpentine
belt system, modern fuel-injection, upgraded chrome accessories,
and fresh components everywhere you look, it's incredibly reliable
too. All that power links up with a modern 5-speed automatic
transmission that shifts smoothly below, spinning an 8.5" Ford
rear-end stuffed with 3.73 gears. Even with the extra horses this
PV drives easy thanks to a Mustang II-style front clip, upgraded
shocks and springs, rack-and-pinion steering, and power 4-wheel
disc brakes with drilled-and-slotted rotors, while the custom
stainless-steel exhaust makes that 2JZ really sing. 17-inch
Velocity alloys are the perfect endcaps to this one-of-a-kind
build, and they come wrapped in 215/45/17 front and 225/45/17 rear
Toyos with plenty of tread left.
Unique, expertly built, and very fast, this Swede-Japanese import
is one of the coolest restomods we've ever featured. If you prefer
to walk on the wild side, go against the grain, or just flat-out
love incredibly interesting vintage cars, this 1959 Volvo PV544
Restomod might be just what the doctor ordered. Call today!
