[Source: Swedespeed.com]

By Gunnar Heinrich

The engineers at Deutschland-based, auto performance specialist com Volvo dealer Heico Sportiv say that they're ready to produce a 400 horsepower bio-fuel S80 sedan.

Volvo, it seems, is willing to have another crack at the performance sedan market after watching rivals Audi and BMW clean house in the U.S. market. But rather than engineering the car themselves, the Swedes are subing the job of creating a wikid S80 out to people who might have a better idea of how to do it.

"We wanted to explore how far we could take a special high-performance version of the S80, and Heico's impressive track record in motor sports and Volvo tuning made them the perfect partner for the job," Volvo product man Lex Kerssemakers told Autocar.

Heico aims to deliver the tuned-up S80 concept for unveiling at the Las Vegas SEMA show next month. Currently, the company's putting the final touches getting maximum hp from adding turbos to an inline-6 cylinder powerplant to see it if can hit the magic 400 mark. Volvo-people will note that Heico's not using the S80's standard, Yamaha-sourced V8.

"The turbo motor was favoured by Heico for its compatibility with E85 fuel; a turbocharged six responds better to the higher octane rating of bioethanol than a normally aspirated V8 and, although currently rated at 350bhp, Heico Sportiv is confident that the T6's output can be increased to close to 400bhp once its development is complete," Autocar reported.

As to whether the super-swift-Swede will see the light of production day, that will come down to the public's reaction at SEMA.

[Sources: Autocar, Swedespeed.com]