Old Concept Cars: Volvo LCP 2000

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Old Concept Cars: Volvo LCP 2000

Volvo presented in 1983 at Stockholm, the Volvo Light Component Project (LCP) 2000. As you can guess from the name, the car was an ambitious prototype that was developed for testing new technologies.

Old Concept Cars: Volvo LCP 2000

Its development started in 1979 when Volvo decided to create a fully functional prototype that integrates all the cutting-edge technologies of that era. The LCP 2000 was tested with two diesel engines, a 1.4-liter 90 hp engine and a 1.3-liter engine producing 50 hp. The vehicle weighed only 700 kilos and it had an aerodynamic drag coefficient of 0.25.

It was able to complete the 0-100 km/h in 11 seconds, with its top speed being 177 km/h, while its fuel consumption was just 4 liters/100 km. The power passed to the front wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox.

Totally 4 prototypes were built and all of them had an aluminium frame and a plastic, recyclable bodywork, with its doors being made from carbon fiber. The use of carbon fiber as a building material was very groundbreaking in 1983, since the first F1 car with a carbon frame was the McLaren MP4/1 in 1981.

The design of the LCP 2000 seems to have influenced that of the Volvo 480, which was released a few years later. All the prototypes of the LCP 2000, have survived until today and can be viewed at the Museum of Volvo in Goteborg.