A forgotten Volvo Light Component Project (LCP) 2000 concept car built in 1983 was discovered in the storerooms of the Volvo Museum in Gothenburg (Sweden). The unique copy is going to be washed, polished and installed in the exhibition hall for all to see, this was reported in the official Facebook account of the museum.
The LCP 2000 project began in mid-1979. It was initiated by ex-Saab engineer Rolf Melde. When developing this car, the goal was set - to make a light and compact car, the average fuel consumption of which would not exceed 4 l / 100 km - an unthinkable indicator for that time. It was supposed to release such a model by 2000, which is reflected in the title.
Initially, the engineers wanted to make the LCP 2000 a pure electric car at all, but due to the imperfection of the technologies of that time, this idea was quickly abandoned. Then two three-cylinder turbodiesels were developed for the project: one with a volume of 1.3 liters and a power of 50 hp. with a light magnesium alloy block, the second is a cast-iron 1.4-liter 90 hp. without a separate cooling system, heat from the cylinder head was removed by the engine oil. The second internal combustion engine was able to digest almost any fuel, including rapeseed oil (in this case, the exhaust smelled like fish and chips).
For the manufacture of the body, magnesium (subframe), aluminum (chassis) and composites (hinged panels) were widely used. The door frames are made of carbon fiber, which at the time was a completely new and untested material. The drag coefficient of the LCP 2000 was only 0.25.
The interior of the car accommodated two people, the curb weight was 700 kg. A five-speed "mechanics" was used (the possibility of installation and a variator was declared), the drive axle was the front. Acceleration from 0 to 97 km / h (60 mph) took 11 seconds, the declared “maximum speed” was 177 km / h.
A total of four examples were built. The LCP 2000 never entered the LCP series, although echoes of its design can be found in the compact three-door Volvo 480, which was produced from 1986 to 1995.
Volvo finds forgotten 40-year-old concept car
