In June 2013, Volvo Car Australia announced that it would be joining the V8 Supercars series in 2014, partnering with Garry Rogers Motorsport (GRM) and Volvo Car Group’s global performance and motorsport partner, Polestar to go racing with second-generation S60 models.
For the 2014 season, standout rookie Scott McLaughlin returned and was joined by Volvo/Polestar’s chosen driver, Swedish racer Robert Dahlgren. This would be Dahlgren's one and only year after finishing last in the series while McLaughlin was fifth.
It didn't take long for the established teams to cry foul of Volvo's success claiming the Swedish make had engine and aero advantages over the other three marques (remember at this time there was also Ford, Holden, Nissan and Mercedes) despite the fact a Volvo was the only brand not yet to have won a championship points paying race in 2014! In May, V8 Supercars publicly declared "No advantage" and a fortnight later, McLaughlin claimed Volvo's first race and round win at Barbagallo.
McLaughlin would go on to score another four wins that year, two at Phillip Island and one a piece at the Perth 400 and at the Sydney Motorsport Park 400. It is this car (AD80901) that APEX Replicas chose to produce to represent McLaughlin's first season aboard a Volvo. A production run of 966 makes it the most produced of all S60 models.
For Robert Dahlgren’s 2014 season car, APEX Replicas selected his Sydney Motorsport Park 400 entry (AD80902) for production. With only 150 units made, Dahlgren’s model holds the title of the lowest production S60 in 1:18 scale.
The S60 scored a podium on its event debut at the Adelaide 500 in the hands of McLaughlin, fending off a fast-charging Jamie Whincup. It's a battle that will go down in Supercars history as one of the greats, bested only by McLaughlin's post-race interview, which introduced Kiwi slang word "jandal" to the Australian vernacular.
For the next round at the Australian Grand Prix, McLaughlin's car carried a cartoon of a him wearing a gigantic jandal (thong) on the roof. It would serve as a lucky charm because in race 4 of the non-championship event, McLaughlin would score Volvo's first victory with the S60.
The "Jandal" car was immortalised by APEX Replicas (AD80903) in sealed body resin form and released exlusively at the 2015 Diecast Model Expo. Total production was 586 units and with Scott McLaughlin attending that year's show, many of the models left the event with his signature on them.
For 2015, McLaughlin partnered with new teammate David Wall, who, like Robert Dahlgren before him, stayed only a single season, ultimately finishing last among full-time drivers as McLaughlin ended the year in 8th without a race win. APEX Replicas released a model of his car from the Coates Hire Sydney 500, limited to just 252 units (AD80905).
James Moffat (AD80907) - 204 units
2016 - Scott McLaughlin / Alex Premat (AD80908)
The Jandal car remains - by far - the most valuable S60 model. In fact, it is the most valuable Scott McLaughlin model as well. The Sydney Motorsport Park 400 race winner is emerging as the second most valuable model. The Robert Dahlgren car, owing to its incredible rarity (just 3 sales recorded) could challenge for the podium with its current Diecast Detective Price sitting above that of the McLaughlin Phillip Island race winner which should based on its race-winning cred, be the third most valuable S60 model.
NB: All models featured are 1:18 scale