Volvo PV 444 / 544 EPA tractor conversion, Sweden

[grobmotorix]

1 point for: what is the basis vehicle?

1 point for: what´s the story or reason for this kind of conversion?

[grobmotorix]

No ideas? The stock vehicle looks much more conventional...

[grobmotorix]

Ready for the experts.

[Oguerrerob]

Tucker based?

[grobmotorix]

Tucker based?

C´mon, the person who may even plan to do something like that should be banned to the moon...

Not a Tucker!

[Carnut]

Tucker based?

C´mon, the person who may even plan to do something like that should be banned to the moon...

Not a Tucker!

Franco Sbarro made a living out of it!
It's not one of his though is it?

[grobmotorix]

No it´s avrey extreme example of a type of conversion.

And it had fiscal reasons...

[grobmotorix]

One more view:

[gilescooperuk]

Well with the rear view it looks like some sort of racing car. So I could guess the reason for the conversion is to class it as a 'commercial vehicle' and reduce the tax paid on it?

Still no idea what it started out as though.

[grobmotorix]

Well with the rear view it looks like some sort of racing car. So I could guess the reason for the conversion is to class it as a 'commercial vehicle' and reduce the tax paid on it?

For the first part of your post: not all conversions of this type were this radical, of course.

But you´re totally right with the second part of your answer.


Still not enough for a point, but LOCKED for you for 24h to find out more.

[grobmotorix]

That´s a real surprise for me. I never thought this would make it up to this level...

[SeaLion]

It is a Volvo EPA-tractor (or A-tractor), which was an agricultural tractor version of the Volvo Duett (which was the van and pickup versions of the Volvo PV 444/544). In Sweden these EPA-tractors can be driven two years earlier than cars, so they are quit popular by youngsters. The top speed is very limited. A lot of these EPA-tractors are heavy customized, like the one in the puzzle.

I now checked Google, and found the puzzle car. It is a A-tractor. Legal top speed limit is 30 km/t (18½ mph). So even if it looks like a race car, it isn't.

[grobmotorix]

Even Porsche 924/944 were badged EPA tractors by removing the rear glass lid and installing a vertical glass division.
Then they could be imported without paying the enormous luxury taxes in the 1980´s.

Perfect answer!

2 points!

[SeaLion]

Even Porsche 924/944 were badged EPA tractors by removing the rear glass lid and installing a vertical glass division.
Then they could be imported without paying the enormous luxury taxes in the 1980´s.

Nope, the Porsche 924/944 with a wall behind the front seats was imported to Norway in the 80's as pickups. The import tax for ordinary cars was more than 100%, the import tax for delivery vans and pickups was just 8%. Then the Norwegian import rules was changed, the last day with the old rules about 50 Porches was imported as pickups with low import tax.

Norway and Sweden are not the same country, in Sweden there is just 25% VAT for everything included cars, in Norway (where I live) there is an extra import tax (about 100%) for private cars, plus 25% VAT.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norway
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweden

[Allan L]

Nice to see that SeaLion is still amongst us!

[grobmotorix]

Thank you SeaLion. I´ve mixed those two stories up, obviously..