Volvo Troll-Wagon Looks Like a Barn Find, But Could Likely Gap a Shelby GT500

Of course, anyone that has some experience with cars, and a keen sense of hearing will realize that this Volvo is no ordinary mom-wagon. But if you've just bought a brand new sports car, and you've never heard of a sleeper car before, you are going to be shocked seeing this accelerate off the line.

David Patterson, better known by his alias "That Dude in Blue" has gotten his hands on Caleb Gingium's sleeper Volvo wagon, and we get to see a short review of the car, including how it looks on the outside and what it feels like to floor it. Caleb was posting about building this car just several months ago, and even though he opted for a Cadillac CTS-V drivetrain, he decided to turbocharge it as well.

Seeing that this thing only weighs around 2,800 lbs (1,270 kg) and that the dyno sheet has it sitting at 650 horsepower, that means its power to weight ratio is better than that of a brand new Shelby GT500. While the GT500 is rated at 0,1843 hp/lb (406 hp/ton), this sleeper Volvo is good for 0,232 hp/lb (511 hp/ton). Of course, several factors would determine the outcome if the Volvo would race a GT500, but it would be pretty funny to watch either way.

Following David's question, we get to hear why Caleb picked the Volvo as a project car "I've been wanting a sleeper for a while, and I had a couple of options. I wanted a wagon, cause they're really cool and the Volvo was the lightest car I could find". We also get to see a close-up of the digital dash, which conveniently displays all the information you should have when driving a modded vehicle like this one.

When it comes to engine management, Caleb has opted for a Holley Terminator ECU and harness, so once again, we get to see that beauty runs more than just skin deep. This Volvo might look like a barn find, but underneath all the rust it's like a frog-prince waiting to be discovered. We get to see pulls after pulls, and we are once again reminded how ridiculous a turbocharged V8 sounds.

Even David can't believe what he's driving: " What are we in? What is this? My brain sees a Volvo and stock steering wheel..and it's comfortable! I am in love with this thing!" And as he further points out, it should be easy to drive this thing without attracting too much unwanted attention: "Who in the world is going to be dumb enough to call this thing in? It would be like: I just saw a silver...car".

The only thing that is bothersome about this vehicle is the fact that Caleb hasn't upgraded the brake system yet, but I'm guessing that this is something he will be dealing with shortly, as you do need that extra stopping power considering how fast this car can go.

David asks Caleb what his favorite thing about the car is and we learn that "I love it being a sleeper. Pulling up somewhere, people asking what's done to it and then I just pop the hood. Also, the stock steering wheel is one of my favorite parts". So after browsing through the car ads, I found a Volvo 240 Wagon for around $5,000 in Ohio, but the sedans seem to be cheaper.

You can get an LS crate engine for under $10,000, and if you add the turbo and everything else, you could also have a Volvo like this one for under $20,000, which sounds quite reasonable considering the power you can make. All in all, everything works out even better if you too like fabricating parts and working on your cars, as Caleb has with his troll-wagon.