Gabriele Tarquini has signed with the Volvo Polestar team to race in the next two events of the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship.

"I really look forward to this," said Tarquini.

"I have raced closely against Volvo Polestar and the C30 in the WTCC this year so I know I am joining a highly professional team with a very good car and serious ambitions. I am very excited."

Tarquini will race at Karlskoga in Sweden on August 12th and Jyllandsringen in Denmark on August 27th.

"We are very happy to have Tarquini on board," said Christian Dahl, team manager for Volvo Polestar Racing.

"Regardless of his previous achievements from F1 to titles in BTCC, ETCC and WTCC, what has impressed us is how good of a job he is doing in WTCC this year."

Tarquini replaces James Thompson in the team and, alongside Tommy Rustad, will drive a Volvo C30 Drive powered by a 2.0-litre normally aspirated engine.

"Tarquini will race at the worst tracks for front wheel drive cars, where a top-five result is an achievement," said executive director for motorsport at Volvo Cars, Derek Crabb.

"These extreme circumstances are ideal to test how quick and well Tarquini and Volvo Polestar can align as a team, which is of obvious interest as our motorsport program may evolve."

"I really look forward to this," said Tarquini.

"I have raced closely against Volvo Polestar and the C30 in the WTCC this year so I know I am joining a highly professional team with a very good car and serious ambitions. I am very excited."

[Source: Eurosport]

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Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Volvo

Think of Volvos and you're likely to picture a station wagon carrying kids home from soccer practice. But 50 years ago, the Swedish automaker produced one of the most curvaceous sportscars on the market.

It was called the P1800, and it still stands as an icon in the company's history and a cult favorite among collectors. Conceived in Sweden, designed in Italy and built in England, the P1800 gained fame on the screen as Roger Moore's car in The Saint, and served as a precursor of today's halo cars, envisioned to draw customers into the showroom.

The P1800 offered customers Ferrari-like styling with Volvo levels of dependability. That last part has certainly proven true for one owner, who holds the world record for most miles traveled in a non-commercial vehicle, and continues to beat his own record every time he pulls out of the driveway.

Irv Gordon - a retired science teacher from Patchogue, New York - racked up 1,500 miles in the first 48 hours after buying his P1800 in 1966. Within ten years of ownership, he had put on 500,000 miles. He reached the Guinness Book of World Records with 1.69 million miles in 1998, and hit the big two-million mark arriving in Manhattan's Times Square in 2002. As of this writing, his odometer reads 2.9 million, and he's not about to stop short of the three-million mark, touring classic car events around the world on Volvo's behalf.

Follow the jump for a related press release and check out the images of Irv's P1800 in the high-res gallery.

Continue reading Volvo's iconic P1800 turns 50 as record-holding owner passes 2.9 million miles

Volvo's iconic P1800 turns 50 as record-holding owner passes 2.9 million miles originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 17 Jun 2011 09:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Safety, Technology, Volvo

Volvo just got a major thumbs up in the safety department. Both the National Highway Traffic Safety Institute and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety have stated that the automaker's City Safety technology helps reduce, and even prevent, low-speed collisions. In fact, the IIHS noted that users of City Safety wind up filing nearly 30 percent less at-fault claims.

The system, which is available on the Volvo XC60, works by monitoring traffic in front of the vehicle. When driving at a speed of between two and 19 miles per hour, the car can apply the brakes should forward traffic suddenly do the same. When the difference in speed between your car and one in front of you is nine mph or less, the Volvo will brake quickly enough to avoid an accident. Above that threshold and you're most likely going into the car in front of you but the damage will be greatly reduced compared to an accident involving cars not utilizing the City Safety System.

We tried it out for ourselves a while back, and our own Dan Roth escaped without putting a dent into his bosses BMW. Check that clip out for yourself after the jump, and be sure to read the full press releases while you're down there.

Continue reading Volvo City Safety System gets thumbs up from NHTSA, IIHS [w/video]

Volvo City Safety System gets thumbs up from NHTSA, IIHS [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 20 Jul 2011 19:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Aftermarket, Sedan, Volvo

Volvo is giving S60 buyers - courtesy of Polestar - a chance to juice up their S60s without going all the way to the R-Design model. Polestar is the tuner responsible for Volvo's STCC program and the firm has engineered an ECU reflash that boosts the S60's power numbers from 300 horsepower and 335 pound-feet of torque to 325 hp and 354 lb-ft.

Swedespeed was given a chance to test a pre-production version of the software and had it installed on their project S60 T6 AWD. The unofficial results were a 0.3-second drop in the 0-60 mile-per-hour time, getting the S60 within sight of the lighter, rear-wheel-drive BMW 335i and the heavier, all-wheel-drive Audi S4. Mid-range torque, though, appeared to be the big winner, with Swedespeed noting improved passing chops.

When it's officially offered, the upgrade is expected to cost around $1,500 or so, and be a quick install at the dealer. Fuel economy numbers aren't on the table yet, but Swedespeed will have more details of their time with the car soon. Follow the link for the full story.

Swedespeed tests Volvo S60 AWD with 325-hp Polestar reflash beta originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 22 Jul 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Are you in the market for a new midsize luxury sedan? Shopping for a car in that segment can be overwhelming due to the plethora of options available. However, there is one car that stands out from the pack as the best value in the class: the 2012 Volvo S60. The reasons to buy a 2012 Volvo S60 are many more than one, but instead of writing them all, click play and let Prestige Volvoâ??s Product Consultant Christian Parada walk you through some of the top reasons to buy a 2012 S60.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5_4Yg_dEvY

More interested now? Find Christian at Prestige Volvo or visit the CarFinder on our website to find your S60.

Take a look at Volvo's new project

More performance vehicles upcoming from Volvo

There has been much to do about the all-new 2012 Volvo S60, but how does it stack up to the competition? This video answers all questions as to whether the S60 can stack up to the competition performance-wise.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=OlYVIojb1tU#at=50

Still having a hard time believing it? Come down to Prestige Volvo in East Hanover NJ and drive one for yourself.

Read this article for tips on what to look for when reading a vehicle history report.



Buying a used car is not always the easiest thing to do, but at Prestige Volvo we pride ourselves on being trustworthy and straightforward. We strive to satisfy all of our customers by offering them not only the used car they want, but also the knowledge that they purchased it from a reputable dealer.
Check out the article on reading a vehicle history report for some things to look out for.

http://autos.aol.com/article/how-to-read-a-vehicle-history-report/