This is a 1990 Volvo 740 GLE Wagon that had its original underpinnings removed, then replaced with the full suspension, brakes, steering, and drivetrain from a 2004 Chevrolet Corvette.
The full project is said to have taken 1,900 hours of labor, and the process was documented in a YouTube video which we included below. The car is intended for track use, however it is road legal, and it comes with a clean Ohio title.
Fast Facts: The “Volvette” Volvo 740 GLE Wagon
- This 1990 Volvo 740 GLE Wagon, dubbed the “Volvette,” has been transformed into a sleeper performance car by transplanting the full suspension, steering, brakes, and LS1 V8 drivetrain from a 2004 Chevrolet Corvette C5. It now uses Corvette front and rear subframes, integrated into the Volvo unibody, and retains road legality with a clean Ohio title.
- The build took approximately 1,900 hours and began in 2014. Key features include the 5.7 liter LS1 V8 producing 350 bhp, mated to a 6-speed T-56 manual transaxle with limited-slip differential. It also has QA1 coilovers, anti-roll bars front and back, and a revised wiring harness.
- Inside, the Volvo was stripped for weight savings and fitted with two racing seats, harnesses, a roll cage, and a removable rear bench. Additional upgrades include a dry-sump lubrication system, Trick Flow 550-bhp top-end kit, Borla mufflers with custom dual exhaust, and a Griffin radiator to support heavy track use.
- While the exterior shows some wear with surface rust and faded clear coat, the sleeper aesthetic remains intact, in fact this might even increase the sleeper appeal. The car has seen regular autocross use and is now offered for sale in Lagrange, Ohio.
Building The Volvette Sleeper
To say this project was intensive would be significantly understating it. The team that built the car essentially transplanted the Volvo 740 GLE Wagon onto the C5 Corvette platform, using the Corvette’s front and rear subframes which hold the suspension and brakes.
This is the C5 Corvette platform, devoid of its body, before it was transplanted underneath the 1990 Volvo 740 GLE Wagon shown in this article.
A huge amount of work was required to make this work, including narrowing the subframes to fit, then engineering them into place by integrating them into the Volvo unibody. The car wasn’t intended to just be a showpony, it was intended from the outset to be a genuine contender on track, and as a result the drivetrain, suspension, brakes, etc all had to work together perfectly.
The 2004 Chevrolet Corvette C5 specifications include independent front and rear suspension with unequal-length double wishbones with transverse fiberglass mono-leaf springs, four wheel disc brakes, and a front-mounted 5.7 liter LS1 V8 producing 350 bhp which it sends to the rear wheels via a 6-speed manual T-56 transaxle with a limited-slip differential.
The suspension on this car was modified significantly, with QA1 coilovers installed along with front and rear anti-roll bars to help keep it planted even under heavy cornering loads.
Once the engine and transaxle were installed into the Volvette, the wiring loom was updated to make sure everything worked as it should. The interior of the Volvo was largely stripped out to save weight, a roll cage was added along with two racing seats with harnesses, and there is a removable rear bench seat for two that can be used for giving people hair-raising rides if the mood strikes you.
The project to build the car started back in 2014, since it was completed the owner has taken it autocrossing for the last few years. A number of other mods have been applied, including the fitment of a custom dual exhaust system with Borla mufflers, Trick Flow 550-horsepower top-end kit, dry-sump lubrication, and a Griffin radiator.
The car could probably do with a closed door respray now, as the clear coat is showing its age and there are some signs of surface rust. That said, if the new owner wanted to keep it as a true sleeper, they could keep it pretty much as-is.
Power is provided by a 5.7 liter LS1 V8 producing 350 bhp which it sends to the rear wheels via a 6-speed manual T-56 transaxle with a limited-slip differential.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first Corvette-powered Volvo station wagon we have featured. Legendary actor and successful racing car driver Paul Newman was a huge fan of Volvo station wagon sleepers – he built at least two of them and even talked late night TV host David Letterman into getting one built for himself.
This car is now being offered for sale out of Lagrange, Ohio with a clean Ohio title in the seller’s name that lists the vehicle as a 1990 Volvo. If you’d like to read more about it or place a bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.