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The Volvo 300 series was a rear wheel drive automobile sold as both a hatchback and (later) a conventional saloon from 1976-1991. It was developed in The Netherlands shortly after Volvo bought a major stake in the passenger car division of DAF in 1973. The series consisted of the Volvo 340 (initially badged as the 343/345) and the Volvo 360.
[] Origins
After building a series of compact cars, DAF sought a partner to bring its new larger model, codenamed P900 and intended to become the DAF 77, to market in 1970. Several manufacturers were approached, including Audi, BMW, and Volvo. Volvo was not originally interested due to the cost, but they were later persuaded by DAF's access to Renault engines. This helped Volvo expand its model line-up without the large expenditures associated with developing a new model. Building cars in the Netherlands also helped the Swedish Volvo to access the markets of the EEC, of which Sweden was then not yet a member.
Volvo purchased a one-third share in DAF in 1973, increasing to a three-quarters stake in 1975; the DAF company's name was changed to Volvo Car BV that year. Free of its passenger car division, DAF's commercial vehicle division, DAF Trucks, still operates today.
[] Model chronology
The Volvo 343 was introduced in 1976. DAF had already begun development of this car as a replacement for the Volvo (previously DAF) 66. It was fitted with a 1.4 litre Renault engine in the front and DAF's radical Variomatic continuously variable transmission unusually mounted in the rear, helping weight distribution. A conventional manual transmission from the 200 series was made available in 1979. A five-door model, the 345, was added in 1980. 1981 saw the addition of an additional engine option, the 2.0 litre B19A unit, again from the Volvo 240. A revised grille and front lamp arrangement signalled a minor facelift in 1981, which also gave the car a new dashboard and revised interior.
The third digit designating the number of doors was dropped from model designations in 1983. The 360 arrived that year with two 2.0 litre engine choices, the 92bhp B19A and the 115bhp B19E, also from Volvo. This 2-litre 360 model was available in five-door and three-door hatchback form, with four-door saloon models added in 1984.
360 saloon, 1985 model (before facelift)
In around 1985 a further facelift was introduced. Amongst other small changes, wrap-around colour coded bumpers with the indicator repeaters attached to them were fitted. Instrumentation changed from Smiths units to VDO. The older Volvo red block engines in the 360 were upgraded to the low friction B200 unit. Capacities and outputs remained much the same. The carbed version was designated B200K and the Bosch K-Jet fuel injected version is known as the B200E.
From 1987 on, incremental improvements in features and emissions control were made. Production of the 300 series ended in 1991, despite the fact it was supposedly replaced by the Volvo 440 in 1987.
A famous advertisement for the 300 series in the late 1980s saw a crash test dummy "come alive", and drive a 340 out of a factory window. Unfortunately this led to the infamous saying "Designed by computers, built by robots, driven by dummies".
[] Engines
The 300 Series had a choice of three petrol engines; a 1.4, 1.7, and a 2.0-litre. The 1.4 litre was Renault-sourced, and for the 360 there was the B200 2.0-litre engine taken from the Volvo 240. A new Renault 80 bhp 1.7 litre petrol engine (designated the B172) was introduced in the 340 during the late 1984 range facelift, along with a 340 version of the saloon, which was only available with the new engine.
A diesel engine for the 360 was available in certain markets and was added to the 340 models in 1986. These diesel models were never offered in right-hand drive form, and hence were never officially exported to right-hand drive markets such as the UK.
[] Reputation and popularity
Like other Volvos, the 340 embodied many ground-breaking safety features which have since become standard on most cars.
While the car was fundamentally robust, the detail build quality was never up to the same standard of Volvo's larger, Swedish-built models, coupled to the fact that the early Variomatic cars proved to be particularly troublesome. The Volvo badge however ensured that the car had a strong middle-class following (often as a second car) particularly in the UK in the 1980's, regularly making that country's top annual 10 sales tables for that decade, and they are still fairly common in the UK 15 years after production ceased. They are robust and mechanically simple (and therefore easy to maintain). Even the unpopular Variomatic transmissions are reliable given proper care. The rust protection was poorer than other Volvos, but the engines were quite durable.
An unusual feature of the car's design is the geometry of the rear axle. Two degrees of negative camber on the rear dead axle produces a similar stabilising effect as the expensive and complex Weissach axle launched by Porsche a year after the launch of the Volvo 343. The inherent stability of this design made the car popular with caravan owners, being voted Tow Car of the Year in 1985.
The Renault-sourced 1.7 litre engine suffers from a well-known problem where the carburettor mounting flange warps due to engine heat, causing a small air leak and subsequent running problems. This is easy, if expensive, to fix.
The Volvo 300 has experienced something of a renaissance in recent years with a number of very active websites across Europe. A strong, young following has developed attracted by a rear wheel drive car which is very cheap to buy, insure and relatively easy to work on. In the UK, the Drift community is also experimenting with the Volvo 300.
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