Review: International VOLVO 480 Meeting 2024
25.05.2024With the "Little Moose" on a Whitsun trip
The small, flat Volvo with the distinctive folding headlights and the 480 designation is rarely seen on the road - but there is a well-connected international community of enthusiasts for this classic car. Over Whitsun, more than 100 of these now historic cars came together. Never before have so many cars of this type come together.
The car was to be sporty and innovative and take over the legacy of the legendary Volvo P1800 "Snow White's Coffin" in the 1980s. Following a design competition, the Swedish car manufacturer opted for a Dutch concept and then built this vehicle, which was completely atypical for Volvo, at the Dutch Volvo plant from 1986 to 1995. The small coupé surprised with comfort, complex on-board electronics and modern materials - but also with high prices and initial teething troubles.
The special design, the concept of sportiness and practicality make the car a rare but much-loved classic today.
"Volvo 480-Meetup 2024": Largest fan club of the little moose in Brüggen/Lower Rhine and Eindhoven
Statistics from the Federal Motor Transport Authority in Flensburg show that 420 Volvo 480s were still registered in Germany on January 1, 2023. Of course, it is impossible to say how many are stored in barns, garages or in the garden behind the house. It was built in Born in the Netherlands from 1986 to 1995. In 1975, Volvo took over the factory and DAF car production; some will still remember the Volvo 66 or the 343, which were actually DAFs.
The 480 was Volvo's entry into the world of front-wheel drive. Originally conceived especially for the US market, the "Shooting Brake" design was never offered there due to the poor dollar exchange rate and so it had to find its success in Europe. The 440 and 460 mid-size saloons were then added on the same platform, which were built until 1996 and then replaced by the S40. The 480 itself did not have a direct successor; however, the C30, built from 2006 to 2012, alludes to it somewhat.
Unique: 100 Volvo 480s gathered in one place
The largest and most international 480 meeting to date was organized by Martin Percival (GB), Thijs Dijkstra (NL) and Jan Wichert (Berlin). Martin and Thijs were already in the process of organizing a meeting, Jan had already organized a smaller meeting with 22 vehicles near Osnabrück last year and was thinking about a follow-up meeting. The trio got together and then really got going: Brüggen in Germany was chosen as the meeting place, close to the Dutch border near Eindhoven and the NedCar plant in Born, where the 480 was produced at the time. In the end, more than 100 vehicles from ten countries came together. The majority came from the Netherlands, Great Britain and Germany.
As you are usually alone on the road with your 480 and hardly ever meet another one (even the 440 or 460 are virtually extinct today), it is a fascinating experience to suddenly see one in front of or behind you. And it's even more exhilarating to meet dozens of fans of the little moose in the parking lot in front of the hotel, to swap stories about your own experiences and adventures and to listen to others.
For example, Thijs Dijkstra, one of the three organizers of the meeting: He has been driving a 480 for eight years and talks about his childhood: "When I was seven years old, my father bought a Volvo 480Turbo. He got it from Monaco and brought it to Holland. Unfortunately I didn't go with him, that would have been great for me. But when I saw it, I knew it was my car! It was red like a Ferrari, which really fascinated me. And when I turned 17, my father said: "Thijs, it's time to buy a car for you." And that was a 480. And that was a 480, which I still drive today. My father still has his red 480 too, it's in his collection with P1800, Amazon and other Volvos."
Thijs loves to share his car and the pleasure of driving it with others. He was fascinated by the folding headlights right from the start and still only drives his car with the lights up.
