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Hot rod tractor stars in Swedish version of Farmkhana

The Nordic countries are known for their beautiful fjords, blonde-haired populace and bitter cold for a good portion of the year. The hours spent indoors during the dark, cold season apparently gives a lot of time for some crazy brainstorming. Tire store chain Vianor is highlighting the Traktor Terror in a new video. If Ken Block is the master of Gymkhana, then these guys know all about Farmkhana in their custom, turbocharged tractor.
According to the YouTube description from Vianor, the tractor is a 1956 Volvo BM Terrier with an added roll cage, adjustable front suspension and extended frame. The engine is thoroughly Swedish, and it's based on a Volvo 940 Turbo with a Volvo 240 head and Volvo 740 intercooler. However, it uses a Saab turbo Prospark ignition and fuel system. All told, the setup is claimed to make 225 horsepower and is capable of a top speed of 60 miles per hour.
That's not crazy power, but this tractor can certainly put it down. The farm machine has no problem smoking those big rear wheels and drifts easily.... although, it may be a tiny little bit unstable (hence the roll cage). If nothing else, this looks like the world's most fun way to be a farmer, that's for sure.

Volvo credits China, Europe for first-half profitability

If everything goes to plan, Volvo might be showing the first signs of a turnaround after several years coping with old products and a staid image. The Swedish brand is imminently launching its next-gen XC90 SUV on a completely revised, modular platform and using a cutting-edge family of engines, and it has even more products to take advantage of the fresh components on the drawing board. "We are excited about the launch of the all-new XC90, which marks the beginning of the re-launch of the Volvo brand," said CEO Håkan Samuelsson in the company's announcement. In the meantime, the business is moving back to profitability and is even forecasting growth through the rest of 2014.
In Volvo's recently released financial and sales results for the first six months of the year, volume was up 9.5 percent to 299,013 cars. On top of that, operating income reached 1.21 billion Swedish krona ($175 million) after posting a loss in the same period in 2013. Net income was also improved to 535 million Swedish krona ($77.4 million), which was also a reversal from a negative last year.
With these great results, Volvo is now forecasting 10 percent sales growth worldwide by the end of the year, and the key to it is a booming market in some regions. China, home to parent company Geely, was up 34.4 percent first half of the year. It's now Volvo's biggest market in the world and helped by exclusive models like the S60L (pictured above) and S80L. "We are growing our presence in China and we expect to sell at least 80,000 cars there this year," said Samuelsson in the company's forecast.

Volvo P1800 restomod by Cyan Racing is coming to the U.S.

Cyan's Racing's heavily modded Volvo P1800 will soon be making its North American debut, and it'll be available to purchase in America. Based on the sleek 1961-72 coupe that just might be the sexiest car Volvo ever made, it's been transformed by the wizards at the race engineering firm previously known as Polestar into a 420-horse tire-shredder. We've waxed on about the Cyan P1800 before, admiring its lighter-than-a-Miata curb weight thanks to carbon fiber body panels, while marveling at its beautifully minimalist turbo 2.0-liter Volvo four. The driving experience is meant to be truly analog, from the manual gearbox to the lack of ABS and traction control. The entire suspension was redesigned and even its profile isn't quite identical to the original P1800 — the greenhouse, for example, has been repositioned. Best of all, its metamorphosis from antique to hot rod was performed not by some fly-by-night operation, but by an actual race shop, the one that turned the Volvo 850 into a Super Touring race car. The Polestar firm was so successful, Volvo actually bought them out, subsequently turning the brand into its performance EV subsidiary. Cyan Racing says the only things that remain from the original P1800 is the steel frame, hood release, handbrake, and windshield wipers. Everything else, including the glass, was manufactured uniquely for this car.  A year ago, Cyan said that the entry price for this unique combination of classic design and race-inspired performance was $500,000. When it becomes available stateside, however, the starting price will be, according to Cyan, "around $700,000". With that eye-watering price, customers get to personalize each P1800 to their liking. Cyan says the car was engineered so that it could be "tailored into anything from a lightweight, high-performance cafe racer to a grand tourer." The Cyan Volvo P1800 will make its North American debut at The Quail during Monterey Car Week.