The regular
Volvo C30 has yet to hit the road, but tuning company Evolve has managed to get its hands on one and has used it as a base for this monster, making its debut at the recent
SEMA Show.
It might look a bit
Max Power from afar, but make no mistake; this is a serious piece of "F1-inspired" engineering. The standard 2.5-litre turbocharged unit from the T5 we tested last month has been tuned to produce 507bhp at 6100rpm and an equally impressive 468lb.ft of torque at 3100rpm. Sequential, twin turbochargers and carefully engineered plumbing and boost management are the key to such a huge power hike.
The idea behind the Evolve C30 was to create the "ultimate Volvo sport compact", with head-turning style and blistering straight-line performance, but also fine handling characteristics. To achieve this, the front-wheel drive setup of the standard C30 has been ditched in favour of an all-wheel drive system, far more capable of transmitting such power. A rear diffuser helps keep the car glued to the tarmac at speed and a roof-mounted spoiler can be adjusted to create further downforce if desired. Adjustable Koni cartridges have been fitted to hand-built strut-tubes and combine with heavy-duty Eibach springs to produce a firm, track-ready setup.
The brakes have obviously required uprating, too, and have been replaced with custom-built 14-piston front and 6-piston rear callipers. Enormous 386mm and 362mm discs fitted to the front and rear of the car respectively complete a powerful setup designed to prevent fluid boil during repeated high-speed use.
Of course, the Evolve wouldn't be a Volvo without some key safety considerations; the Evolve includes all the standard safety features of the European spec C30 with the addition of a six-point safety structure, welded into the passenger compartment.
As present the Evolve is a one-off concept, but let's hope Volvo at least use some of the ideas, such as the four-wheel drive system, to create more powerful derivatives of the C30 in the future.
Will Nightingale - 5 Dec 2006