Volvo 900 Series


The Volvo 900 Series is a range of executive cars produced by the Swedish manufacturer Volvo Cars from 1990 to 1998. The 900 Series was introduced in 1990 to replace the 700 Series from which it derived. Prior to the end of its production, the 960 was renamed as the Volvo S90 and Volvo V90, and the 940 was renamed 940 Classic, becoming the last rear-wheel-drive cars from Volvo.
Visible differences between the 700 and the 900 Series included redesigned rear styling of the saloon models. The 960 was introduced in 1991 along with a new family of modular engines, and then was substantially revised for the 1995 model year, improving the handling. The range was augmented by the new Volvo 850 in 1991. The last of the 900s was sold in 1998. Some 900 Series were built as chassis for ambulances and hearses after the main production run had been completed.

Volvo 940

The Volvo 940 is among the last in the long-running line of large rear-wheel drive cars from Volvo.
Introduced in September 1990, the 940 was essentially a cosmetic reskin of the 740. All drivetrains, and most options available in the 940 had been available in the 740, with the exception of the 780 Coupé. The 940 was more closely related to the 740 than the 760, sharing the same dashboard, drivetrain choices, and sheet metal from the A-pillar forward. In contrast, the 960 was an evolution of the 760. The 760 / 960 front sheet metal, independent rear suspension, dashboard, and other interior features were all exclusive to the two upscale models. The estate, introduced in May 1991, was even harder to tell apart from its 745 predecessor.
The engines remained largely the same as for the 740, with 8-valve 2-litre and 2.3-litre four cylinder gasoline engines, either naturally aspirated or turbocharged, as well as the familiar 2.4-litre Volkswagen six-cylinder diesel and turbodiesels being fitted. There were also 16-valve versions of the gasoline engines fitted on a few early models. In 1994, gasoline engine range was limited to 2.3 engines, but the 2.0 turbocharged remained available in some markets with tight tax limits, such as Italy, Belgium, and Portugal. An interesting version added in 1994 was a low-pressure turbocharged version of the B230 – maximum power was only up slightly, from, but torque increased throughout the range and the car suffered from virtually no turbo lag because of the small size of the charger. The turbocharged 2.0 was first presented in February 1991, originally intended for Italy and other such markets it was later also installed in the British market 940 SE. Eventually, the most commonly found engines on 940's were the naturally aspirated B230FB/131PS, B230FD/115PS, the turbocharged B230FK/135PS, B230FT/165PS, B200FT/155PS and the D24TIC/122PS diesel engine.
Engines were fitted with either a 5-speed or 4-speed+overdrive manual gearbox M46/M47 or an automatic transmission, either Aisin-Warner AW10/71/72 or ZF 4HP22 for some B230FB and diesel engines. In 1995, the manual gearbox was replaced with a full 5-speed, and the ZF was abandoned for gasoline engines and fitted only on diesels.
The SE badge was one of the more confusing badges. In the US, the 940 SE was in fact a 960 Turbo with the four-cylinder B230FT engine, the 940 SE badge presumably chosen by Volvo in order to maintain the link between name and number of cylinders. In Sweden, the 940 SE was an ordinary non-turbo 940 with some optional extras as standard, most notably painted mirrors and bumpers. In the UK, the 940 SE was a 2.3-litre Turbo B230FT with some extras as standard. In Thailand the 940 SE was a Turbo model with leather seats, ABS brakes and SRS Airbag.
From MY 1993 on, in Italy all 940 estates were badged "Polar" or "Super Polar". Towards the end of the model cycle, certain countries had a well equipped special series badged "Classic". Production of the 940 series extended from 1990 to 5 February 1998.

North America

In the United States, the 1991 940 was offered in three versions: the 940 GLE used a DOHC 16-valve version of the 2.3-litre engine with a 6000 rpm redline. The 940 Turbo used a turbocharged 2.3-litre engine, and the top-end 940 SE included body-coloured trim, and the premium features as standard equipment.
This is one of the Volvo vehicles that was produced at Volvo's former manufacturing facility in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In 1993, 940s built at that plant were affixed with roundels at the rear window, to celebrate the plant's 30th anniversary.
For the 1992 model year the 940 GLE was downgraded with a 114 bhp version of the 2.3-litre four-cylinder engine and sold as the 940 GL. The 940 SE was in actuality a 960 Turbo sold as the 940 SE, while the 940 Turbo remained largely unchanged. US-sales ended in 1995 in favour of the Volvo 850 and Volvo 960 series.

