Drag Week is a torture test of man and machine that brings out racers who love a challenge. It also attracts some very wild combinations of cars and powerplants you don’t normally see, sort of like the LS-swapped 1987 Volvo 240 Wagon that Sweden native Michael Borggren brought to the party this year. This Swedish flying brick looks rather tame, but by the end of Drag Week it was ripping off eight-second passes.

Borggren’s Drag Week journey began in early 2018 when he purchased his 240 on the west coast of the United States. After he took ownership of the Volvo, Borggren began an epic journey to bring the car home that began in San Diego, then he drove the car through the Grand Canyon, and finally made it back to Detroit with his motorized prize.

From January until right before Drag Week, Borggren and his associates thrashed on the 240 to get it ready for its trip to Atlanta. They didn’t have fire in the pipes until just four days before racing began so there was no testing the car. After arriving at Atlanta Dragway the Volvo was put through its paces in testing so Borggren could acquire his NHRA license. The goal was to run the car all-out before Drag Week concluded, and with the projected power numbers a competition license was a must.

The nuts and bolts of the Volvo are simple and it starts with the proven combination of boosted LS power under the hood. Borggren’s engine of choice is a 6.0-liter truck engine that has some upgraded heads, a turbo camshaft, and an 80mm turbo stuffing the boost into the mill. A FuelTech ECU doubles as the dash and controls all the actions of the engine. The Volvo’s chassis was upgraded with a full 8.50-certified roll cage and Ford nine-inch rearend.

All of Borggren’s hard work paid off as his first Drag Week was very successful: not only did the 240 survive the week, but it also had a 9.51-second average and lit the board with a huge 8.95 at 150 mph during the final day of competition. Check out this footage from 1320Video that documents the progress of Borggren’s Volvo as he turns the wick up during the toughest week in drag racing.