360 Racing in Australia


* This '360GLT FIA Group A' has an impressive racetrack and rally history * (Pic John Mitchell)

Features: 5 speed straight cut gearbox, 4 wheel disc brakes, adj brake bias, intercom, terratrip, stopwatch/clock, full cage all undercar guards etc, etc.

The above Volvo 360 GLT was brought to Australia in 1984 and raced by Mike Minear. With some backing from Volvo, on 24/4/1984, Minear (and other drivers P Elliot, R Bride, R Sutherland) drove non-stop for 24 hours around Surfers Paradise Raceway in Queensland to set a number of national and international speed records e.g. 24hr record for 1600-2000 class, standing 1000 km, standing 2000km, and so on. To this day a number of records still stand (from 1999 CAMS manual) Category A Group II Class 7 (1600-2000 production car class) - flying 10km and standing 100km,200km,2000km,1/4 mile,50 mile,200 mile,500 mile.

The original CAMS logbook for the 360GLT FIA Group A was issued 6 Feb 1985 to Mike Minear in Victoria. In 1985, Minear circuit raced the car in the Australian Touring Car Championship, under 2-litre class, competing in 10 events at Winton, Sandown, Adelaide, Simmons Plains, Calder Park, Amaroo, Oran Park, and Surfers Paradise Raceway.

In 1986 the car was converted to GpA Rally Car specification and ownership was transferred to Russel Reid in Queensland. The car competed in 20 rallies in states throughout Australia in the period 1986 to 1992.

In March 1988, Russel Reid and co-driver Chris Lane from Brisbane, drove the car to win the under 2-litre class in the countries first 'Rally Australia' in Perth. (The Rally was included in the World Championship the following year).
Later that year the Reid/Lane car
won the 1988 Australian Rally Championship in the1600-2000 cc class.


As the 360 looked before the 1998 Narooma - Booma rally

I believe Andrew Williamson (of Sydney?) purchased the car around 1992 and used it in the NSW rally championship. Phil Bryan of Gosford bought the car around 1994(?) to use in NSW rally championship. Darryl McNeill (formally from) Canberra bought the car in 1996 to use in the ACT Rally Series but has seen little recent rally action. 10/2001 Darryl has moved the car back to Queensland.- Currently For Sale with original CAMS logbook - Contact: "d mcneill" <D.Mcneill@bigpond.com>

Information supplied by Darryl McNeill, 6/2000.


360 Racing in EUROPE

The Volvo factory team raced two 2 door 360's with B23 + 16 valve head + turbo and 2wd. I think it was 81-82 when they were in rally-cross.

The Volvo R-Sports Volvo R-team initially competed with these engine in NA-shape and 2.6L configuration. And then later with a turbo assisted version of the initial 2.3L dohc based on the B23 shortblock.

RESULTS
Won - 1977 Swedish Championship, (first year of the works effort)
2nd - 1979 Swedish Championship
Won - 1980 European championship, all via Per-Inge Walfridsson.

Other works drivers were Anders Hultqvist, Börje Karlsson and Norwegian(!) Per Engseth which in the same year, 1980, ended up comming 3'rd, 4'th and 5'th ! The 343-car had a clutch operated gearless (due to homologation issues...) transmission (the DAF-system) where the clutch was used only at the start.

Info from Otto and Mike Aaro

Back to Volvo Turbo world