Volvos in the past were often angular, solid and sometimes somewhat boring cars. The 480 had to appeal to a younger target group for the brand and was therefore designed with a completely different setup. The copy that steals the show today in ‘Liefief Gezocht’ still looks remarkably fresh and that for a relatively favorable price.
The Volvo 480 was a striking appearance in Volvo’s range. In fact, the model was the spiritual successor to the P1800ES, a three-door shooting brake. With its flip-up headlights, the 480 was truly a child of the 80s. Breaking away from the angular look of Volvos of the era, the 480 had a smooth, aerodynamic shape, with an air intake for the engine only in the front bumper. The Volvo characteristic diagonal line at the front is also missing. Another striking styling element is the tailgate, which consists of a single piece of glass with the rear lights directly below. With four individual seats, the 480 is also a true four-seater.
Volvo 480 S
The Dutchman John de Vries was responsible for that design, who worked for Daf before drawing the 480. The Dutch pride does not stop there when it comes to the 480, because the car was built in Born at the then NedCar. Later that became VDL NedCar. The Volvo 480 was in production from 1986 to 1995. This 480 S, built in 1992, is one of the later copies. It is a special variant, because it was only produced from January to September 1992. Volvo said goodbye to the unblown 1.7 four-cylinder due to the stricter emission requirements, but kept the engine with catalytic converter on for one more year. The power then dropped from 109 to 102 hp.
With a price of €5,850, the 480 S is not really a bargain at first glance, but its condition and history justify the price. This original Dutch delivered example comes from the first owner and it covered only 45,018 kilometers in its 30-year existence. That is by far the lowest mileage of any Volvo 480 listed on the AutoWeek used car finder. Its striking red paint is hardly discolored and the interior still looks great. It even has an original Volvo cassette player. It does not have air conditioning, but the 480 does have electrically operated side windows, an on-board computer and heated seats. So it’s not all that spartan. Will you become the second owner of this moving time capsule?
Would you rather look for an enthusiast car or youngtimer yourself? Then browse the classic pages of the AutoWeek used car finder!
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl