In what is becoming a depressingly regular event, another 400 Series Volvo has passed into the Blacktop fleet. It appeared briefly on Retro Rides with no interest, and then as a lot on eBay. We can’t remember the last time we saw a 460 locally, to be honest.
Words : Blacktop Staff
Pictures : Jon Burgess
This 460 is our third, probably the last, and definitely the rarest. The booted 400s were the runts of a not especially brilliant litter, and the majority of them suffer the same fate as their 440 \ 480 brethren – engine donors for Renault 5 GT Turbos.
Nevertheless,Blacktop made the trip down to Richmond to pick the car up from where it had lived all of its life. From reading the service history this is the furthest North it has ever been. We have a folder thick will main agent bills from its first three years on the road, followed by the inevitable decline into budget tyred ignominy. In deference we decided to keep the Surrey parking permit on the windscreen.
Blacktop’s car is probably the earliest 460 Turbo left, being registered as a company car within a month of the model’s launch date. It retains its dealer plates and rear window sticker – and for that authentic ditch finder vibe, a Goodyear NCT 2 on the offside rear. Said wheels were only available for two years on the top 460 models but their now weird tyre size rules out any decent performance oriented options.
For an eight valve non crossflow engine, the B18FT responds remarkably well to chip tuning by the Richmod \ R237 method. 180 BHP with a re map isn’t unknown and this would add to the sleeper mystique. By modern standards it isn’t that quick but certainly goes better than its slab sided body styling suggests.
Whilst showing a number of daily driver scars the dreaded tin worm is minimal. Sooner or later the front wings will need sorting because of wounds sustained from bollards. The fourth lady owner listed also seemed to be a fan of parking by touch if the state of the rear bumper is anything to go by.
The legion electrical problems known to the 400 series seems have passed ours by, which is a blessed relief.
With a few minor changes to the suspension and brakes, Blacktop plans to take the 460 to the RAF Marham charity track day in April. We’ll keep you posted.
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