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From the moment I first laid eyes on a 480 ( as in, 1986 ) I wanted one. I wanted many cars at that time, and I guess they all look roughly alike: VW Scirocco, DeLorean DMC-12, and the ‘Knight Rider’ car ( modified Pontiac Trans-Am ). A lot of 480 owners, I’ve found, lust after them for quite some time before actually owning one!
It’s not hard to see why - the 480 is a drop - dead gorgeous car ( well, at least with the lights down! ). Along with the P1800 of the 1960’s, it represented a design statement from Volvo which was something in itself! The later C-30 of 2007? - not in the same league. The C-30 is more about Volvo joining the mainstream than making statements.
The 480 is much lower than a Porsche 911 ( I know this because one parked beside me - cheek of it, parking junk like that beside my 480! ). The only things I don’t like about my car? Well, there aren’t many, but the leaking boot - as documented elsewhere on this site - did not exactly endear me to the beast.
It is often said that the 1.7 is underpowered. I can’t say that I have found that: the engine seems lively and ‘revvy’. Getting used to the right gear selections ( gearchange is a bit pedestrian by the way ) is key to extracting the performance. Sounds obvious and is, but it’s important.
Getting ready for a V.O.C. ( Volvo Owner’s Club ) meeting, late 2007.
The driving position is a bit ‘reclined’ for my liking - regardless of seat adjustment. Sure, reclining on a Sofa is fine, but I like to sit up for the ‘action’ when I’m driving! I guess this is a trade - off considering how surprisingly low the 480 actually are. The Bosch electronics are reliable, though dampness ( like the standard leaky boot ) can make things ‘interesting’.
Thankfully the ‘S’ - which is the one I have - does not have the ES etc. ‘infocentre’ to go wrong. It seems that these ‘infocentre’ things never work fully. Incidentally, for the smokers among you, the 480 is like the rest of the Volvo 400 series not least in one respect: the ashtrays slowly melt.
A ‘rough diamond’ I guess, the 480. However, the main ingredients were got right with this car: the handling ( superb ), the looks, the overall quality. I love it to bits. When you think of the hassle that so many temperemental Italian classics cause, the 480 with it’s looks - which could be straight from Milan or Turin - truly represents a case of having one’s cake and eating it!
SEE ALSO: 480 leaks ... a brief synopsis of my leaking 480 woes, and for the sentimental among you, 1986 / 1995 : what happened in the World in the years that the 480 began / ceased production.
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