An Early Volvo 960 Sedan In Dark Blue In Beijing

A dark blue Volvo 960 sedan, seen in the Sanlitun embassy district in Beijing in 2011. License plate is an early one too, 陕A·00547 from Shaanxi Province. Judging by the the number, this was one of the very first privately-owned cars in that province.

Volvo 960.

The good Volvo 960 sedan was in reasonable shape. Paint a bit faded and dusty, but that may have been caused by the 1000+ km distance between Shaanxi and the capital. It also misses a hub cab.

The 960 sedan was made from 1990 until 1998 with a facelift in 1994. Our blue Beijing car is an original pre-facelift example. Volvo offered various engines in the 960 sedan. The car that I saw did not have an engine badge. But we can rule out diesel. Diesel-powered passenger cars are forbidden in most Chinese cities. The most common engine for the 960 was the famous 2.8-liter PRV V6, with 170 hp and 240 Nm. The transmission was a 4-speed automatic.

The 960 sedan was not officially sold in China, so seeing one is a very rare occasion. May there be more!

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