Volvo 244GL LWP873T – History.
First registered in 1979 and run as a company car, acquired by the driver upon retirement and handed on to his son, Martin Roper, who set about preparing it for an entry in the 1996 Lombard RAC Rally, which unfortunately never materialised. Car was used once in 1997 on the Woodpecker Stages where it retired.
It was then stored until 2019, when I purchased it and set about restoring and re-preparing it from the ground up. That took about 12 months, and the car now runs with the correct B23E Red Block engine – more details on specification below. Brakes are standard as per homologation with uprated pads, forest spec Bilstein suspension, fitted with new Custom Cages ROPS. The car is built to correct Historic specification, is FIA Homologated and has Motorsports UK Historic Rally Car recognition.
Current engine specification is: 2316cc B23E Red Block, original bore; lightened and balanced crankshaft/flywheel; modified and gas flowed 531 type cylinder head, planed to run at 11:1 CR; “H” profile camshaft with adjustable vernier pulley; Twin 45DCOE Weber carburettors on matched manifold; our own design 4 branch exhaust manifold running into 2.25” bore single box exhaust system.
Following loss of oil pressure during last November’s Wyedean Rally, the engine is currently being rebuilt and should be running again by the end of February. All being well, it will be tested at Weston Park in March at the Lombard Rally Day.
Due to the old roll cage being ineligible for stage rallies, the car was used in the 2022 BTRDA Targa Rally Championship finishing 10th overall, 1st class Historic, best result 8th overall Twyford Targa.
Since 2023, with ROPS replaced with a Custom Cages product, car has competed in selected stage rallies with modest success.
The in-car video was taken on the Wyedean Rally in the Forest of Dean.
Our best result in 2024 was on the Caledonian Rally based around Lockerbie and Carlisle, using classic RAC forest stages such as Twiglees, Castle O’er and Ae, where we finished 27th overall and 1st in class despite a puncture on the last stage.
Following the conclusion of the 2025 Pirelli Welsh Championship, we finished 2nd in our class for the year.
This car will be available in a specification to be agreed with the prospective purchaser broadly as follows:
Original specification: with B230E engine, as originally installed when the car was purchased, running on K-Jetronic fuel injection, M45 gearbox or
B23E rebuilt engine, specification as listed above or
With Volvo/Getrag M51 dogleg CR gearbox.
In addition, there is a large spares kit including around 32 Virgo alloy wheels/tyres.
It may be possible to take another car, or possibly rally car, in part-exchange.