I spoke to them both about the car and found out that indeed it was Bev's idea to buy the Volvo.

"I was inspired by a couple of other ladies in the car club with their own cars so decided I'd like one of my own too" said Bev. 

Just quietly Bev also reckons that Ian's ulterior motive was to have a car to tow a trailer to shows with his motorbikes on board so ironically the Volvo has a towbar already.

"It's a 240 GL which has a 4 cylinder fuel injected petrol engine and runs an automatic transmission," Ian told me.

"We bought it from a lady in Bathurst (who just happens to be politician Bob Katter's sister) and we are now the third owners of the car."

Volvos are a Swedish built car which was sold internationally and the 200 series (240 and 260) ran from 1974 to 1993.

Bev's GL is a mid range model with standard alloy wheels and a vinyl and velour interior.

Ian told me it's got  an optional instrument pack which means more dials and gauges on the dash for him to mess with when they stop working.

"So why a Volvo?" I asked Bev, and she told me it's for the great visibility when driving.

"We owned another 1984 Volvo 240 for 23 years as our family car and despite some interesting mechanical dilemmas I'd always wanted another one. 

"There was the little black box that you'd have to hit when it wouldn't start; and the time it literally stopped on the railway tracks.

"The kids bailed out and left me to push it off myself and then for some reason when I mentioned the word Volvo to the breakdown serviceman he suddenly got busy," Bev laughed.

Renowned more for their bulkiness than their sporty good looks, the Volvo has always been considered a safe car, so when Bev recently took her 240 to the Gnoo Blas classic car show in Orange, she made a mock up crash test dummy for her car.

If you look closely you'll see him behind the steering wheel in the photo with Ian.

Having said that, the Volvo 240 did enjoy some motor racing success internationally and even raced at Bathurst in the mid 1980's.

The Central West Car Club was formed in 1954 following a meeting of people from all walks of life who shared a common interest in racing high powered vehicles.

For more about the Central West Car Club be sure to look us up at www.centralwestcarclub.com