24 cars blue sky: Junkyard Find: 1975 Volvo 245 DL

10 - 1975 Volvo 245 Down On the Junkyard - Picture Courtesy of Murilee Martin In a Northern California self-service wrecking yard not far from the one in which I found the Volvo 262C Bertone Coupe, I found an example of a first-year Volvo 240 wagon. The 240 didn't change much during its near-two-decade run, but the very early ones stand out in this setting.
12 - 1975 Volvo 245 Down On the Junkyard - Picture Courtesy of Murilee Martin If you want to do a lot of engine modifications in a California-registered car, the easiest way is to use a 1975 or earlier model. That makes this year 240 the only one in which Golden State Volvo freaks can, say, swap in the powerful L6 out of the S80 T6 without getting the OK from the smog referees. This was the logic behind the rescue of this '75 coupe a few years back (as far as I know, it is still awaiting its Ford 302 swap).
06 - 1975 Volvo 245 Down On the Junkyard - Picture Courtesy of Murilee Martin That wasn't enough to save this one, of course. Look, only 99,224 miles on the clock!
02 - 1975 Volvo 245 Down On the Junkyard - Picture Courtesy of Murilee Martin The interior is pretty beat, so I'm guessing this is a case of either a busted odometer or a car that did 1,099,224 miles.
14 - 1975 Volvo 245 Down On the Junkyard - Picture Courtesy of Murilee Martin As I've pointed out before, San Francisco Bay Area junkyards always have plenty of Volvo 240s. The early 1975-80 ones have become quite rare in recent years; I suspect that we'll be seeing the late-80s 240s for another decade at least.