Let’s be real: These days, a 2JZ swap isn’t enough to warrant a blog. They’ve been done a million times, and they’ll be done a million more. The reason we’ve chosen to highlight this particular build, stuffing Toyota’s legendary twin-turbocharged inline-six into a Volvo V70, is that it’s so damn clean. In fact, it might be the cleanest 2JZ swap we’ve ever seen, with a fit and finish that looks beyond OEM fresh. It makes us pine for Volvo’s glory days of building not just wagons, but fast ones, too.
This V70 was built by a man by the name of Tobbe Johansson. If it wasn’t clear just by looking at it, it’s the very epitome of a labor of love. Johansson apparently started this project in 2015; he spent a decade on it, and it absolutely shows. Yes, the 2JZ-GTE inside now develops around 1,300 horsepower, routed to the rear wheels through a BMW-sourced ZF six-speed manual, but there is so much more to this V70 than its powertrain.
Though it may look like a gently used modern Volvo wagon on the outside, under the skin lies a custom tube-frame chassis, floor, and firewall, per the channel jms_oncars. And whatever wasn’t pulled out of a Supra or custom-built appears to be lifted from an E60 BMW M5. This Volvo’s driveshaft, axles, limited-slip diff, steering rack, and brakes are all M5 parts, and its suspension is an adjustable coilover kit developed for the M5 by D2.
Attention to detail aside, what I love about this V70 is how tasteful the whole result looks. Sure, it’s a sleeper—the only thing hinting at what this wagon is capable of, from the outside, are those massive wheels and generally how low it sits to the ground. Otherwise, it’s just the clean silhouette of a Volvo from the middle of the last decade. The interior, too, is factory fresh, aside from the exposed metal floor that’s been painted red to match the body. Johannson kept what always tends to work about Volvo wagons from any era—their design—and took his time fixing, replacing, and tuning everything else to perfection. Bravo, sir.
