Volvos are unusual by nature. This is certainly his biggest quality. And while modern bricks are a little less quirky than older bricks, this can be remedied. Take this 2018 Volvo V90 in Big Bird Yellow, for example. It was completely redesigned by SARSYS, a company that conducts abrasion testing on airport runways, and includes a number of specialized equipment such as a fifth wheel and tires under the trunk.
SARSYS stands for Scandinavian Airport and Road System. At first, Saab was the vehicle of choice for the organization, but it later changed to Volvos (RIP Saab). This specific rig is a T5 Inscription model with a 2.0-liter turbo-four producing 250 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. And because it’s the fancy trim, it has a panoramic sunroof, adaptive cruise control, and headlight washers. Good!
As far as that extra wheel goes, it’s a key component in the friction test setup. It is pneumatically operated, and has an onboard air compressor that enables it to be raised and lowered. I was completely unfamiliar with this type of technology, but I found a description of how it works SARSYS website: :
“The measuring wheel is not attached to the chassis of the host vehicle, rather it is attached only to the rear axle by means of a spring. This unique design guarantees that the vertical ground pressure is absolutely constant at 1,400 Newtons, resulting in highly reproducible measurement results. The measuring tire has a material, size and tread that is identical to a normal aircraft- or car-tyre, depending on the area of use. It gives friction readings that closely correspond to actual friction. The values that are derived from operating an aircraft or a car.”
Data is relayed to a secondary screen between the front seats, which also serves as a control center. it is being sold cars and bids All of this equipment is still intact, and even if you don’t have much use for abrasion testing equipment, you can certainly do something with the Kenwood NX-3000 two-way radio, right?
Perhaps the most inconvenient modification is the addition of the hole in the cargo area. rear seat water tank. Or if you plan to use it for its intended purpose rather than as a daily driver, perhaps that’s one of the advantages of the Volvo. Either way, it supplies water to a sprayer system that is intended to simulate conditions when a dry surface gets wet. The seller states in the comments that, when the tank is full, you should not go more than 60 mph. noted.
SARSYS’ entire fleet of test vehicles and trailers is painted this distinctive yellow, so you can spot them from a mile away. (This is purely anecdotal, but you get the point.) That’s the whole reason I clicked on the ad for the sale, and that’s when I found out the rest of this information. I think this would be a hit at your local Cars and Coffee. What not?
Bidding for this car will end on Tuesday, July 14. At the time of publication there have been 25 bids and the highest bid is $6,800 – which is pretty cheap for a car with over 25,000 miles. Again, it would take a special kind of person to buy it. However, you can bet they’re there.
Have a suggestion or question for the author? Contact him directly: caleb@thedrive.com
