The 940 was painted white, matching the snow, and fitted with the 13-spoke alloy wheels. I have always found that an odd number for a multispoke wheel. Ten is fine, or 15, but 13..? The 940 was in great shape, clearly well-taken care of, and still used as a daily driver.
The Volvo 940
Volvo launched the 940 in 1990. It was the successor of the Volvo 740. The 940 received a facelift in 1995. The car in the photos is a post-facelift example. The Volvo 940 and the luxury 960 were typical Volvos of the time: square, sturdy, and super safe. The design was a tad boring in its period, but it seems almost timeless now.
Volvo offered the rear-wheel drive 940 with various diesel and petrol engines. This one has the 2.3 petrol under the hood. The output was a modest 135 hp and 230 Nm. Volvo sold the 940 officially in China, but sales were slow. Today, it is ultra rare. The engine doesn’t comply with the emission regulations in Beijing anymore, so many have been crapped or sold off to other provinces.
The sign
Let’s have a look at this! The top: 军事禁区, jūnshì jìnqū, forbidden military zone. The bottom: 往北50米, wǎng běi 50 mǐ, 50 meters north. Maximum speed 5 km/h. No parking. (停, tíng, to park). This is less serious than it seems. Beijing is riddled with restricted military zones and compounds of all sorts. In most cases, folks can just wander in and out. Only when there are uniformed military guards around is it better to move on.