Is my 240 wagon youngest!

Ramrodfunk · 2025-03-06T04:56:09+00:00

Hello all, After engaging in a chat and asking some questions I just today, after 8 years of ownership, looked at my Australian compliance plate. I have loo...

carnut222

Another interesting discussion that I've been trying to get to the bottom of is I've seen a number of MY93 240 wagons badged 240GLE with leather, power windows, plush velour door cards, and power heated exterior mirrors. I can't find any record of 240GLE being offered in MY93 in Australia, but I'm convinced they were some sort of a special/late batch. Our 93 240 wagon (EV conversion) is one of these cars, and a mate owned another one, and I've seen at least a 3rd and 4th one on Car sales at one time or another. Would love to be able to find some documentation proving the existance of a MY93 240GLE wagon in Australia if anyone has it.

JaanPP

I remember SVM Lindfield still had some new dark green 240 sedans for sale in April 1994. My mum bought a 2nd hand 1990 240 from them at that time and they mentioned they still had some new 240s left. They were the last stock.

Ramrodfunk

JaanPP Good memory! My wagon is dark green. Maybe I should, pull my finger out and, get in touch with SVM.

JaanPP

Ramrodfunk yep they might know, but it’s a while back now. Did you buy your wagon from them new?

Forg

With respect to the chassis numbers being sequential ... apparently for Holden, a chassis number was assigned as part of the system scheduling the run down the production line, but cars didn't run off the end of the line in numerical sequence. I don't know the reason why, but I think production lines these days may be more flexible than they used to be, for example I think in the 90's they'd have had to run batches of the same colour at the same time whereas now I think the lines can switch between colours for sequential cars.

So unless you're dead certain that the numbers were ASSIGNED in the same order as they rolled off the line, the VIN might not be the be-all and end-all.

Ramrodfunk

Forg Ok that makes sense. Yeah the vin seems to only "muddy the waters".

It would make sense to, especially for paint, have cars detoured to a holding area till they could be painted in batches.

There is another numbered plate on the panel near the hood latch. I asked people about this plate but have not got definitive answer.

It would be great if Volvo would hand over the production and shipping records if they had them!

Cheers

Ramrodfunk

JaanPP No, I bought my wagon from a man in Bellingen, NSW. I only know it was sold from SVM is the faded sticker on the rear window.

JaanPP

Ramrodfunk do you know what the original number plate was?

Major Ledfoot

Ramrodfunk It would be great if Volvo would hand over the production and shipping records if they had them!

Volvo Heritage in Sweden retains some of the build sheets for various models - I got some info from them sourced from the build sheet for my 1800ES.
AFAIK Volvo Australia don't have / kept any records of the cars built up from CKD kits in Melbourne.
Also AFAIK the last of the RHD 240s came out of the Torslanda plant.

I read somewhere (forgot where) that Torslanda was the last plant to build 240s, as Kalmar was doing the 900s and they wanted to make way at Torslanda for the 8fitty. 🙁 Happy to be corrected on that since I can't recall the source.

carnut222

Ramrodfunk The plate near the hood/bonnet latch is the body number…similar to on some earlier cars. Typically the body number (at least on the 1800s) was close in sequence to the VIN, but that may not be the case on 240s. I think it is just another way for them to keep track of the bodies through the build process. I suspect they may have put the body number plate on cars before the VIN was stamped into the pillar as they typically built some extra bodies just in case one got damaged in process - it could then be re-assigned prior to VIN stamping.

Ramrodfunk

JaanPP No, I don't know. No log books.