We make tough wagons
In 1985, Wayne Baldwin (an SCCA Pro-Rally driver of a 142 sedan) asked me (mostly a motion sick navigator), if I’d like to “tag along” with him, a journalist, and a brand new 745 Turbo wagon for something called a “Cannonball Run.” How dumb of me if I refuse – how dumb of me to say yes.
We were equipped with a truly first-generation cell phone; briefcase size, and had to negotiate with each cell site provider in each town we passed through. We had one of HP’s first laptops to run calculations for Time/Speed/Distance. Radar detectors were not allowed in certain states, so we built a receiver into the front turn signal housing, and had one in a first aid kit pointing out our back door. The head unit was behind a false radio and best of all, a hidden cut off switch for brake lights. Talking with other driving crews, they all had nasty tricks up their sleeves far better than ours.
Here’s our story written by Azzenza that we used for our Via Volvo magazine. The 745 in the snow photo is about 95 percent accurate:
Out on Highway 80 somewhere near Bozeman, Mont., over half the drivers said the snowstorm was too much, so they pleaded with race officials to cancel that leg. We filled our bellies with chips and dip, Cokes and water and headed north. What Anthony Assenza didn’t fully capture in the article was our driving at 120 miles per hour across snow-covered roads, hogging the center lane to give us a few seconds to contemplate our demise should something go wrong.
Heading over Logan Pass, roadside snowdrifts were a good eight feet high. Wayne took that leg (awesome rally driver), and promptly blew by a State Trooper heading the other way. As we headed into White Fish – a town empty at 5 a.m. and probably most of any hour – in the middle of their main street is a trooper waving us over. We were told to wait. About 45 minutes later another trooper pulled up, Wayne was reaching for our cash stash and our trooper friend asked us if we were, “part of that rally.” The arriving trooper was covered in mud and looked madder than fire ants on a kill run, and Wayne asked what we did wrong. “You boys flew by me, I swung around, blew out a tire and had to change it. Now I’m going to show you out of my town and don’t come back.” He did and we didn’t. Then there’s the time I drove between two posts holding up a highway sign in Texas while driving a tad too fast…but that’s another story.
We’ve made wagons ever since being in the U.S. market and have plans to continue into our future. Others have come and gone and we see new ones coming this year. Wagons are Volvo. I, along with our PR group, have driven the devil out of them in Vermont, Alaska and Mexico; they are tough haulers. Anyway, a friend sent this piece over and thought you might enjoy some wagon history.
Take care,
Dan
7 Comments
PianoMan…
Megacool Blog indeed!… if anyone else has anything it would be much appreciated. Great website Enjoy!…
Hey PianoMan,
you mean our blog?
dan
Dear Dan,
I love the blog! I was recently reading through a Hemmings when I came across Mark McCourt’s 242 Turbo Flathood page. I have a mint 1985 740 Turbo Intercooler and I’m trying to put together an article for the magazine. I was wondering if you had any of the old press releases/brochures/paint cards etc. for the 1981-1985 Volvo Turbo. Whatever you can get don’t leave out it will all be greatly appreciated. Adobe .pdf files would be idea, but jpegs work just as well!
Thanks again,
Neville Britto
nev_britto@hotmail.com
Hi Turboman,
I’ve got some old files, just need to dig through them. In our warehouse, Rockleigh, we have couple of filing cabines…story time: when 1/2 of our organiztion moved to Irvine some years back, all the old stuff was litterally stuffed into my samll 10′x10′ offce. I had seven filing cabinets, filing boxes and just junk almost to the ceiling. It was so bad, the window cleaners would just pass my office by. I finally condensed it down to really over stuffed cabinets that everyone refuses to open. Anyway, let me see what I can find.
Glad you like this site. It’s as much a labor of love for our cars as it is something fun to do in my spare time LOL.
Dan you just made my day ! I’m really looking forward to it. I look like a kid in a candy store, lol. Your right only one word describes the bond between a driver and this Volvo, love. I’m in my late teens and I’m driving a factory mint 1985 Volvo 740 Turbo Intercooler 1 of only 1,177 first year cars. The fact that is was made in January and finished in that oh so rare Standox/Dupont #215 Light Blue Metallic and topped off with the even rarer dark blue w. white pinstriped interior really makes it something special. It’s funny as I’m the only kid I know that LOVES Volvos, and well drives a car that is older than him! I really lucked out last year when dad got the V70 T5 … as one of the old ads state “Old Volvos don’t die … they pass on”. I wouldn’t have it any other way .. 250,000 kms and counting !
Thanks again, hope to get them soon !
Hey Dan,
Did you find anything? I didn’t hear back from you ….
[...] Volvo friend Dan Johnston reminded us of how Bob masterminded Volvo’s corporate-backed 740 Turbo Wagon entry into the 1985 One Lap of America race, which Dan himself participated in. And while they [...]