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Do Car Enthusiasts Drive Volvo’s? We Ask A Subject Matter Expert

Analog and Grit Podcast Aug 25, 2025 70 min

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About this episode

Exploring the often-overlooked world of Volvo, this episode features William Shoemaker, a self-proclaimed Volvo expert. The hosts dive into the brand's history, discussing its performance models like the T5R and C70, and how Volvo has evolved from a family-oriented brand to one with a rich motorsport heritage. They also share personal stories from Monterey Car Week, including unique car sightings and the excitement of owning quirky vehicles like a Geo Storm. The conversation highlights the future of Volvo amidst changing market demands and the growing interest in Radwood-era cars.

Topics: volvo history performance models monterey car week car ownership stories radwood cars geo storm enthusiast community future of volvo car investments

Cars: Aston Martin DB4 Chevrolet Camaro Chevrolet Corvette Chevrolet Nova Chevrolet Tracker Chrysler New Yorker Chrysler Town & Country Ferrari 456 M GT Ferrari F40 Fiat 124 GT Abarth Ford Mustang GTD Geo Prizm Jaguar E-Type Jaguar Mark I Jaguar XJ6 Jeep Patriot Lotus Europa S Mazda CX-90 Mercury Monterey Nissan Murano Pontiac Aztek Suzuki Swift 5 Doors Suzuki Vitara Suzuki X-90 Toyota Camry Toyota Corolla Toyota MR2 Volkswagen Golf Volvo 240 Volvo C30 Volvo C70 Volvo EX90 Volvo S40 Volvo S60 Volvo V40 Volvo V50 Volvo V60 Volvo V70 Volvo XC40 Volvo XC60 Volvo XC90

Analog & Grit member William Shoemaker (@williamshoey) joins us for the first time to discuss Volvo’s, a car brand rarely mentioned on this podcast. Mainstay Dylan (@mostlystreetparked) returns to talk about a new car he purchased that you probably never heard of. How a cheap car can lower your insurance premium!

Technical Too Afraid to Ask

Martin308GTB (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Car

Fiat 124

"...us Europa and Fiat, see, like his first car was a Fiat 124 Sport Coupe, which is apparently impossible to fi..."

Vauxford (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Car

Lotus Europa

"... than they have, but like my dad growing up had a Lotus Europa and Fiat, see, like his first car was a Fiat 124 ..."

Matti Blume (CC BY-SA)

Car

Jaguar Mark I

"...o find these days. My mom, like in college, had a Mark I Ravage GTI. So like they've always been into cool..."

AlfvanBeem (CC0)

Car

Chrysler Town

"... the choice of, they could either buy a brand new Chrysler Town & Country minivan, or for the same price, through..."

PIERRE ANDRE LECLERCQ (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Car

Chrysler New Chrysler

"...iven the choice of, they could either buy a brand new Chrysler Town & Country minivan, or for the same price, th..."

Calreyn88 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Car

Jaguar XJ6

"...er, they were able to get a three-year-old Jaguar XJ6. So they just like, we're going to go with the XJ..."

Calreyn88 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Car

Volvo V70

"...e school. And at the time, my parents had a Volvo V70, which I still have. And I got into cars like thr..."

MercurySable99 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Car

Mercury Monterey

"...eek and we were driving or walking along downtown Monterey and we saw a C30 hatchback. The Polestar one?"

S5A-0043 (CC BY 2.0)

Car

Toyota Camry

"...s an SP3 just parked between a Jeep Patriot and a Camry, just like in a public parking garage. And it's l..."

Dinkun Chen (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Car

Patriot Jeep Patriot

"...corner and there was an SP3 just parked between a Jeep Patriot and a Camry, just like in a public parking garage..."

IFCAR (Public domain)

Car

Volvo C70

"hundred dollars. And this is the C 70 of the V 70 wagon. The wagon. Gotcha."

Oleg Yunakov (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Car

Chevrolet Nova

"...ild a plant and they formed a company called Auto Nova to do like all the R&D work behind the the handli..."

Alexander Migl (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Car

Volvo XC60

"they're obviously heavily invested in the SUVs, right? Now you have XC 40, XC 60, XC eight, 90. EX 90, we have all electric offerings now too."

Alexander Migl (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Car

Volvo XC40

"they're obviously heavily invested in the SUVs, right? Now you have XC 40, XC 60, XC eight, 90. EX 90, we have all electric offerings now too."

