3.0L DOHC 6 CYL TWIN TURBO 2JZ 5 SPEED AUTOMATIC 4 WHEEL DISC COLD A/C WOW

1959 Volvo PV544 Restomod Additional Info:

Vehicle Original VIN : 211578
We've all seen our fair share of Fords, Chevys, and Mopars get the streetrod treatment, but it's not often we see classic Volvos get in on the action. That doesn't mean they aren't the perfect candidates to soup-up, in fact many hotrodders have long-loved the 1940-Ford-esque styling of the Volvo PV444/544 line. Take this particular 1959 Volvo PV544 Restomod, with it's round headlights, big and curvy fenders, swooping roofline, and fastback/slantback styled rear – all of which form a stylish body that really lends itself to customization. Well, the builders of this custom beauty took those cues and proceeded to turn this Volvo up to '11'. Sinister two-tone paint, a custom bucket seat interior, a performance suspension worthy of a muscle car, and the coup de grace that was swapped in from a late-model Lexus: a 3.0L 2JZ Twin Turbo V6 matched to a 5-speed automatic. This beautifully built Volvo is ready to shake-up the streetrod game in a BIG way.

After the war, European automakers answered the public's calls for smaller, more fuel-efficient family cars that still had enough style to shake off the monotony of pre-war styling. In Sweden, Volvo built their first ever unibody vehicle (which meant quicker/easier production) that would ultimately save the company from insolvency – the PV444 – a streamlined car design based on the '39 Hanomag and '40 Ford complete with a pointed hood and fastback profile. PV544's like this 1959 example were an improvement on those early renditions, featuring a one-piece windshield, larger taillights, reimagined trim, and more accommodating interiors. It's easy to see that classic ancestral DNA in this Silver-over-Black beauty, although with it's gorgeous restoration and long list of upgrades, it's curb appeal is off-the-charts. Fully restored from top-to-bottom, the builder's got the bodywork straight, aligned the panels and doors, evenly set the gaps, and then applied layer after layer of Silver Metallic and Black paint. The results speak for themselves, as this Volvo restomod looks amazing in person, with only the smallest of imperfections to speak of. Seldom driven since it was finished, the paint still has a great shine and gloss, and the two colors complement each other wonderfully. The PV's bumpers were swapped in favor of bumperettes – black up front and chrome in the rear – the black mesh grille sets the tone up front, and all the brightwork shines beautifully, especially the heavy-duty hardware on the hood (those Land Cruiser-style latches are especially cool). All the glass is in excellent condition, the drip rails are so clean we wonder if this PV's ever been wet, and the way the back-up lights frame the quad-exhaust tips out back makes us weak in the knees when this beauty's driving away.


The surprisingly spacious interior was completely redone during the build, with modern buckets (swapped-in from a VW Passat), an updated rear bench, custom door panels, and a reworked dashboard taking the place of the typically spartan Swedish confines. The perforated black upholstery looks very high-end and show practically zero wear, plush black carpets insulate the floors, and the builders installed a late-model center console up front that adds loads of practicality to the cabin. There's a modern shifter inside that console that manages the late-model 5-speed automatic below, and it's topped with a carbon fiber Momo knob that matches the carbon fiber accents on the console and dashboard. Speaking of that dash, all the funky Nordic styling is long-gone, swapped in favor of a pleated vinyl pad, a full array of Dolphin gauges set inside a billet bezel, and a leather-wrapped Grant steering wheel. It's a perfect cabin for a sporty restomod, and with options like cold Vintage Air A/C, front seatbelts, push-out rear windows, and a Pioneer AM/FM/CD/AUX head unit that's mounted in the spacious trunk out back, there are plenty of amenities to go along with all that style.

In a build this high-end and complex, it can be tough to figure out where most of the attention was spent, but on this Volvo it's obvious the majority of the time and money went under the hood. Representing one of the most unique restomod swaps we've ever seen, this Volvo is powered via a 2JZ-GTE 3.0L DOHC Twin-Turbo Inline-6 borrowed from a 2001 Toyota Aristo, aka Japan's Lexus GS. We can barely imagine the expertise it took to get this drivetrain swap to work, but it's been expertly executed and the results are simply stunning. It took us on one of the best test drives we've ever experienced, with plenty of power, smooth shifts, excellent braking and handling, and a wicked soundtrack. The donor Aristo sacrificed in the build only had 25K miles on the clock, so this Volvo is going to be dominating for years to come, and with a serpentine belt system, modern fuel-injection, upgraded chrome accessories, and fresh components everywhere you look, it's incredibly reliable too. All that power links up with a modern 5-speed automatic transmission that shifts smoothly below, spinning an 8.5" Ford rear-end stuffed with 3.73 gears. Even with the extra horses this PV drives easy thanks to a Mustang II-style front clip, upgraded shocks and springs, rack-and-pinion steering, and power 4-wheel disc brakes with drilled-and-slotted rotors, while the custom stainless-steel exhaust makes that 2JZ really sing. 17-inch Velocity alloys are the perfect endcaps to this one-of-a-kind build, and they come wrapped in 215/45/17 front and 225/45/17 rear Toyos with plenty of tread left.

Unique, expertly built, and very fast, this Swede-Japanese import is one of the coolest restomods we've ever featured. If you prefer to walk on the wild side, go against the grain, or just flat-out love incredibly interesting vintage cars, this 1959 Volvo PV544 Restomod might be just what the doctor ordered. Call today!