New Volvo C30 Race Car

Volvo C30 Race Car

For a variety of reasons, Volvo has been given a ton of space on Ridelust recently.  So I promise this will be my last Volvo post in awhile.  But I just couldn’t resist reporting on the Swedish automaker’s new race car based on the C30 which is replacing the S60 in the STCC (Swedish Touring Car Championship).  More significantly for Volvo, and the rest of us for that matter, is the use of bioethanol as the C30’s choice of fuel.

Volvo C30: bio-fueled

According to Derek Crabb, head of powertrain and engine at Volvo Cars and the head of Volvo’s racing department,”The C30 is a far more logical base as a racing car than the S6o and clearly demonstrates Volvo’s committment to making environmental technology available on the market.”  The C30 is slated for a three-year development program and will compete in the STCC.  Despite saying, “It is currently too soon to provide any detailed information about the construction of the new car,” Volvo released a considerable number of technical details about the C30 that is bound for the track.  It uses a standard C30 body reinforced by a safety cage and side-impact protection on the driver’s side.  Aerodynamics include a front splitter and a rear spoiler wing developed by Polestar in Volvo’s wind tunnel.

C30 Race Car

Other details of the car have yet to be announced, but so far it is estimated that it will be powered by an all-aluminum 2.0-liter I5 E85 engine with racing-spec valves, camshafts, pistons, connecting rods, and crankshaft. Estimated power to the front wheels from the all aluminum transversely mounted 2.0 liter inline-5 is expected to be in the 288 horsepower range with 170 pound-feet of torque at 7,300 rpm through a six-speed sequential racing gearbox all riding on 17-inch BBS wheels.

The C30’s suspension will be fully modified for the rigors of racing with race-spec support arms and adjustable anti-roll bars. The brakes have been upgraded to handle the car’s new power potential and incorporate four-piston calipers in the front and two-piston units in the rear. The car’s minimum weight with a driver on board is mandated by the series at 2,500 lbs, so it can be expected that Volvo will do everything it can to keep the car at that minimum. 

This accompanies other significant news out from Volvo about their development of an upcoming Plug-in Hybrid, also built around the evidently ever-adaptable C30.

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