Alexander-93 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Car

Volvo EX90

"Now you have XC 40, XC 60, XC eight, 90. EX 90, we have all electric offerings now too. Right. So do you see that brand, you know,"

Vauxford (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Car

Volvo XC90

"And it was meant to as we were as the world was meant to go more electric to be the to what is it to take over for the XC 90 in the three row electric space in Volvo's lineup."

Vauxford (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Car

Volvo V60

"I had a client very like a couple of months back who wanted a allocation for a V 60 Polestar and we reached out to Volvo corporate and they went, nope,"

Calreyn88 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Car

Volvo 240

"...ually, a couple of weeks ago, took over the Volvo 240 is the most produced nameplate in Volvo's history..."

Ethan Llamas (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Car

Mazda Cx90

"than everybody else's. Like when you I wrote in a CX 90 during car week and I was like, wow, this is a nice interior, good car."

Calreyn88 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Car

Volvo S60

"You said eight fifty eight fifty. I think S 60 are two. Yeah, those are catch peoples."

Bull-Doser (Public domain)

Car

Volvo S40

"And I'm like, really? Not anything. But like Volvo, when the when they built the first generation S 40, they launched it at the Geneva Motor Show in 1995, I believe."

Alexander Migl (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Car

Ferrari F40

"And then Volvo was like, oh, shit. Let's make it the S 40 and the F 40. And then I presume Ferrari was like, you can't call that either."

Dinkun Chen (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Car

Volvo V40

"And then I presume Ferrari was like, you can't call that either. And then they called it the V 40. And then that's how Volvo's"

Bull-Doser (Public domain)

Car

Volvo V50

"So you see a really wide selection of of types. I was going to mention the V 50. So two thousand and six."

OSX (Public domain)

Car

Volvo C30

"That's kind of funny. And they use it in the Volvo C 30 as well. Yeah. So same platform."

Vauxford (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Car

Volkswagen Golf Gti

"...e was cross shopping. I think it was the Mark Six Golf GTI. And the it was slower than a seat 30."

Ermell (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Car

Chevrolet Camaro

"...things about the styling. Some people say Catfish Camaro. Some people say early nineties, Pontiac Grandin."

OSX (Public domain)

Car

Suzuki Swift

"right, which was what Suzuki? Yeah, Suzuki Swift. So they kind of like were rebranding Japanese, y..."

Nessa Eull (CC0)

Car

Geo Prizm

"...then there's the Geo Tracker, the Tracker and the Prism. Yeah, and the Prism, which was the Corolla, whic..."

TTTNIS (CC0)

Car

Toyota Corolla

"...and the Prism. Yeah, and the Prism, which was the Corolla, which was the Corolla, but with the worst transm..."

Maxi-Napo-99 (CC BY 4.0)

Car

Chevrolet Tracker

"... brands that I never realized. Well, they had the Tracker was also Suzuki, right? Suzuki, a sidekick, sidek..."

Alexander-93 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Car

Suzuki Vitara

"...ut yeah, and then eventually Suzuki did the Grand Vitara. They kind of kept the small SUV trend going,"

Elise240SX (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Car

Suzuki X90

"but then left the United States, I feel like, at the wrong time. The X 90. Yeah. Oh, yeah. That was the turning point."

HJUdall (CC0)

Car

Nissan Murano

"... around Monterey Car Week in his cross cabriolet, Murano. Oh, the guys at the Autopia."

Vauxford (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Car

Golf Gtd

"...y brought a they brought a they brought a Mustang GTD and a Murano cross cab. Absolutely polar opposite..."

Calreyn88 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Car

Ford Mustang GTD

"...uys. They brought a they brought a they brought a Mustang GTD and a Murano cross cab. Absolutely polar opposite..."

Bull-Doser (Public domain)

Car

Aztek Pontiac Aztec

"...h door, like super enthusiastic pick and then a a Pontiac Aztec. So they always bring like a shitty car and a nic..."

Matti Blume (CC BY-SA)

Car

Chevrolet C8

"...ion. Right. I said a Diablo and you said a spiker C8. Yeah, yeah. Oh, C8."

Original uploader was Davidhanley at en.wikipedia (Public domain)

Car

Ferrari 456

"...rst car week I went to back in 2022. But it's the Ferrari 456 Venice GT that was built for the Sultan of Brunei..."

TTTNIS (CC0)

Car

Toyota MR2

"I saw a second gen MR2 turbo in Turquoise. Oh, right. Manual. Those are ..."

Vauxford (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Car

Jaguar E Type

"...trum, but for the same reasons, actually, I buy a Jaguar E type. They're honestly not a good financial investment..."

Calreyn88 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Car

DB4

"... realize it was so advanced for its era. Like the DB4 did not have like nearly as good suspension and b..."

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