The Girl Gang Garage has teamed with Volvo Cars to call attention to the need for women in automotive trades by building a custom plug-in hybrid electric Volvo car with a team of women from around the world. Named the “Iron Maven”, the all-female build consists of a 1961 Volvo PV544 retrofitted with the 415 horsepower powertrain and hundreds of parts and components from a 2021 Volvo S60 T8 Recharge plug-in hybrid.
A contest to choose the custom paint for the Iron Maven closes in early August, and the custom Volvo will be unveiled at the 2022 SEMA show on November 1, 2022.
“This unique and ambitious project is a celebration of past, present and future,” said Bogi Lateiner, owner of Girl Gang Garage. “The Iron Maven celebrates Volvo’s heritage while integrating its present technology, celebrates women in trades while welcoming new women into the fold, and honors the heritage of car building while integrating modern technology such as 3D printing. It’s been a pleasure leading this project that means so much for so many.”
Iron Maven is the third all-female build from Girl Gang Garage and is the largest to date with more than 150 women participating from around the world. The Volvo Car Technical Support Team is supporting the build with select component and system integration.
The 1961 Volvo PV544 in the build is a barn find from the Phoenix, Arizona area. The Volvo’s original drivetrain is being upgraded with a plug-in hybrid electric drivetrain; a Drive-E, four-cylinder gasoline engine paired with electric motors. Modern vehicle control systems, the Polestar Engineered suspension and the Sensus infotainment system are all planned for integration. Major modifications, custom 3D-printed components, hand fabrication and technical analyses ensure the final car carries through the essence of classic, current and forward-looking elements and approaches.
No pictures of the “girls”? WTF?
Wow. There you go. Care to post a picture of yourself in your uniform for us women – we can never get enough of stained tee shirts and beer bellies.
let’s see the car or a rendition of it….
But why?