This is a 1957 Volvo TP21 that has been given a nut-and-bolt rebuild which included the fitment of a 572 cubic inch big-block V8, a TH475 three-speed automatic transmission, air-locking differentials, front Wilwood calipers, and a whole lot more.
This Volvo TP21 was rebuilt for the SEMA show (Specialty Equipment Market Association) in 2018 where it attracted no small amount of attention. It was then sold by Barrett-Jackson six years ago, and it was featured on a number of major automotive sites at the time.
Fast Facts – A SEMA-Exhibited Volvo TP21
- The Volvo TP21, nicknamed “Sugga” in period, was originally a Swedish military 4×4 built on a modified truck chassis with a PV831 body. It featured a 3.67 liter flathead inline-six, a 4-speed manual transmission, and vacuum-lockable axles. It served in military roles such as troop transport and radio vehicle until the 1990s.
- This particular Volvo TP21 underwent a complete rebuild by Eddie’s Rod & Custom, including the fitment of a 572 cubic inch Chevrolet big-block V8 producing 725 bhp. It also received a TH475 3-speed automatic transmission, Advanced Adapters Atlas transfer case, air-locking differentials, and 22-inch wheels with massive 40×15.5” Toyo tires.
- This upgraded TP21 now features modern additions like Wilwood front disc brakes, power steering, a side-exit exhaust, a power-opening hood, and a retractable Samsung TV in the rear. Its interior includes reupholstered brown seats, carpeting, door cards, and a rear beverage cooler, combining vintage style with modern luxuries.
- Painted in bright Yellow with Black bumpers and equipped with a functional roof hatch, this TP21 was displayed at the 2018 SEMA show. It is now offered for sale on Bring a Trailer, with a Florida title, all ready for its new owner.
The Volvo TP21 Sugga
The Volvo TP21 Sugga was developed as the direct successor to the earlier Volvo TPV which had been developed as a Swedish-built 4×4 during WWII as an answer to the American Jeep. Whereas the TPV had been relatively primitive, the TP21 had been designed in a less hurried fashion specifically to address some of the shortcomings of the earlier vehicle.
The Volvo TP21 was most often used as a Radio Command Car, and many still have their military radio equipment, and the long rooftop aerial fitted to this day.
The Volvo TP21 was based on a shortened Volvo truck chassis which was then fitted with a modified version of the all-steel body used on the Volvo PV831 sedan – a vehicle commonly used as a taxi in Sweden. The name “Sugga” came from the Swedish word for “Sow,” a female pig, based on the looks of the PV831. The nickname would follow the body and also be applied to the TP21 4×4.
Power was provided by the Volvo 3.67 liter flathead inline-six engine fitted with a Rochester carburetor. It produced 90 bhp at 3,600 rpm which was good for a top speed of 65 mph, though the vehicle was typically only rarely driven at these speeds.
Power was sent back through an unsynchronized four-speed manual transmission and a dual-range transfer case. The transfer case offered both high and low range, and the Sugga was fitted with vacuum-lockable front and rear live axles riding on leaf springs.
As was standard for the time drum brakes were used front and back, and the vehicle used a six volt electrical system, though the military radio system had a 12 volt circuit for driving the radio system as well as a large aerial.
The TP21 was developed in the early 1950s, first shown in 1951, and officially put into production in 1953. Volvo did try their luck at a civilian version, not dissimilar to the Dodge Power Wagon in its concept, though it never caught on and apparently only two were made.
720 military versions of the Sugga were made, as staff cars, troop carriers, and radio vehicles – the latter were called Radiopersonterrängbil in Swedish, or “cross-country radio vehicles.” The Swedish armed forces are said to have kept some examples of the Sugga in active use until the 1990s, an extraordinarily long lifespan.
This TP21 is fitted with a 572 cubic inch (9.4 liter) Chevrolet big block V8 producing 725 bhp at 6,300 rpm and 680 lb ft of torque at 4,900 rpm.
Now the surviving examples are all in private hands, or in museums, and we only see good examples come up for sale rarely.
The Upgraded Volvo TP21 Shown Here
The vehicle you see here is a Volvo TP21 from 1957 that has been completely rebuilt from the ground up by Eddie’s Rod & Custom, a specialist garage located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
They imported a TP21 from Sweden and completely stripped it down, then restored or replaced each piece as it went back together. The original inline-six was deemed insufficiently powerful, and so they swapped it out for a fire-breathing 572 cubic inch (9.4 liter) Chevrolet big block V8 producing 725 bhp at 6,300 rpm and 680 lb ft of torque at 4,900 rpm.
Power is sent back through a TH475 3-speed automatic transmission, an Advanced Adapters Atlas transfer case, air-locking differentials, and a one-ton axle with 7.14:1 gears. Wilwood calipers have been fitted up front for better stopping power, and the vehicle has been fitted with power-steering, side-exit exhausts, a power-opening hood, and a rear beverage cooler.
Inside you’ll find a neatly reupholstered interior with brown seats, and brown carpeting and door cards. There is a rear partition that rises up, housing a retractable Samsung TV for viewing by those in the back seat.
It now rides on a set of Gray 22″ five-lug wheels with chrome beadlock rings, these are mounted with 40×15.5″ Toyo Open Country M/T tires on all four corners.
It rides on a set of Gray 22″ five-lug wheels with chrome beadlock rings, these are mounted with 40×15.5″ Toyo Open Country M/T tires on all four corners. The exterior is finished in Yellow with Black bumpers, and it has a functioning roof hatch.
This unusual Volvo TP21 is now being offered for sale on Bring a Trailer out of Tampa, Florida and it comes with a clean Florida title in the name of the owner’s LLC. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer – Header image provided by Barrett-Jackson
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