Or Ahti Peura from near Turku in Finland: he didn't shy away from the 1600 kilometers to Brüggen and spent a day and a half on the road. While there are quite large communities around the 480 in the Netherlands, Germany and Great Britain, the fans in Finland are few and far between, as he says: "The Facebook group here is only six members small. But I've been fascinated by the car since I was ten years old. Today I'm 42 and have been driving the 480 since 2003. It really is 'something completely different'. Ahti came to Brüggen with his second car and the meeting was a great incentive for him to get the front end back together in time after a repair. Why such a car? "It's difficult to describe. First of all, the completely different look of the 480. The whole concept is simply unique and it's a good feeling to drive a 480." he says happily. What inspires him is the international community: "Everyone is incredibly helpful and helps with any problems and also with spare parts. That's wonderful!"
The shared experience of the otherwise lonely 480 fans
With just under 400 registered vehicles, it is very rare to come across one on the road in Germany. Only a few people know the car these days, which leads to interesting experiences: In the evening, in the hotel parking lot in Brüggen, two boys of about 15 are standing between the parked cars and wonder what kind of cars they are. They are on their way to the funfair next door and the music is blaring. They've never seen anything like it, they say and ask with interest. They are curious and fascinated by the 480. They get talking to one of the drivers and become more and more enthusiastic. They catch the attention of other young people who are also on their way to the fair. They all look at the cars with fascination, walk around them and ask questions with interest: What kind of car is it, where could you get it? They look enthusiastically into the cockpit and one or two of them think about driving 'such an awesome car' themselves. They let themselves be held up for more than half an hour and have completely forgotten about the funfair.
The highlight of the Whitsun weekend was the trip to the parking lot of the "International School Eindhoven" on Saturday, because there was a talk with the three people who had been instrumental in the birth of the Volvo 480 at the time: John de Vries (stylist of the Volvo 480, body design and responsible for various technical features), Robert "Rob" Koch (then head of the Volvo Design Center in Helmond) and Corien Pompe (chief designer "Colour and Trim"). They gave detailed and good-humored reports on the development of the vehicle.
Even if some fans may already be familiar with much of it, there was a lot of new information about the development of this exceptional Volvo: for example, the folding headlights could not be designed as originally planned because a diesel version was to be built and the powerful battery required for this restricted the space behind the front too much. However, the diesel never came. Or how important the smallest details in the design of the rear were in order to emphasize the rear lights. When asked what the three of them would do differently today, the unanimous answer was: "Absolutely nothing." The 480 is a design icon that could not be improved to this day, the car is still perfect and unique!
A nice bon mot from John de Vries: he gave up his 480 company car because his colleagues were driving bigger and bigger cars and he could no longer get out of his shrunken parking space because the 480's endlessly long doors could not be opened wide enough. A problem that every 480 fan has to deal with to this day and more and more: Acrobatics are often the order of the day in the parking garage.
Dinner was then served in the restaurant "De Witte Stein" in Reuver, close to the border near Brüggen.
On Whit Sunday, we took a relaxed trip to the Lower Rhine open-air museum Dorenburg in Grefrath. There, in the middle of the ongoing garden market, a large meadow was reserved for the wagons, which became a marveled attraction for three hours. Then it was on to the racecourse in Krefeld, a beautiful historic riding facility with a golf course - right in the middle of the racecourse.
The evening ended at the "Haus Bey" restaurant in Nettetal. As the hotel had problems offering the planned barbecue buffet, an alternative evening venue for 85 people had to be found very quickly, which Jan actually managed to do thanks to good connections and the kitchen at "Haus Bey" took on the challenge of organizing a buffet within four hours - kudos!
Martin, Thijs and Jan: Three fans with a desire for togetherness
The largest gathering of Volvo 480 fans to date would not have been possible without the commitment of three Europeans. They spent many hours organizing the meeting over the past few months. In conversation, the three make it very clear that, in addition to the work involved, it was also a great pleasure to organize the event.
Jan has lived in Berlin for 18 years and comes from a "Volvo family", as he says: "My first two cars were 240s, then I wanted something sportier and got the go-ahead for a two-door from my parents, a 480 ES and then later a Turbo. I drove it back and forth between Osnabrück and Hildesheim during my studies. But then I didn't need a car in Berlin and sold it. But during the Corona period, I had to get another one. I always had the old love for the car. After that, I organized a meeting in Berlin and one in Osnabrück. And I was already planning a new meeting for this year and the collaboration with Martin and Thijs came about."
