The Volvo 262C will never win beauty awards. In fact, we’ve seen more elegant tanks than them. It was designed in Sweden and built in Italy. Maybe they should have thought about doing the opposite…
The P1800 coupe, sold from the 1961 vintage, was a nice little commercial success for Volvo, with 47,492 units sold through June 1973. It was also an excellent image carrier for the brand thanks to its visibility in the Le Saint series with Roger Moore. The 1974 vintage arrived in the United States with its share of new safety standards. Volvo engineers believe the coupe will not survive because the customizations cost too much. How to replace it? Especially since the Swedes have a different problem.
Photo: Volvo
Never change a successful team!
From the 1970s, the US dollar strengthened against European currencies, including the Swedish krona. Volvo is experiencing a drop in profitability as a result of this exchange rate change. In order to maintain this, the brand decided to gradually move into the upscale range. In 1970 it introduced the 164 S to the North American market, with a 3.0-liter inline 6-cylinder engine and a beautiful grille with 4 headlights.
Let’s just put that aside to explain the nomenclature of Volvo models at that time. With the introduction of the 140 (1967 in Europe and 1968 in North America), the manufacturer’s vehicles received a three-letter name: the first relates to the serial number, the second to the number of cylinders, and the third to the number of doors. The new series will be available in versions 142, 144, 145 and 164, enjoy great popularity worldwide and take Volvo to a new production level with 1.2 million units produced.
For the person who designed it, Jan Wilsgaard, replacing it poses a crucial question: how can it be made better? Joined Volvo as an apprentice in 1950, the latter produced his first complete car in 1956 at the age of 26: the Amazon (known as the 122S in the US). From there he will autograph the lines of all major Volvos until his retirement in 1991: 140, 240, 740/760/780 and 850, including the traditional family versions. “Functional and sensible solutions are often the best,” he summarizes his philosophy. Wilsgaard will be one of the 25 finalists for the 1999 Car Designer of the Century trophy. That is, if he had any influence!
Photo: Volvo
For the 200 series, it takes an evolutionary approach starting from the 140, but introduces a series of lines developed for the VESC concept (for Volvo Experimental Safety Car), especially at the front. Its vision will seduce buyers around the world as the 240 in all its forms will be produced nearly 2.9 million times over 19 years.
In 1974, Pehr Gyllenhammar, Volvo’s president, instructed him to design a new flagship for the brand that could both replace the P1800 and secure the uptrend and generate currency. The manufacturer is close to launching the 262 GL (which is simply a 242 coupe with 264 mechanics) in America, but Gyllenhammar is thinking of something more exclusive. Little did he know that the latter would go completely unnoticed by buyers and that only 3,329 units would be sold between 1975 and 1977.
Photo: Volvo
urban legend
In 1974, Volvo inaugurated its Kalmar plant. State-of-the-art for the time, it attracted the curiosity of other manufacturers. This year Henry Ford II will be visiting. The latter came to Sweden with his own cars, which were shipped by plane. Jan Wilsgaard is said to be inspired by the lines of HFII’s Lincoln Continental coupé for the 262C. Nice story… but that doesn’t seem too realistic. At this point Wilsgaard had been in business for almost 25 years and he was obviously well informed about what was being done in Volvo’s first export market. What is almost certain is that he more or less copied the most popular models of the time: Lincoln Continental Town Coupe and Cadillac Coupe DeVille.
In addition, there is the cost constraint: You have to take over as many existing parts as possible, because the brand does not have a lot of budget for the project called “Tre Kronor” (three crowns). That’s why everything under the body line remains unchanged and the wheelbase remains at 2.64 meters, like the entire 200 series. The roof is lowered by 7 centimeters, the windscreen is tilted, while the rear pillar is wider and includes an opera window, that small Windows were very fashionable in large American cars at the time. It’s covered in a nice vinyl, also very 70. The problem is that what works on vehicles nearly 20 feet long creates awkward proportions on a car that’s only 15 feet.
Photo: Volvo
The Italian Sector
From the start, Volvo planned a reduced production volume: 1,200 units per year (1,000 for the United States and 200 for the rest of the world). Impossible to use the brand’s production lines. She then turned to the Italian coachbuilder Bertone. The two are already cooperating on the construction of the 264TE sedans (264 sedans stretched by 70 centimeters, which are used by the Swedish state as well as by several politicians in the GDR, they are produced in 335 copies).
Photo: Volvo
Series parts are sent from Sweden to the Bertone factory in Grugliasco near Turin. There the coachbuilder takes over the production of the roof and the interior (designed in Italy) as well as the final assembly. The presence of the “Bertone” logo on the front fender will mock the venerable Turin house for the coupe’s thick lines. But she had nothing to do with that, as she only took care of the construction of the model.
The French Sector
The 262C coupe was presented at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1977. The mechanical part was similar to that of the 264 GLE: 125 hp 2,664 cc V6 (in North America internal code B 27 E) mated to a 4-speed manual with electrically operated overdrive or a 3-speed Borg Warner automatic (complimentary option ). The engine is the “famous” V6 PRV, resulting from the merger of Peugeot, Renault and Volvo. It was originally going to be a V8 (hence its 90-degree opening), but the 1973 oil crisis threw the three manufacturers’ plans into disarray. Manufactured in Douvrin, northern France, it is installed in North America on various Volvo models (260, 760, 780, 960) as well as the Eagle Premier and Dodge Monaco, not to mention the DeLorean DMC12.
The interior of the 262C stands out. When we find the 264’s standard dashboard, superb thick and supple leather typical of the coupé are ubiquitous (seats, windshield doors, headrests) as well as elm grain veneers. The car is particularly well equipped: electric windows, heated seats, cruise control, power steering, air conditioning, air compressor (for the mini spare wheel), carpet in the trunk, electric antenna … The only option is the type of radio (AM -FM, cassette or with integrated CB).
Photo: Volvo
In its first year on the market, the 1978 vintage, the 262C was only available in metallic gray with a black interior. In Canada, Volvo offers it for CAD 20,350 and aims to compete with the Cadillac Coupe DeVille ($14,999) and Lincoln Continental Coupe ($16,126), as well as the BMW 633 CSi ($35,630), Jaguar XJ-S ($35,995) and Mercedes . Benz 280 CE ($35,190) (1980 model year prices).
space is missing
Road & Track magazine, in its August 1978 test, praised the interior, the ergonomics (it’s a Volvo…) and the driving position (although they found the seats too hard) and the neutral handling. On the other hand, he regrets the limited headroom (although the seat supports have been lowered compared to the sedan) and the engine’s lack of refinement. Note that the models destined for North America are characterized by a grille with 4 headlights.
In the following years there will only be gradual changes. For the 1979 vintage, the taillights and trunk opening were redesigned. New metallic colors appear (depending on the market): blue, gold, black or brown. In 1980 the V6 PRV was revised and saw a displacement increase to 2,849 cm3 (code B 28 E) and an output of 130 hp. A spoiler is attached to the front. The model is called “Coupe” on this side of the Atlantic. The following year, the vinyl roof, considered obsolete, disappeared, while the grille and dashboard were slightly revised. The coupe is currently selling for $22,665 CDN.
Photo: Volvo
The 262C is often viewed as a major trading flop. However, with 6,622 examples produced (1978: 1,670, 1979: 2,120, 1980: 1,920, 1981: 912), it met Volvo’s original goals without being a success. Of these, about 5,000 reached the shores of North America. No, the real problem is that it failed to boost Volvo’s image and soon became the subject of many jokes. That won’t deter the brand, however, which will launch a replacement in 1986: the 780 (this time luckily co-developed with the Italians). But this is another story…