These days, when most people think of Volvo, they think about Swedish-made, ultra-safe family haulers. This reputation still stands despite Volvo's recent spate of borderline scary recalls and the fact that Volvo is owned by a Chinese conglomerate, Geely Holding. And yet, once upon a time, Volvo actually marketed its simple vehicles by accentuating their sporty driving dynamics—who remembers when a Volvo wagon came in rear-wheel-drive only? But Volvo never dropped in seriously powerful engines, which perhaps explains the inspiration for this BMW V8-swapped and rear-wheel-drive converted Volvo 850 station wagon that looks ready to shred rubber at a moment's notice.
Not Your Mama's Station Wagon
In a series of Instagram posts and a feature on Engine Swap Depot, this Volvo emerges as a comprehensive build that's almost more German than Swedish. The aggressive Nordic nickname "Ragnarok" has clearly been earned, however, as proven by a few clips of the build blasting around a track at Falkenberg Circuit.
Under The Hood
The heart of the build comes in the form of a 4.0-liter V8 sourced from an E92-generation BMW M3, which also donated its seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, rear differential, exhaust, and both front and rear subframes. The engine was originally rated at 414 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque, though could now be producing more with an enormous air cleaner and a Delta 880 ECU control unit.
Serious Work Required
The project looks incredibly comprehensive, requiring the Volvo to be placed on a jig while fitting the BMW's running gear. Specific difficulties included needing to remove the Volvo's fuel cell to make way for the BMW diff, which necessitated a custom-built fuel tank mounted in the rear hatch area, allowing the original fuel filling location to be retained. Surprisingly, the swap also retained the Bimmer's catalytic converters—a rare decision when engaging in such a performance-focused project.
Sources: instagram.com and engineswapdepot.com.