A Volvo 740 GL, seen in the Dongzhimen area in Beijing in 2013. The Swedish sedan was in a reasonable shape but in dire need of some love, maintenance, and a proper cleanup.
It was painted black with darkened windows and Volvo’s beautiful optional 5-spoke sporty alloys. The chrome trim around the windows looked remarkable fresh. The Volvo 740 was made from 1992 until 1992. It was imported in small quantities into China, mostly for the government. This particular vehicle, however, has diplomatic license plates, indicating it arrived via diplomatic channels.
In the capital Beijing, diplomatic license plates start with the character 使 (shi), is short for 大使馆 dashiguan, meaning embassy. Each embassy has its own 3-digit number. In this case the number is 189, which stands for Palestine. China formally recognizes the State of Palestine, so it has an official embassy in Beijing.
The next 3 digits are the car number. The ambassador’s official car is always 001 but there are no specific rules for the other numbers, and plates may be carried over from car to car. Our Volvo 740 has car number 017, which means that the license plate, when it was issued, was for the 17th car used by the Palestine embassy.
Sporty alloys a 1990’s original. They were standard on the 740 Turbo and optional on the other variants. This alloy wheel was also used on the Volvo 240 Turbo.
Interior showing its years, with the black plastics turning gray. The owner added a steering wheel cover, seat covers, and a new radio that doesn’t quite fit in the center stack.
The Volvo 740 GL had a 2.0 four-cylinder gasoline engine with 140hp, mated to a 4-speed automatic or a 5-speed manual. The Volvo 700-series was rear-wheel drive. The most powerful engine available in the 740 was the ‘B230ET’ 2.3 liter turbo which had 182hp.
Square, square & square. No mistake possible, this is a Volvo. And check the shape of the exhaust pipe! The light situation is interesting. It has yellow front lights, like in cars sold in France, and blacked-out rear lights.
The Volvo 700-series was designed by Jan Wislgaard, a Swede of Norwegian descent who was Chief Designer at Volvo for an astonishing 40 years, from 1950 to 1990. Wislgaard’s most famous creations are the Volvo Amazon, the Volvo 140, the Volvo 164, the Volvo 240, the Volvo 740/760 and the Volvo 850.
The Volvo 740 is a rare car in China. Over the years I only met a handful, all sedans. I will post pictures of the others soon and later.