BLOODY Volvo drivers!

Their reputation has long preceded them, but Norwegian fella Stig Arne Solheim might just be the craziest of crazy Volvo pilots. His ’53 Volvo PV444 has been built from the ground up to cut big, smoky arcs around race tracks.

There’s no doubt that drifting has evolved from its underground roots in Japan into a legitimate and truly international motorsport phenomenon, and this Scandinavian drift car stands as proof. Norway might be a fair hike from Japan, but the car does feature an element of Japanese DNA: namely its 800hp Toyota 2JZ-GTE powerplant.

Stretched from 3.0 to 3.4 litres in capacity, the motor runs a Precision 6466 Gen 2 turbo and is good for around 800hp. It’s backed by a ZF manual gearbox with a Tilton triple-plate clutch, while the diff is a Volvo 940 unit.

A service technician by trade, Stig purchased the car as an unfinished project that was originally destined for the drag strip, and comprehensively re-engineered it to slide around corners at speed. It now features fabricated double A-arm front suspension with Protech coil-over shocks, a four-link rear with QA1 coil-overs, and 355mm disc brakes that are ex-Dodge Challenger. Using a mish-mash of steering components from a number of different production vehicles, the car is able to achieve steering angles of just over 60 degrees.

Stig debuted the car at the Oslo Motor Show, where it picked up the People’s Choice and Top 10 Street Car awards. It’s a beautifully engineered and presented vehicle, but it’s no trailer sailor. It was built for drifting, and also for occasional street use.

As you can see from this video, the Volvo is quite adept at smashing tyres, and the appropriately named Stig is pretty handy with a steering wheel!