When the Volvo S40 landed in 1996, it came with a surreal, drum ’n’ bass-fuelled ad campaign, glowing praise from Italian design critics, and a BTCC team that hoovered up trophies like a Dyson in a gravel pit. This wasn’t just a new Volvo, it felt like a cosmic realignment.
Gone was the slab-sided, safe-as-houses look of old. In its place: the S40 (and its big-booted V40 sibling), rakish and low-slung, designed to elbow its way into the booming ’90s C-segment. Engines and trims were plentiful enough to tempt even the fussiest of company car buyers.
At the top sat the turbocharged T4, a 0-60 demon that was just a touch twitchy in the bends. Lower down the ladder, the Mitsubishi-sourced GDI was sluggish once you were out of third, but proved indestructible in the long run. Even the diesels became bearable once direct injection arrived.
Fast-forward to today and sightings are rare. This 2001 example, spotted in Dublin’s red-brick Georgian quarter, has been off the road since March last year. Its battle scars tell the story: broken indicator, flattened rear tyre and a rather incriminating red streak along the front bumper. The right-hand side looks like it’s been used for target practice.
Not long ago, scruffy S40s were still a familiar sight; their Japanese underpinnings keeping them going longer than most of their Continental rivals. But 30 years have now passed since the S40’s debut, and the survivors are fading fast.
At least this one got the full Bangerwatch treatment. Dutch angles included. About time.
If you like Luka’s knack for finding character in the scruffy and the sidelined, you’ll find plenty more over on Bangerwatch.net or via Bangerwatch on Instagram.
