Community hub
Recent from talks
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Volvo 262C
The Volvo 262C is a luxury coupé made by Volvo from 1977 (as a 1978 model) until 1981. Based on the 264 six-cylinder saloon, the 262C was designed in-house by Volvo's Jan Wilsgaard, and built by Bertone in Turin, Italy.
The 262C was positioned to serve as a halo car for Volvo. The automaker commissioned the Italian industrial design firm specializing in car styling and manufacturing. The plan was to assemble 1,200 cars per year, of which 1,000 were for the U.S. market.
The drivetrain, suspension, floor pan, and many of the body panels of the 262C were taken directly from the Volvo 260 four-door sedan, with Bertone building the roof pillars, roof pan, windshield surround, cowl, and upper parts of the doors. The roof of the 262C is about 100 mm (3.9 in) lower than that of the 260 sedans. The chopping had the effect of cramping interior space, and the wide C-pillars made for small-sized rear side windows.
The 262C used the PRV engine, a V6 engine developed jointly by Peugeot, Renault, and Volvo. The engine used a Lambda-sond oxygen sensor system; this was the first use of this system on a production V engine.
Standard equipment included power windows and mirrors, central locking, cruise control, air conditioning, heated front seats, leather interior, alloy wheels, and an electrically powered radio antenna. The only optional extras were a limited-slip differential, a choice of stereos, and the no-cost option of a Borg-Warner three-speed automatic instead of the four-speed manual with electrically operated overdrive. By 1981, the manual-transmission option had been discontinued for the U.S. market.
Aimed mainly at the United States market, the 262C was Volvo's first entry into the luxury car segment. About half of the annual production was earmarked for the United States. It competed against the Cadillac Eldorado and the Mercedes-Benz 280 CE and 300 CD. A total of 6,622 cars were produced from 1978 until 1980.
The model was initially only available in one color combination: silver paint with black vinyl-covered roof. However, other color combinations were available in later years.
Road test by Road & Track magazine described favorable public reaction to the 262C. The journalists detailed the all black leather interior to be of high quality and expected given it was the "priciest Volvo yet ever built" at $15,000. However, lack of headroom was undeniable and the 200-series chassis did not provide the control, comfort, and ride of competitive models such as from Mercedes.
Hub AI
Volvo 262C AI simulator
(@Volvo 262C_simulator)
Volvo 262C
The Volvo 262C is a luxury coupé made by Volvo from 1977 (as a 1978 model) until 1981. Based on the 264 six-cylinder saloon, the 262C was designed in-house by Volvo's Jan Wilsgaard, and built by Bertone in Turin, Italy.
The 262C was positioned to serve as a halo car for Volvo. The automaker commissioned the Italian industrial design firm specializing in car styling and manufacturing. The plan was to assemble 1,200 cars per year, of which 1,000 were for the U.S. market.
The drivetrain, suspension, floor pan, and many of the body panels of the 262C were taken directly from the Volvo 260 four-door sedan, with Bertone building the roof pillars, roof pan, windshield surround, cowl, and upper parts of the doors. The roof of the 262C is about 100 mm (3.9 in) lower than that of the 260 sedans. The chopping had the effect of cramping interior space, and the wide C-pillars made for small-sized rear side windows.
The 262C used the PRV engine, a V6 engine developed jointly by Peugeot, Renault, and Volvo. The engine used a Lambda-sond oxygen sensor system; this was the first use of this system on a production V engine.
Standard equipment included power windows and mirrors, central locking, cruise control, air conditioning, heated front seats, leather interior, alloy wheels, and an electrically powered radio antenna. The only optional extras were a limited-slip differential, a choice of stereos, and the no-cost option of a Borg-Warner three-speed automatic instead of the four-speed manual with electrically operated overdrive. By 1981, the manual-transmission option had been discontinued for the U.S. market.
Aimed mainly at the United States market, the 262C was Volvo's first entry into the luxury car segment. About half of the annual production was earmarked for the United States. It competed against the Cadillac Eldorado and the Mercedes-Benz 280 CE and 300 CD. A total of 6,622 cars were produced from 1978 until 1980.
The model was initially only available in one color combination: silver paint with black vinyl-covered roof. However, other color combinations were available in later years.
Road test by Road & Track magazine described favorable public reaction to the 262C. The journalists detailed the all black leather interior to be of high quality and expected given it was the "priciest Volvo yet ever built" at $15,000. However, lack of headroom was undeniable and the 200-series chassis did not provide the control, comfort, and ride of competitive models such as from Mercedes.