What springs to your mind when somebody mentions Sweden? Leggy blondes, ABBA, saunas or '70s porn may be on your list, and there's also Sweden's car industry to consider. When we think of modifying European cars, VW and BMW naturally feature higher than the likes of Saab and Volvo, yet the Swedes are mad keen to tune their domestic market cars and show us what we're ignoring.
Sweden is a land of forced induction,where young tuners think nothing of locking themselves in their garages over the long winters only to emerge in the spring with an old Volvo boasting 500bhp from its turbo engine. As the young modifier matures and finds himself with more disposable income, the skills learnt in those cold garage apprenticeships can be put to use on something more modern; which brings us to Peter Jynnesj and his '04 Volvo S40 T5.
The S40 is a car we've featured several times before and despite preconceptions, the newer Volvos don't hang around. In fact, the S40 T5 boasts a 0-60mph in 6.5sec from its 2.5 five-cylinder turbo - not a bad place to start a project.
Peter lives deep in the Swedish countryside and has built a reputation for himself and his business - OnTheEdge - as a respected modifier. So when Swedish parts supplier, Micro, gave Peter an illustration and asked if he'd build a Volvo to match it, he jumped at the opportunity. "Micro commissioned me to make the car from their drawings," he said. "They provided me with everything I needed except the body kit. They needed the car finished quickly, so I completed it in only five weeks."
Five weeks? You'd normally expect to spend that long waiting for new wheels to be delivered, but Sweden prides itself on efficiency and a strong work ethic.
The body kit was a prototype from Heico Sportiv in Germany (www.heicosportiv.de). It was seen at Essen '05 (et 3/06) and is now used on Heico's S40 racecar that won its class at the Nrburgring 24-hour event. Needless to say, it's a tough look for the S40. "It is a glassfibre widebody kit," Peter explained. "But lots of work is needed to shape everything on to the car. The bumpers, fenders, arches and skirts all have to be modified and then smoothed together."
Extra smoothing can be seen in the deleted rear door handles to give the look of a coupe. The side moldings and antenna were also deleted. And while this might be subtle, a carbon Auto-Style rear wing gives an idea of how an S40 would look in the World Touring Car Championship. It's mounted on rusty metal legs that were custom-made, along with the rear diffuser. "I've let them go rusty because it gets people talking about the car," Peter explained. He couldn't do the same with the Auto-Style front-mount intercooler, but we're sure he's been looking for a way to do it.
The front grille was modified to fit the Heico bumper and retains the recognizable S40 visage. The wheels, of course, aren't stock either, and choosing them presented a big problem. "It's very difficult to find good-looking wheels for a Volvo," Peter said, "because the stud pattern is different to everything else."
In the end, Peter modified the S40's stud pattern and fitted 20" dished Tenzo-R GTS wheels finished in black. Shod in low profile 235/30 Pirelli P Zero Nero rubber, the chassis work also includes H&R adjustable coilovers to ensure a respectable showing around the track or on twisty roads.