Volvo S60
When talking about European cars, only a select band of diehards will discuss Volvo for any length. Better known among accountants and soccer mums, there seems to be a lack of enthusiasm for the brand, especially in North America where there are few tuners to tease us.
What's more, it's become hard to find well-executed Swedish project cars; god knows we've tried! The elite examples include previous SEMA concept cars from California tuner Evolve. Then there are companies like Heico and iPD. But while it's been a struggle to track down enthusiasts with a passion for Volvos, we're happy to introduce Koen Lauwereys who is the mastermind behind this superb '02 S60.
Born and raised in the blossoming Belgian car scene, Koen's S60 isn't as extreme as some from that country but it possesses many of the right elements - pulled fenders, wide wheels, turbo upgrade and custom interior. And applying it to Swedish metal perhaps makes this project even more exceptional than your average VW or BMW.
For those unfamiliar with the Volvo S60 platform, it was introduced in 2000 and was one of the company's first vehicles that said goodbye to the boxy sedans of the '80s and '90s. The S60 was later facelifted but shared many similarities with the previous model.
In Koen's case, his FWD example came with a 2.4 liter inline-five. The motor was good for a polite 168hp while the styling was on the conservative side.
Belgium doesn't experience extremely long winters like the Scandanavians, but it's long enough for enthusiasts like Koen to take their cars off the road for a couple of months of dedicated garage time. "The S60 is a car you don't often see in the tuning scene," he told us. "So whatever you do, it's original."
The stereo is impressive with...
The stereo is impressive with Focal speakers and sub, Steg amps and Fosgate processor
After purchasing the car from its original owner, Koen spent the next three consecutive winters massaging his Belgian theories into the silver Volvo. "As a young guy I will admit that I imagined hotter cars," Koen conceded. But perceptions would change once he swapped the stock wheels.
"Wheels make the car, and I'm a wheel whore," he smiled. Koen originally wanted HRE wheels but they were too difficult and too expensive to ship across the Atlantic. So he searched for the perfect wheel with polished lips and multi-spokes. Like Cinderella finding her glass slipper, Koen eventually discovered 19x8.5" RH AN Crosslines - his perfect wheel.
After driving on the wheels for several months, he wanted it to look "less standard" so he widened the rims to 9" in the front and 10" for the rear. To accommodate the extra poke, Koen pulled the front fenders a subtle half-inch and the rears 1.4". Stretched around the rims were 215/35 front and 235/35 Pirelli Zero Nero tires.
"With my fear of heights, the next logical step was lowering," Koen laughed. He then installed KW's Variant 2 coilover setup but the rear wasn't adjustable and only allowed a 1.5" drop. So the fronts were set to match.
The owner then shifted his focus to the S60's exterior. He wasn't impressed with the aftermarket offerings in Europe so he contacted Evolve. The full body kit, based on the '03 SEMA show car, included front and rear bumpers plus side skirts (et 3/04).
After months of waiting, the kit arrived and Koen didn't wait to filling the holes left by the tow hooks. While he was at it, the windshield hood washers were shaved along with the keyholes in the door handles for an ultra-clean look. A new opening was cut in the rear bumper for his ultimate plan of a dual exhaust setup.
Once all the bodywork was complete, he took the car to a local bodyshop where it was repainted in its original silver. To eliminate the amber reflectors, he switched out his head- and tail lights for clear versions from a later '05 S60.
At this point, the S60 body had taken a new and improved form. It was aggressive yet classy, plus it had the right wheels and drop. However, the interior needed to look the part, "I already had leather but I didn't like the factory grey color," he told us. "It gave me a 'daddy takes the kids to school' feeling."