I always keep my eye out for cool cars, even when running errands. Seeing a supercar or JDM legend is always a treat, but sometime, I’m just confused about what I’m looking at. I spotted this red hatchback while driving on a busy street in the suburbs of Chicago.

At first, I thought it was a Geo Storm Hatchback. When I got closer, I realized this was a car I had never seen before. Additionally, it was a car that I never knew existed.

The Volvo 480 was Volvo’s first front wheel drive car, and featured an exterior design that was a big departure from the Volvo’s traditional boxy look. It was produced from 1986 to 1995, but plans to sell the car in the United States were scrapped because of the weak dollar. The sleek popup headlights quite different from the big rectangular headlights that Volvo were known for at the time. The diagonal grill with the Volvo logo (the iron mark), is located on the bottom section of the bumper cover, rather than between the headlights.

These cars are not even common in Europe, so they are quite rare in the United States. This example was in exceptional condition, and it was also the version with the 1.7L turbo engine. This was a very cool car, and I hope to see it a concours or car meet in the future.