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

What was the most popular car in your hometown when you were growing up? For Pål Ivar Frigstad, early ’80s Volvos ruled the roads in Høvåg, Norway. Especially those with a turbo.

Instead of watching cartoons or reading comic books, Pål would ask his parents to buy him car sales magazines. He’d pore over them, looking for modified vehicles to inspire his own model car creations. Tinted windows, painted rims, and makeshift subwoofers made from folded colored paper were enough to keep him busy… for a while.

At just 10 years old, Pål began tinkering with his first car, though his efforts weren’t all that serious due to his young age. By 18, he took on his first major project: an Opel Calibra.

Following the Calibra, in 2009, Pål acquired a 1988 Volvo 740 that he nicknamed BADVOLVO. What began as an unregistered project gradually transformed into a drift monster.

Pål’s journey with the Volvo has seen its share of challenges, mostly due to rule changes. When he first began working on the engine bay, there were no specific rules about the firewall. Like many of his fellow drifters, who were modifying or relocating their car’s bulkheads, Pål removed most of his Volvo’s firewall so he could reposition the engine as far back as possible, building everything else around it. However, later rule changes forced him to return the engine bay to its original form.

What’s not original is what now resides 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 cam covers.

The 3.0-liter inline-six boasts an impressive array of components, including Wiseco forged 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 all the details.

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

Engine water-cooling is handled by a custom system with 20 liters of coolant capacity. The crux of the setup resides at the rear of the car, where a large aluminum radiator with two Flex-a-lite fans and a Meziere (208l/min) water pump is mounted.

With 826hp on tap, Pål’s Swedish brick needed a driveline up to task. He has that courtesy of a Sellholm Tuning MPG 5-speed sequential gearbox 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 features a bespoke four-link and Watt’s linkage, BC Racing coilovers up front, and 3-way Proflex coilovers designed specifically for this vehicle by Sellholm in the rear.

Other aspects of the build that need to be updated due to regulation changes include the roll cage and the roof, which was formally fiberglass but is now steel again.

Inside, the custom work is evident. The 6-point cage is tightly fitted in the cabin, and the fiberglass dashboard is flocked. The custom Woodward steering column mounts a custom-engraved Sparco wheel with a snap-off hub and push-to-talk switch for the intercom. Pål sits in a Sparco Circuit seat, the passenger in a Sparco Sprint, both secured by QSP 6-point racing harnesses. Essential data is displayed on an ECUMaster ADU7 digital dash.

The battery has been relocated to where the back seat once lived and is housed in an aluminum box. The MaxxECU Race engine management system and PDM box are on the passenger side.

As a final touch for the interior, Pål repurposed a pair of Speedhunters x TAKATA Racing tow straps he purchased in 2014 as lightweight door pulls.

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

For weight reduction, the front bumper, hood, fenders, doors, trunk, and the Group A-inspired ducktail are all in fiberglass, too.

After 15 years of evolution, challenges, and perseverance, Pål and his Volvo have become inseparable. He told me that he’ll 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 be seeing Pål on Speedhunters again.

Alen Haseta
Instagram: hazetaa