Arriving in 1996 with a surreal, drum n' bass-laced ad campaign, glowing praise from Italian design critics and a trophy-laden touring car team, the S40 represented less of a change in direction for Volvo and more of a fully-fledged shift in the cosmos.
Gone was the slab-sided simplicity that characterised Volvos of old. The S40 (and its big-booted counterpart the V40) stood as rakish, low-slung slices of the booming '90s C-segment, with an engine and trim level to suit even the choosiest of customers.
The turbocharged T4 was a demon from 0-60, if not a touch twitchy in corners, while the Mitsubishi-engined GDI models, though sluggish from fourth gear up, proved bulletproof in the long run. Even the diesels were bearable once direct injection became available.
That said, you'd be hard pushed to find many on the move these days. This 2001 model can be found tucked away in Dublin's historic red-brick Georgian quarter, off the road since March of last year.
Its many dings, scrapes, dents and scratches suggest a hard past - the right side in particular's taken quite the hammering, with a broken indicator, a rather incriminating red streak along the front bumper and a thoroughly flattened right rear tyre.
Scruffy S40s used to be quite a common sight up until the last couple of years, their Japanese underpinnings keeping them running longer than any Continental counterparts. 30 years have passed since the model was first unveiled to the public - perhaps it's unsurprising that the last of them are dying out.
Glad I got some Dutch angles in, though. About time.
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