June 11, 2007
PAG Going the Way of the Dodo.
Steevil sends along this Bloomberg article about Ford's search for buyers for the remaining bits of its Premier Automotive Group: Volvo, Land Rover, and Jaguar--with the suggestion that acquiring Volvo would be a good way for me to branch out into a new career.
If it meant a reliable supply of 240 spare parts into the foreseeable future, I think I would be on it in a minute. Of course, the question of what to do with the rest of the company also comes up.
That I'll have to think about for a while. Obviously, the first thing to do is hire the Swedish Bikini Team as company spokeswomen. Second is to develop a new small rear-drive sedan about the size of the 240 that uses the 311 horse V-8 out of the XC-90. Six speed ZF, IRS, 4 wheel discs the size of serving platters, no ABS, no traction control, no power anything. But with a cupholder, please. And a heater core that doesn't require the car to be completely disassembled if it springs a leak.
Second, if you simply MUST have an SUV, make sure they're redesigned to look like this:
I think my plan will work just fine. I don't work cheap, though.
Posted by Terry Oglesby at June 11, 2007 04:03 PMI am not a car guy, so I have to ask what that vehicle is and where can I buy one!
Posted by: mike hollihan at June 12, 2007 12:28 AMThat's a Volvo TP-21, used by the Swedish army as a radio command car. They were built between '53 and '58, and were based on the older PV800 series Volvo sedans. Here are some more that have been restored, and one that looks like a museum piece with some additional information.
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at June 12, 2007 08:13 AM