Quote:
Originally posted by Bill Murray
Not sure, but I do not recognize that as as model sold in the US.
What is it, and what vehicle is it based on????
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Bill, as Stellan and Keith noted, it is a vehicle developed in the mid-70s by DAF in the Netherlands. It was their first mid-sized car, fitted with a 1.7-litre Renault engine and their unique "variomatic" continuous variable transmission. When Volvo took over DAF, they added their badge and some enhanced safety features, and marketed it as the Volvo 343. It was in production until 1990, in the meantime gradual improvements were made and additional models were added. The Volvo 360 with 2-litre engine and 5-speed manual gearbox was at the top of the range. A total of 1,139,689 Volvo 300-series were sold to customers in the Netherlands, England (largest export market), Sweden, Finland, Germany and many other EU countries. Four percent of total sales of the Volvo 300 series were made to Japan, Australia (360 GLT only, of which Keefy owned one), New Zealand and Singapore. In the mid-1980s a couple of thousand were assembled in Malaysia and Indonesia.
The one I own was bought new by my grandfather in 1987, he was 77 back then. When he died in 2000, I inherited it with roughly 60,000 kms on the clock. It has now done less than 100,000 kms, and it good for at least 200,000 more, although the bodywork is getting tatty in some places.
H.
P.S. The 300 series have an enthusiast following -
http://www.volvo300club.nl/ - and there is a healthy racing scene even!
