Saso’s 600kW turbo Volvo 242

In a sea of iconic muscle cars, hot rods, and other big-dollar builds, Saso's Volvo stood out like a sore thumb as the only Swede in the room - but that didn't stop thousands of spectators from coming through and checking out this unique build over the two-day weekend at MotorEx.

Saso has always been a fan of Volvos and has owned the 242 for close to four years now. Although it was never intended to be a top-end show car build, the plan from the get-go was always to swap out the factory donk for something with a little more kick.

I had a few swaps in mind, and I had narrowed it down to either a 2JZ, an RB combination, or going down the LS route. It just so happened someone else had the 6-liter LS2 engine package ready to be dropped into their project, but they went down another path, so I got to pick this one up. It sort of made the decision for me!"

It was always meant to be just a more normal weekend cruiser-type build. I never intended to get this far with the build, but it's a full bare metal job. Everything on the car is perfect now in my eyes, and when I take it to shows, people just love it."

For a swap like this, the engine bay came out with a better-than-factory look, and the big LS2 engine sits right at home with elite-level attention to detail. The built six-liter donk is stacked with a bunch of goodies, including 6.2-liter heads, CP Bullet LS Pistons, I Beam Conrods, with a GTX 45 Garrett Turbo providing the boost. It's equipped with a Turbosmart blow-off valve and 50mm wastegate, and it all runs on an E85 Fuel System.

It's all linked up to a built Turbo 400 Auto with a 9" and four-link in the back end. The car also runs Wilwood brakes on the front and rear, with Street Pro wheels sitting under the guards. The car is finished off to an elite standard with a full retrim done on the interior, sporting some gorgeous original Recaro seats from Japan.

After MotorEx, the car was sent over to the crew at Allsparks Automotive and Performance for a final tune-up, making 608 kW (815 hp) on their dyno running 16 psi of boost, and Saso tells us the car is just ridiculous to drive.

With the car built to such a high standard, Saso admits he isn't driving it quite as much as he intended but is set to take it out to shows and for a few quick burns on weekends when time allows.

I do want to race it and see how quick it goes. Maybe I'll take it up to Heathcote just to test it, but I don't intend to keep racing it. I'll take it to shows when I can and just enjoy the car."

People buzz out; it's just so different and built to such a high standard. It's a pretty cool feeling after the hours we put into building it. There's not much I'd change on it, but we'll see how we go down the track."