Volvo 960

1990–1994

Autumn of 1990 marked the launch of the Volvo 960 in time for the 1991 model year. This was the replacement for the 760. The 1991 960 was an evolutionary progression of the 1990 760, but it was also one of the first cars to feature the work of British designer Peter Horbury.
The most significant change was that, in most markets, the 960 was offered with an all-new aluminium 24-valve DOHC inline six-cylinder engine, often referred to as "white block" in the Volvo community due to its bare aluminium block. Maximum power was at 6,000 rpm. Some markets, such as Australia and Japan, saw 1991 960s equipped with the same B280E/F V6 engine that had powered the 1990 760. The 1992 model year saw the U.S. introduction of the DOHC inline six-cylinder engine. For the Italian and Portuguese markets, the 960 was available with the 16v 2-litre turbo from September 1990 until September 1993 along with the inline sixes. Certain markets also received the 2.3-litre turbo 'Redblock' four, with and the Volkswagen built D24TIC with.
The 960 received incremental changes for the 1992, 1993, and 1994 model years. Most visible were the new more shapely seats, and redesigned seat-belts with hydraulic pretensioners for 1992. 1993 saw a new more ergonomic shifter, and in 1994 dual front airbags were introduced in some markets. The opaque sunroof was replaced by a sliding sunshade and glass window. In 1994, the US version of the 3-litre six was tuned for more torque and a less peaky power delivery in favor of U.S. emissions regulations, with at 5,200 rpm and at 4,100 rpm.
A small coachbuilder in Laholm, Sweden, called Nilsson, worked under contract with Volvo to supply the stretched 960 Executive. Nilsson provided a number of different lengths and sealed the window in the c-pillar, for more privacy in the rear. The Executive had longer rear doors, longer versions had inserts behind the b-pillar.
For North America, the 1992–1994 Volvo 960s were built in Kalmar, Sweden. The very first Volvo 960 for the US-market rolled off the assembly line on August 12, 1991 as a 1992 model. The 1995 to 1998 960s were built in Göteborg, Sweden. The first 1995 model year 960 was built on June 27, 1994.

1994–1998

In 1994 the 960 received a facelift, including changes to the grille and body-coloured panels. A smaller 2.5 version of the six-cylinder was also added to the lineup, with for the B6244FS version.
Only the modular six-cylinder engines were available from model year 1995 on. The front suspension was redesigned to more closely match that of the 850. The rear suspension received a completely redesigned multi-link independent system with a single fibreglass transverse leaf spring. The 1995 estate received independent rear suspension. Volvo reported that the single composite leaf spring used in the rear suspension of the 960 estate had the same mass as just one of the two springs it replaced. Boge's Nivomat self-leveling rear suspension system became an option rather than standard equipment.
Trim levels were GLT and SE for European markets.
From 1996, Volvo renamed the 960 in select markets as Volvo S90 and Volvo V90 in alignment with the letter-and-number naming scheme used on their other models. This renaming applied to several European countries in late 1996, in North America from late 1996 for the 1997 model year, and in Australia from March 1997. The new name coincided with an improved air conditioning system.
All US cars were equipped with an electronically controlled Aisin AW-series automatic transmission. Beginning in the 1995 model year, European cars with the 2.5 L engines were also available with a manual transmission, the so-called M90, a strong new design that was derived from the Volvo 850's transmission. With the demise of the 2.5 L engine, the M90 was paired with a detuned version of the 3.0 L engine.
Production of the 960 and its S90 and V90 derivatives ended on 5 February 1998.
The S90/V90 nameplate returned to use when Volvo introduced its flagship model in 2016.

Specifications

Engines

These engines were offered in the 900 Series vehicles over the years:
ModelEngine codeYearPower at rpmTorque at rpmDisplacementEngine configurationComment
940B200E1991 at 5700158 Nm at 48001986 ccI4940
940GL/GLEB200F1991–1995 at 5700 at 2800I4940
XB200G1992–1994 at 5700 at 28001986 ccI4940
XB200GT1992–1998155 hp at 5600 at 36001986 ccI4940
940 2.0 8V TurboB200FT1991–1998 at 5600 at 3600I4940
940 2.0 16VB204E1991139 hp at 6000 at 48001986 ccI4940
960 2.0 16V TurboB204FT1991–1994 at 5300 at 2950I4960
740 2.0 16V TurboB204GT1991–1994 at 5300 at 2950I4740
XB230E1991131 hp 190 Nm at 33002,316 ccI4940
940GLEB230F1991–1994 at 5400 at 2500I4940
940GL/GLEB230FB1991–1995at 5500 at 2950I4940
940B230FD1993-1994116 hp at 4900 at 25002316 ccl4940 California Emissions Spec
940 Turbo/940SE /960 2.3 TurboB230FT1991–1998 at 4800 at 3450I4940/960
960
940SE
940 Polar 		B230FK1995–1998 at 4900 at 2300I4940
940B230G1992–1995 at 5500 at 29502316 ccI4940
940/960B230GT1991–1994 at 4800 at 34502,316 ccI4940/960
XB230GK1995–1998 at 4900 at 23002,316 ccI4940
940GLT 2.3 16VB234F1991–1992 at 5600 at 4800I4940
XB234G1991–1992 at 5600 at 48002316 ccI4940
960B280E1991–1992 Nordic version
170 PS
European version
at 5400		240 Nm
at 4500		2849 ccV6960
960B280F1991–1992 at 5100 at 37502849 ccV6960
S90B6244F1995- at 5800 at 4400Asian market
960 2.5 24VB6254FS1994–1997 at 5700 at 4400I6960
XB6254GS1996n/an/an/aI6960
S90/V90
960B6034G1996- at 6000 at 43002922 ccl6960
960B6304S1992–1997 at 6000 at 43002922 ccI6960
S90/V90
S90/V90 3.0 24VB6304S21997-1998 at 5200 at 4100I6S90/V90
960/S90/V90 3.0 24VB6304F
B6304FS		1991–1997 at 6000 at 4300I6960
S90/V90
XB6304FS21997–1998180hp at 5200267Nm at 40002,922 cc Power at rpmTorque at rpmDisplacementEngine configurationComment
dieselD241992–1993 at 4700 at 2000I6940
turbodieselD24T1991–1993 at 4800
with EGR		 at 2500
at 2400 with EGR		I6940
turbodiesel
intercooler		D24TIC1991–1996 at 4800 at 2400-2500I6940
960

Volvo offered various transmissions depending on the year/model/engine combinations including the: