In the last issue, I mentioned the very rare 1983 "flat-hood" 242 Group-A Turbos. Volvo manufactured 500 of these cars to meet production requirements for Group-A sedan class racing in Europe. Some number of them were sold to private customers in the US through the Volvo dealer network. Different sources tell different stories about the distribution of these vehicles. According to various US sources, all 500 were brought to the United States through Portsmouth, Virginia port of entry. Some 30 were then sent back to Europe for racing. In racing trim, the cars had bigger (T04) turbo, water injection, a different intake manifold, four wheel vented disc brakes, full digital instrumentation, light alloy roll cages, and different front struts.
The vehicles which stayed in the US were changed back to standard 1983 Turbo specs in these areas, although the Group-A Turbos sold here did retain the GT springs, a factory intercooler, and the 242-style European front end sheetmetal. Although Volvo Cars of North America spokespeople indicate the Group-A Turbo has the standard 161 HP turbo output, those who have driven these cars all say they are definitely faster than a stock turbo with an intercooler added. Supposedly, all Group-A Turbos sold in the US came through with manual sunroofs, while the European racing cars did not have sunroofs. One unconfirmed source suggests 312 of the 500 vehicles had 4-speed manual plus overdrive transmissions, with the balance being automatics. The vehicles were produced in a variety of colors, although metallic blue, metallic silver and black seem to be the most common in the US. Information on the Group-A Turbos is scarce and conflicting. Any club member who has one of these cars is encouraged to check the VIN and VIC plates, and let me know of any discrepancies from the information shown here.(An article from ROLLING the VCOA's bimonthly magazine. Vol. 9 No. 3 May/June 1991)