Martin lives in Fareham, near Southampton. And just like Jan, he got himself a Little Moose during the coronavirus pandemic. When he bought it in May 2021, he was already thinking about meeting up. However, the car was in poor condition and it was clear that it wouldn't last much longer. When he was looking for a 480 with an automatic for a friend, he found a red 480GT from the "Celebration" edition, the last 480 for the UK. But not one with an automatic. "I had found my car! I had my first contact with the 480 in 1995," he says cheerfully, "a colleague drove a 480-TwoTone, a green-silver color variant. I told her I liked it and she replied: 'I love my car! I thought it was a really cool car, but lost sight of it at the time."
Two years ago, he got in touch with Thijs: "We got on really well right from the start and when I heard about Jan last year, who had organized a successful meeting in Osnabrück, our team of three was complete. I thought we could be a good team. And that's what we were."
And Thijs, why is he involved? "The 480 is my great passion. It's been my dream car since I was a child and I want to show how much I enjoy driving a 480." And he radiates his enthusiasm. "The three of us started planning a year ago and have invested maybe 100 or 200 hours since then. And it makes me happy when the fans say: 'Hey, you really did a good job for this meeting! It was worth the work."
The three of them put on a fantastic meeting. Martin says: "Thijs and Jan did most of the work. I thought we would get 40 cars together. And now it's 100. I am proud of it, it has become a truly international meeting. I lived in Berlin for a year and a half and in the Netherlands for four years and I feel like a true European. That's not really popular in the UK at the moment!" And he smiles, very British, as he says this...
The 480, Volvo's start into the future
What makes the "Little Moose" remarkable for those interested in technology is that it is the first Volvo with front-wheel drive. It celebrated its premiere at the Geneva Motor Show in 1986. The engine, a 1.7-liter petrol engine with 75 kW, came from Renault. It was reworked by Porsche for the 90 kW turbo version. The rear axle came from Lotus.
The small, bold and sharply cut body of the four-seater was originally intended for the US market, so folding headlights were necessary to achieve the minimum height required for headlights in the USA at the time. The positioning of the radiator grille with the Volvo logo below the bumper also led to fierce controversy. Above it was impossible, so only a small "VOLVO" lettering was placed there as a compromise, but this resulted in a unique front section.
A convertible version was presented in 1990, but never went into series production. In Eindhoven, a unique convertible could be admired at the Whitsun Meeting. Rob Koch commented that it would never have gone into series production without a roll bar, as it was on display there, because it would not have met Volvo's safety standards at the time.
Around 76,000 Volvo 480s were built between 1986 and 1995. It was also a technology carrier on which new things and materials were introduced: An on-board computer (CEM - Central electronic module) was installed, in which many functions were combined and which often caused problems in the beginning. Parts of the body were made of plastic and the hood was made entirely of GRP. This made the 480 a lightweight: the vehicle weighed just over 1000 kg when empty.
Today, fans of this extraordinary Volvo are often plagued by spare parts problems. Sometimes the technology is also puzzling. For example, the instrument cluster often fails or the speedometer simply stops working. But this fault is now well known: A small gear wheel in the speedometer does not get on well with the lubricant and simply disintegrates. There are now replacements for this and the problem can usually be solved with a little tweaking. But that doesn't bother the fans: they are really taken with their very individual and now very rare ride and are happy to put up with a few challenges. Their advantage: the fan community is extremely helpful and there is always someone somewhere who can help with problems.
Text: Michael Ruff, intro by Jan Wichert
Infos
What:
International Volvo 480 Meeting 2024
When:
17.05. - 20.05.2024
Where:
Brüggen (D) and Eindhoven (NL)
