Exotic cars. Fascinating machines that blend style and performance to a level which redefines our understanding of what a car can be and do. That magical moment when we first see one of these machines and grasp hold of that very concept – a machine created solely to look good and go fast. I grew up in rural Southwestern Ontario where there simply were no exotic cars around at all. A shiny red International Harvester tractor or the bright green of a John Deere were my eye candy back then. As a child, I pretty much wanted to be a farmer just so I could drive big red tractors. TV brought my first contact with exotics. The Ferrari 308 and Daytona Spyder on “Magnum P.I.” and “Miami Vice” were the first glimpses of vehicles other than tractors, minivans, pickup trucks and four-door family sedans this boy had ever seen. The day I saw a Lamborghini Countach on the cover of a newsstand magazine it was all over.
For many of us exotic cars are the gateway drugs to motorsport. An exotic car is something that pushes the boundaries of the ordinary in terms of style, performance and often price. Motorsport is a natural extension of this, the natural extensions of this. Again, as a child I was blown away when I learned that Ferrari made race cars, which you could watch on TV. In an instant I was swept into a world of even more exotic, exotic cars – looking more extreme, going faster and racing one another.
Twenty odd years later I’m still in that world and very luckily many of those childhood dreams have come true: I’ve driven that Countach, Testarossa, 944 Turbo. I’ve lapped just about every modern exotic on an actual race track. I regularly race and test Ferrari, BMW and Porsche race cars – all incredible stuff. This is a double-edged sword though because the frequency at which I get to play with exotic machines by nature means they become a little less exotic. I no longer get super excited about seeing a Porsche GT3 on the street because I’ve raced so many of the track versions. Essentially, the farther you go in the sport, the bar for what is exotic gets raised a little higher.
Happily that 10-year-old still lives strong within me, for there are still cars out there that excite and inspire as much that Countach did so many years ago. The “Countach” of my world at the moment is a Volvo S60. That’s right a Volvo S60!
But this is no ordinary Volvo. This is the machine that K-PAX Racing designed and built to take on the Porsches, Ferraris, Audis, Corvettes, Vipers and Cadillacs in the SCCA Pro Racing Pirelli World Challenge series. Not only have they taken these big name machines on, they beat them all on a regular basis! The K-PAX Racing Volvo S60 won the 2010 Championship with Randy Pobst behind the wheel, and has continued to win races and be a top contender ever since. One could argue that it’s pretty much the most exotic car of the bunch. Only three of these machines have ever been built (each at a cost of … well let’s just say you could buy a nice house in Toronto) and, when you compare that to scores of Porsche or Ferrari GT machines, it really starts to sink in how rare a machine it is.
Much of the car has been painstakingly designed, engineered and fabricated by the K-PAX Racing crew based out of Denver, Colorado. The detail and precision that goes into the tiniest detail of these machines is outstanding. True story: I once asked one of their fabricators which F1 team they sourced their centre locking wheel nuts from – only to be most sternly corrected that not only did he custom design and handcraft each one, he custom designed and built the tools to create them! This is a shop of world class builders and the S60 is every bit that. Simply looking at this machine is exciting – the custom-built all carbon fiber body work is molded, stretched and louvered into one of the most aggressive and purposeful styling jobs you will ever see. The stock block 2.5-litre five-cylinder Volvo engine makes well over 500 hp, and puts it to the ground through a custom Xtrac six-speed sequential, no-lift shift gearbox and three differentials feeding this AWD beast.
The final element that really puts this car into the super exotic category is what it is like to drive. I’ve been a part of the K-PAX Racing family since 2011 when we took the never-before-raced Volvo C30 and turned it into the touring car to beat in eight months, very nearly taking the drivers and constructors championship in our rookie year. I have been around the team and had an insider’s look at the S60 for a while now, but never driven one... until recently. So, when the phone call came, I didn’t hesitate, the answer was: “YES PLEASE!”
Driving impressions
More so than any other car I can think of – and that ranges from karts to Indy Lights, Honda Civics to the ALMS-spec Viper GTS-R – this is a machine that makes you earn it. It makes you earn ever sector of every lap. Every up shift, every straight, every braking point, every corner, every throttle application. The AWD makes for acceleration that is Holy-crap-Batman wicked! Words just can’t describe the sensory overload that happens when you put your foot down.
The rate of acceleration feels like a video game, the noises the car make from the big turbo and complex drive line sound more like a jet or spacecraft. The brakes generate massive stopping power, and require brute leg strength. The speed at which that car travels coupled with the stopping power means braking zones must be extremely precise, but at the same time you are absolutely murdering the brake pedal while doing it. The AWD also provides a ton of overall grip. Combined with aero downforce and big Pirelli slicks means huge cornering speeds.
That AWD advantage is heavily penalized with weight in World Challenge as a means of competition adjustments, so the S60 ends up being the heaviest of the World Challenge GT cars. That weight combined with the traction and downforce makes the car all that more demanding to drive. You must be extremely committed and positive with the steering wheel and placement of the car while, at the same time, being even more precise with your entry speed and how you balance the car on entry. The grip level is high, but exceeding it by the tiniest margin creates big problems. You really don’t want to get this car too out of shape because with all that weight and inertia, you lose too much lap time gathering it back. Again the predominate thought is wow! This car makes you earn it.
There is no goofing around here, it’s 110% focus every second or go home. No GT car is a walk in the park but, compared to the Audi R8, Porsche and Ferrari GT cars I’ve driven, this car is significantly more demanding. Quite simply it makes you dig deeper and pushes you to be a better driver. And, that to me is what it is all about: Man and machine pushing themselves to new limits. That to me places the K-PAX Racing Volvo S60 very high amongst my all-time exotic car list.
K-PAX Racing produced a mini documentary about the test we did in the S60, which includes up close looks at the machines, interviews with key team members, behind the scenes shots of the drivers talking and joking around and some incredible in-car footage.
Go to YouTube and search: “K-PAX RACING – 2013 EPISODE 1 – BUTTONWILLOW TEST SESSION.” To get a feel for what the car sounds and looks like from the cockpit jump to the 14:55-minute mark and watch my out lap – you’ll definitely want to crank up the volume for this!
Credit to Bob Raub and crew for having the skill, brain power and work ethic to create this machine, and to Volvo North America who very early on was inspired by this project and have steadily increased its support.
To me one of the coolest things about the S60 story is that what is now a championship-winning, factory-backed effort started as the dream of one man who wanted to see his favourite brand of car kick ass on a world stage. K-PAX Racing team owner (and possibly the world’s greatest Volvo enthusiast) Jim Haughey is that man, and it was his dream that led to this car. Thank you Jim, you have created a truly exotic car.
Yours in motoring,
Aaron
