Volvo V70 2.4 T (2001) – On the Dynamometer

Exactly on time, the young part of the Smallegange family rolls onto the Beek Auto Racing site in The Hague. With a car that doesn’t suit its drivers at all. Young students in a car intended for dentists or perhaps a professional photographer. Bram and Rein are still studying, facility management to be precise, but instead of partying and going after the women, they have seriously thrown themselves into old cars. Maybe they’ll add that other one, but first that car has to be fixed. It is a Volvo V70 from 2001. A type with an excellent reputation, but it still needed some work. “We bought it from a private individual for €500 and with more than three tons on the clock,” Bram begins. “The car was completely worn out,” adds brother Rein. “But that’s when it gets fun for us.”

Bram and Rein deal in cars as a hobby

Bram and Rein are not afraid of dirty hands. Basically, they run a car dealership in their spare time. Without a bridge, without a grease pit, without a garage. They approach an old barrel as a project and get to work with a clear mission: it has to ride and look good. Rein: “Several cars have already passed by. A Corsa with a broken engine that we made running again, a 206 CC that got a new roof and a 207 where we replaced a rear axle.” Bram adds: “We have already done some work on this Volvo, such as replacing the steering box and the camshaft seal. With five liters at 2,400 kilometers, the oil consumption had gotten a bit out of hand.”

Also on holiday with an old car

Tinkering with old cars and then traveling with them, that is the higher goal of the Smallegange brothers. Going out with friends and having fun. “Then we go on holiday with a bunch of old cars. We make sure we always have enough seats and space left in case we need to leave a car behind. That has never happened. We did come to a standstill three times, but we were always able to continue.” For these hobby handymen, the internet has turned out to be worth its weight in gold. Because although they are not car mechanics, with the help of the world wide web they have completely mastered tinkering. “You have to feel like it, make time and use your brain,” says Rein. The two brothers stimulate each other, that much is clear. They are curious about what the five-cylinder turbo engine still has to offer after 22 years. “But I am especially curious whether he will survive,” said Bram.

V70 just gets factory power

Older Volvos have surprised us before. And that happens again today: in front of dynamometer chief Ghisbert van Ginhoven, the V70 neatly delivers its factory power and even a dash more torque! So easy, in fact, that the brothers are considering tuning. Bram: “In mid-July we will participate in the Budapest Rally with the Volvo, an event with 230 cars and more than four hundred people. You can depart from Amsterdam or Brussels. It will be one big party.”