Volvo LCP2000

The Volvo LCP2000, where LCP stands for Light Component Prototype, is a concept car that Volvo built in 1983. It was a project that tested many engine options and different fuel types, and in it Volvo experimented with light materials such as aluminium, magnesium and plastics for the engine and body. Engineers began work in 1979 with a clean sheet to design a car for the year 2000 with the lowest possible fuel consumption. Magnesium was used extensively, with know-how from Norsk Hydro, and the wheels were developed with Campagnolo. The car was designed to weigh less than 680 kilograms and reached a top speed of 177 kilometres per hour. Two three cylinder turbodiesel engines were used, a magnesium 1.3 litre unit developed with Ricardo and a cast iron 1.4 litre Elsbett that could run on low octane petrol or sunflower oil.