Volvo 264 (1980) – Into the Wild

If we are talking about a Volvo with a number other than ‘0’ at the end of the type name, you know that we are going back in time. As it turned out again with the 343 of the last. This Volvo 264 is three years younger than its little brother, which dates from 1980. Where you still see 240s from later years driving relatively often, older copies and certainly the extra rare 260s are now worth a special spot. We would like to thank Walter van der Schoot for sending us the photos!

With a 264 or station wagon version 265 (and certainly with the 262C) you were of course completely the gentleman at the time, with a V6 in the front. Only at the same time it was not necessarily the strongest point of the cars. The 240s, as the name implies, had four-cylinder engines and they came from Volvo’s shelves. Those four-cylinder engines are often classed as the most indestructible engines ever. The PRV-V6 was not bad, but a bit more sensitive, especially in the early years. The six-cylinder, developed together with Peugeot and Renault, also had a somewhat rough character due to the uneven firing order. This is because it was essentially a block developed as a V8, where two cylinders were ‘removed’. From the mid-1980s, versions with the same firing order came on the market, but the 260 no longer benefited from this. The V6 did give a nice characteristic sound.

At the time, Volvos didn’t exactly have the reputation of being smooth, but the 264 already changed that somewhat. Despite its shape as if it was carved out of a solid lump of steel, such a 264 with the injection version of the V6 still went from 0 to 100 km / h in roughly 10 seconds. Not earth-shattering, but certainly not slow. Incidentally, the specimen spotted here is not the cream of the crop, despite its flashy front spoiler; that was the 264 GLE, the absolute top version. This is a GL, which stood between the entry-level DL and the GLE.

It is, as we often see with old Volvos, a car that has long proven its owner a loyal track record. At least the previous owner, because he seems to have owned the 264 for no less than 32 years according to our data. The current owner has had it for over three years now and as you can see above, we are dealing with a (travelling) enthusiast here. That is actually no other way with such a car. Where 240s, especially as an estate, are sometimes driven by people who simply ‘need simple, spacious and robust transport’, such a 264 is really an enthusiast’s car pure sang. Nice roll!