Many people only see Volvos as first-cars handed down to teen drivers due to their safety, or grocery getters hauling water bottles and orange slices to soccer games. Either way, nobody was prepared when Travis, known as Red Devil on Swedespeed, set fire to those expectations with his 804 AWHP S60R.

Standards were set high early on. When Travis was young, he remembers seeing fast cars and dreaming that one day he would own one himself. Mitsubishi 3000GTs and IROC Camaros stood out to him, both the tunability and exclusivity - characteristics that lead many Volvo owners to their Swedish chariots.

Travis’ garage reinforces those ideals, filled with a 2020 Audi RS3 and a 2018 Ford Raptor complimenting his S60R. The Raptor is no slouch, sitting at 600 horsepower. Travis has future plans for the Audi as well. Previously he has owned a Mustang GT, but to this day his favorite car remains his S60R.

Volvos caught Travis’ eye when he realized how rare and fast the R trim cars are. He fell in love after rowing through the gears of the M66. Like most of us, after a couple of modifications, he had caught the itch. The rest is history.

For those of you who have seen Travis’ build thread on Swedespeed, you may have noticed his signature. There, he lists two different stages to his build. The first part notes his achievements running the stock internals of the B5254T4 block. Travis was able to achieve a whopping 578 AWHP with the stock pistons and rods on a mustang dyno.

Those are numbers most R owners dream about. Granted, there was an extensive list of bolt-on modifications done. Modifications including a GTX3576 turbo, Enem camshafts, larger injectors, methanol injection, front mount intercooler, custom Snabb intake, HKS BOV, custom exhaust, Spec Stage 3+ clutch, and our own single mass flywheel.

As made apparent by the extensive modification list, this was no small feat. Travis wanted to push the motor to its limits, and it is believed that his motor has the highest recorded horsepower with stock pistons and rods.

As mentioned earlier, Travis would dream of fast cars when he was a kid. These dreams were made reality as he began collecting parts for his built motor. A full engine build with K1 rods, Darton sleeves, ported head, valve springs and retainers, a huge GTX3584RS T4 turbo with a 40psi wastegate, a custom fuel system with 4 pumps, and all the custom bolt-on's to support.

Oh, and to support the 50 PSI that he pushes. Travis has dyno sheets proving that his S60R currently makes 804 AWHP, a world record for the S60R platform. Behind all that power is a twin disc XClutch, a welded angle gear collar, and both front and rear limited slip differentials.

This all comes at a cost. Travis hasn’t been able to daily drive his R for about 8 years due to the extensive modification done to it. What he does get though is a 12.2 second quarter mile time, barreling down the strip at an insane 124.2 mph - back when it was on stock pistons and rods. We anxiously await the times he could put down now with almost 40% more horsepower. 

Travis credits his friends with helping him achieve such insane statistics. Part of that group are a couple of names you might recognize. George and Connor have both offered guidance and support for this build, and can help you with yours if you are interested in modifying your Volvo. You can reach Connor and George on social media or email during regular business hours. 

You can learn more about Travis' S60R here.