Together, Forever: A 2JZ-Swapped Volvo 740 Drift Monster

What was the most popular car in your hometown when you were growing up? Pal Ivar FrigstadIn the early 80s, Volvos dominated the roads in Høvåg, Norway. Especially the turbocharged ones.

Instead of watching cartoons or reading comic books, Pål asked his parents to buy him car sales magazines. He pored over them, looking for customized vehicles that could inspire his own model car creations. Tinted windows, painted rims, and improvised subwoofers made from folded colored paper were enough to keep him busy… for a while.

At the age of just 10, Pål began tinkering with his first car, although his efforts were not as serious due to his young age. At 18, he began his first major project: an Opel Calibra.

After the Calibra, Pål bought a 1988 Volvo 740 in 2009, which he nicknamed BADVOLVO. What started as an unregistered project gradually transformed into a drift monster.

Pål’s journey with the Volvo has had its share of challenges, mainly due to rule changes. When he first started working on the engine bay, there were no specific rules regarding the firewall. Like many of his fellow drifters, who modified or moved the bulkheads of their cars, Pål removed most of the firewall from his Volvo so he could move the engine as far back as possible and build everything around it. However, later rule changes forced him to return the engine bay to its original form.

What isn’t original now lies in the bay: a fully forged Toyota 2JZ-GTE VVTi engine, built by Widmer Motor in Norway.

Pål spared no expense on the engine, which is undoubtedly his favorite aspect of the car. For a personal touch, he even CNC-machined his Frigstad Motorsport logo onto one of the red anodized billet camshaft covers.

The 3.0-liter inline-six features an impressive arsenal of components, including forged Wiseco pistons, Eagle H-beam connecting rods, GSC Power-Division S2 billet camshafts with Brian Crower adjustable gears, and GSC valves, springs and retainers. The list is extensive; see the spec list at the end of this post for the full details.

A Volvo built for track use wouldn’t be complete without some serious boost injection. For this, Pål selected a Precision 6870 Gen2 turbocharger mounted to a custom stainless steel manifold with a v-band connection, paired with a 60mm Turbosmart wastegate. A custom Garrett-core intercooler with twin compact Spal electric fans keeps the intake charge fresh.

The engine’s water cooling is provided by a modified system with a cooling capacity of 20 litres. The crux of the setup is at the rear of the car, where a large aluminium radiator with two Flex-a-lite fans and a Meziere (208 l/min) water pump is mounted.

With 826 horsepower on tap, Pål’s Swedish brick needed a drivetrain to match. He got it, thanks to a Sellholm Tuning MPG 5-speed transmission with a triple-plate clutch and a modified Volvo 1031 axle with a custom Sellholm 2-way limited slip differential and 31-spline axles.

The suspension consists of a custom four-link and Watt’s linkage, BC Racing coilovers at the front and 3-speed Proflex coilovers that Sellholm designed specifically for this vehicle at the rear.

Other aspects of the structure that require updating due to regulatory changes include the roll cage and roof, which was previously fibreglass but is now steel again.

Inside, the custom work is clearly visible. The 6-point cage is tightly mounted in the cabin and the fiberglass dashboard is flocked. The custom Woodward steering column mounts a custom engraved Sparco wheel with a removable hub and push-to-talk switch for the intercom. Pål sits on a Sparco Circuit seat, the passenger in a Sparco Sprint, both secured with QSP 6-point race harnesses. Vital data is displayed on an ECUMaster ADU7 digital dashboard.

The battery has been relocated to where the rear seat used to be and is housed in an aluminium box. The MaxxECU Race engine management system and PDM box are located on the passenger side.

To complete the interior, Pål repurposed a pair of Speedhunters x TAKATA Racing tow straps he purchased in 2014 as lightweight door handles.

The exterior has also received significant updates. Initially, the fender arches were steel, taken from a BMW E46 M3, but they have since been replaced with custom-made fiberglass equivalents.

To reduce weight, the front bumper, hood, fenders, doors, trunk and Group A-inspired ducktail are also all made of fiberglass.

After 15 years of evolution, challenges and perseverance, Pål and his Volvo have become inseparable. He told me that he will never sell the 740, but will focus on new builds, starting with a BMW E46 M3 and eventually aiming for a Nissan Silvia S15.

If his next project is anything like this Volvo, I’m sure we’ll see Pål back on Speedhunters.

Alen Haseta
Instagram: hazeta