Famous Hollywood actor Paul Newman was also an avid racing driver, and his passion towards cars was not limited to just the sporty kind. Back in 1988, he bought a Volvo 740 and had it tuned to suit his tastes. Now, the car is being traded at Bring-a-Trailer.
The first thing you notice is the lowered suspension. Aside from shortened springs, the setup uses custom struts, Bilstein dampers and modern stabilizers. The wheels are aluminum, 16 inches large and shod in BFGoodrich g-Force rubber. It is only upon closer inspection that a modest body kit becomes apparent – neat side skirts, a front apron and a rear bumper trim.
The stock engine made room in the bay for a 3.8-liter turbocharged six-cylinder mill borrowed from a Buick Grand National. The actor specced it with a five-speed manual transmission, which the tuner took sourced from a Pontiac Firebird, and left the drive on the rear wheels. The output is not specified, but the stock engine made 280 PS (276 hp / 206 kW) in its glory days. The one powering this wagon was upgraded with a better radiator, oil cooler, exhaust system and other mods.
The car is now being offered for purchase in reasonably good used condition with roughly 122,000 km (76,000 miles) under its belt. The bidding has so far only got to $25,000, but there are still three days remaining until the auction closes.
