Thursday, April 3, 2025

The estate car Volvo 240 turns 50 – Lena bought the last one

It was in production for almost 20 years. Specifically between 1974 and 1993. These days the Volvo 240 turns 50 years old. Known to many as the 'mansion carriage'.

Right must be right. The 240 was neither the first nor the last estate car from Volvo. But it is a car that many here, 31 years after production stopped, still associate with the term.

These days, the model whose production began in August 1974 turns 50 years old. The car became, if anything, the symbol of a Swedish folk car, and when the assembly line stopped in May 1993, almost three million copies had been built.

On YouTube you can find a 16-minute long summary from the May day in 1993, when production came to a standstill. See it all further down in this article.

– It has been called tractor, safety car, rally car, youth car, and now it is becoming even more of a cult car, said Pehr Gyllenhammar, who between 1989 and 1993 was Volvo's chairman of the board, when he handed over some to the buyers of the last 240, Lena and Ulf Smith.

READ ALSO: Swedes claim to have overcome the electric car's biggest challenge

The Smith couple also bought Volvo 240 number 2,862,413. The successor, the Volvo 850, never became the same big hit for the then still Swedish brand. The 850 only exists in 716,903 copies.

In another remarkable chapter of Volvo's history, however, the Swedish state had to step in. In the same year that production of the 240 began, Volvo delivered 1,000 versions of the 144 model to North Korea. However, the communist dictatorship never paid for the cars.

Cars like any other today are still said to be roaming the North Korean roads. In order for Volvo not to break its neck on the deal, the Swedish state paid the bill.

The successive governments have since sent North Korea a reminder of the amount that has only grown larger over the years. Read more about it here .

Read more exciting news from and about the world of cars right here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiIpdgdbCXg

Latest

Don't miss

Tesla crisis: Should Tom Zhu replace Elon Musk as CEO?

Falling shares, vandalism and criticism have investors demanding new...

Tariffs force Polestar to stop importing cars

Like the US, Canada, two countries already engaged in...

Car brand is tired of EU politicians: You do nothing!

At the British car brand Ineos, they are thoroughly...

Tax Minister: Advantage of removing registration tax

Tax Minister Rasmus Stoklund (S) now acknowledges that it...

Trialled in Denmark – Sweden says no to new car tax

There will be no mileage tax in Sweden, not...
Boosted Magazine
Boosted Magazine
Boosted in Denmark has over a million unique users, surpassing two million sessions, and accumulating over seven million page views each month, and our platforms has become a hub for automotive enthusiasts. Now you can enjoy our content in English too! Enjoy our free car news - every day. Want to talk to us? Write an email to boosted@boostedmagazine.com
spot_img

124-year-old auto giant lays off every sixth employee

German Webasto, which makes its living by making heaters for cars, is now set to embark on a major round of layoffs. Reportedly, this...

Car importer warns: Don't use electric cars in winter

In Norway, the Kia/Hyundai importer now has such angry customers that they feel compelled to warn against using electric cars for certain trips in...

Nissan Interstar is Van of the Year in Denmark 2025

The votes have been counted; the sister vehicles Nissan Interstar and Renault Master are the Van of the Year in Denmark 2025. The votes...

Car brand went bankrupt in January – now the entire factory is being sold

Back in January, Dutch Voitures Extravert, which converted classic Porsche models into electric cars, went bankrupt. Now the receiver is trying to sell the...

Tragic: Burning electric car kills 2 firefighters

In the Spanish capital Madrid, two firefighters have been killed while battling a burning electric car. The fire service is warning of an enormous...

Environmental disaster: Millions of car tires are burned

Although car owners pay to have their used tires disposed of, it now turns out that 25 million tires are burned in India. Millions...

BMW mocks Tesla – can you see how?

First Kia, then Polestar, and now BMW joins the ranks of car brands that can't help but take a swipe at Tesla. Can you...

Revealing sad news – Michael Schumacher has lost

The public knows very little about Michael Schumacher's condition following a skiing accident in France almost 12 years ago. Now there is sad news....

Elon Musk leaves the White House – will return to Tesla

The dialogue between Elon Musk and Donald Trump appears to be over. At least the closest one. The Doge division, which the billionaire heads,...

Tax Minister: Advantage of removing registration tax

Tax Minister Rasmus Stoklund (S) now acknowledges that it is an advantage to remove the registration tax on electric cars. The question is whether...

Only 3 percent of new cars in Denmark run on diesel

Since Volkswagen ruined the reputation of diesel cars with dieselgate, sales of diesel cars have plummeted, and are now down to 3 percent in...

Volkswagen ID.7 drops 67,000 kroner in price

Volkswagen is now trying to boost sales of the electric Passat, ID.7, by reducing the price by a whopping 67,000 kroner in the Netherlands....