- Looking for the fastest way to transport multiple cases of tasty salad dressing or spaghetti sauce home from the grocery store? Consider this 1988 Volvo 740 station wagon.
- Formerly owned by Paul Newman, this brick-shaped Volvo hides a surprise under the hood: a 3.8-liter turbocharged V6 from a Buick Grand National.
- This 740 is one of a series of modified Volvo wagons owned by the legendary actor and driver, and it’s on sale now.
Wickedly quick behind the wheel of a race car and blessed with effortless composure, Paul Newman was essentially Steve McQueen without the nasty personal baggage. For most people he was the star of movies like Cool Hand Luke Or Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, but Newman was more Lime Rock than Hollywood. Westport, Connecticut’s favorite son and family man whose marriage lasted half a century (until his death in 2008), he had a fondness for Volvo station wagons. Newman, however, liked his Swedish iron extra-spicy underneath, as shown his 1988 Volvo 740 station wagonauctioned on Bring a Trailer (which, as Car and driverpart of Hearst Autos).
A copy of the title says Newman purchased this 740 in July 1988, and it is believed to be the first Volvo he modified to his specification. These were extended to fitting a 3.8-liter turbocharged V6 from a Buick Grand National hooked up to a five-speed manual transmission sourced from a Pontiac Firebird.
In 1988, a factory-spec Volvo 740 Turbo station wagon was fitted with a 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder rated at around 150 horsepower. The Newman swap more than doubled the available horsepower to around 320 horsepower (thanks in part to a chipped ECU).
The subtle bodywork is complemented by a slight lowering of the Bilstein shock absorbers and springs and Volvo IPD specialist anti-roll bars. The 16-inch five-spoke wheels are classic 1980s Volvos and wear BFGoodrich g-Force Comp-2 A/S tires. Despite these clues, any passerby would think they were looking at a plain old boxy Volvo, until this thing smoked its rear tires and headed for the horizon.
Newman, who reportedly got his first taste of racing while filming the 1969 Indy 500-themed film Winnerbecame the owner Volvo 960 wagons with V-8 transplants. He also turned their Connecticut neighbor David Letterman on to them, and Jerry Seinfeld would drive one for an episode of Comedians in cars having coffee.
Besides movies and racing, Newman’s philanthropic work is what really puts the final shine on his legend. His Newman’s Own brand has contributed some $600 million to charitable causes since its founding in 1982. In 1988, the year this Volvo was delivered, he founded the Hole in the Wall Gang camp, a place where children struggling with a serious illness could enjoy the freedom of summer camp.
In a nod to this charitable spirit, the seller of this ex-Newman Volvo will donate part of the proceeds from the sale to the Hole in the Wall Gang camp. If a Grand National-powered, celebrity-sourced sleeper car wasn’t enough, throwing the winning bid on this Volvo will do the world a little good. This is no doubt what Newman himself would have wanted.
Contributing Editor
Brendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, BC, Canada. He grew up sharing his fingers about British automobiles, came of age in the golden age of Japanese sports compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machines, whether it’s Walter Cronkite’s racing career or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He taught his two young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to perpetually buy Hot Wheels.
