1991 Volvo 240 Se Wagon 4-door 2.3l No Reserve on 2040-cars

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Watch this Volvo truck drive up a quarry road using hamster-powered steering

Volvo Trucks has been producing some of the most interesting and thrilling commercials around as of late, and this new one involves a live hamster. While you may wonder how could a hamster and a dump truck could be exciting, just know this ain't a Kia Soul commercial: the Swedish truck company enlists the help of a hamster named Charlie to steer an FMX construction truck up a winding road in Ourence, Spain. From the bottom of a quarry. We are not kidding you.
All we ask is that you watch the commercial below to see how it all goes down. If you like what you see, you can then check out a bonus 'behind the scenes' video and press release for details about how Volvo Trucks prepared for the stunt.

This Volvo truck is for the birds... literally

If you were mentally scarred by the Alfred Hitchcock thriller The Birds, you may not want to watch this video. For everyone else, this is a rather perplexing event. It appears that thousands of pigeons are released from a Volvo truck at the command of a whistle. It looks visually stunning, but for what purpose? Well, we're not entirely sure, but it looks to be the simultaneous release at the start of a major pigeon race.
Now, we don't suspect that Volvo has eschewed its self-titled Volvo Ocean Race for a more avian-inspired competition. We're also not quite sure where this competition is being held, but it may be an annual event, as we also found a similar video with a different MAN rig on YouTube that was posted in 2011. but if you have even the slightest case of Ornithophobia, you best steer clear of this feathered mob. Otherwise, check out the video of this massive flock on the move in the video below. We've even thrown in a video of the gas station scene from Hitchcock's 1963 classic to get you in the mood.

Volvo's oldest model earns IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award [w/video]

Volvo ought to be tooting its horn over this one. The XC90, an SUV that has essentially been on sale for over 10 years, just captured a Top Safety Pick+ award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The TSP+ is a new title, reserved for cars that earn "Good" or "Acceptable" ratings on each IIHS crash test.
This is a difficult feat for a new car - Toyota's new Corolla infamously failed to net a Top Safety Pick+ earlier this year - largely because of the new small overlap front tests, which have left many automakers struggling. But Volvo, somehow, was able to conquer the tests with a car that predates the original iPhone by a few years. The XC90 earning a Top Safety Pick+ is like Betty White taking the gold in the decathlon. With Volvo in the midst of working on the XC90's replacement, we're curious to see just how well a more modern version does in crash testing. Take a look down below for the crash test video and a press release from IIHS.