There's a Volvo 262C parked in a driveway scant blocks from my house; it would be a super-cool DOTS car, but it's off-limits. Not so for the Bertone in ejacobs' neighborhood, which is on the street and set up for easy photography with no other vehicles nearby. These things sold for 15 grand back in the day, well over twice the price of a regular 242; this one has some rust, but looks pretty complete.
Down On The Street Bonus Edition, 1970s, 1979 volvo 262c, 1979 volvo bertone, 262, 1979, bertone, colorado...
Volvo Bertone Flashes Italo-Swedish Style On Denver's Boulevards
4:00 PM on Tue May 6 2008
By Murilee Martin
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40 comments














Comments
1st of all... i like it!
& 2nd of all; how much do y'all think would cost to make it in proper shape again (u know, PIMP it out with Xzbit!)...
& 3rd of all (this time 4 real), i didn't even know that Bertone was into volvos!!!
I like that it has a trailer hitch.
this is why i prefer the weekends; no volvo's and the tree hugging left wing liberals aren't preaching the pious lifestyle i need to suffer thru
When I worked in security at a Hebrew college in Cincinnati, there was a guy that had one of these, I always teased him about selling it to me. He had the windows tinted jet black, along with black-outs for the headlights. Oddly this one is the same color, accept the guys was in tip top shape... I should ask my buddy if he still stops by, I want that car...
Man, this car has torn me to bits over the years, swinging from "the proportions are all wrong" to "I want one!"
>still swinging<
Why is it that after the wonderful post on grammer and such from Al, we seem to be having some lame-ass comments here, poorly spelled?
What did the additional >$7.5K get you, other than a chopped roof? Some performance increase, I hope? Regardless, I would rather have bought two new 242s than one of these.
That was my question @lankybits: I wanted my mom to get one so bad when I was a tyke.. but is it all over a chopped roof and a crown badge?
@lankybits: It's also got the V6 and a Swedish Bordello interior (like a smaller Continental). I know there's more than that, but I'd have to check the brochure when I get home.
@tbennett017: Looking again, I think I see the significance of this car. The low roof, the feeling of sitting shoulder-deep in an oversized bathtub: clearly this is a direct ancestor of the Chrysler 300C.
Bertone famously did the 262 by phone... he just described it to one of the junior stylists and they signed it off.
Probably....
I love it. But then, I like dunking Cheetos into my tea.
ah...der swedish toonderbird....(and before the grammar police call me out, those are supposed to be misspelled)
So with the proper modifications would it be a Volvo-chero or a Bertonamino? Regardless of which manufacturer it is most closely linked, I really like the sound of a Bertonamino. Cut out the back window and turn those C pillars into XJS-esque buttresses! Also needs a bull bar off a Crown Vic.
I've never liked this car. Looks like some half-assed customizer chopped the top, then gave up.
There's a chopped Chevy van that parks near Rainbow grocery in SF with the same look, it just says "pointless" to me.
@TX Law: Well... Volvo is owned by Ford, so I think it's a Volvo-chero... or a Bertonechero.
When Volvo takes a walk on the wild side, they don't fool around.
Seriously, they don't. They tart it up imperceptibly and they refuse to fool around.
all it needs is a V8
@Rust-MyEnemy: Cheetea? Teachos?
Nuccio: Like, it's a 200-series coupe.
Stylist: Uh-huh.
Nuccio: And then you cut the roof off.
Stylist: So it's a convertable?
Nuccio: No, no. Then you make the pillars shorter, and put the roof back on.
Stylist: Why?
Nuccio: It looks cool. You see here how... trust me.
Stylist: Okay, is that it?
Nuccio: Ye.. put some badges on it.
Stylist: Okay.
Nuccio: And a vinyl roof.
Stylist: Right.
Nuccio: One of the badges should be a crown.
Stylist: Yes.
Nuccio: And the wheels. Something like... Like that DeLorean.
Stylist: That doesn't exist yet.
Nuccio: Right. Like that, but something from now.
Stylist: Sure.
This is one of those cars that probably seemed like a good idea at the time. You've got to love it though!
There's one of these by me and it's got a 302 in it, and it's driven by a 50-something woman. The first time I saw it, I thought it was odd to see an older Volvo with dual exhaust. Then I heard it, and saw the 302 badge.
I remember as a kid, flipping though the pages of a Volvo brochure I picked up at the local auto show:
Boring,
Boring,
Boring,
Hey, the 262C is pretty cool looking.
Boring,
Boring...
A few years back my dad and I worked on one of these. Aside from the roof and badging, the only thing I remember standing out was the wood (or was it "wood"?) paneling on the dash held on with exposed screws.
We were talking about how strangely this Swedish car was designed, when he said "You think up some f---ing weird s--t when you're stuck in the snow six months out of the year." He didn't realize the owner had come by and was standing behind him.
@TheTooth: @TX Law:
@Red AuerБЯд╒╒: Nicely done! I'd drive it!
@Red AuerБЯд╒╒: Don't forget some rear-facing seats in the bed. (And perhaps a roll bar with KC Highlights, but I don't want to be greedy.)
@RoninianHoon: I think all the Bertone 262s were this color, actually..
Hey Braff- how about a Bertone 2-door wagon?
@slantsick:
San Diego Volvo has one of these on their lot. It is mint, never titled (has the original stickers still on) and has less than 500 miles on the clock. If I ever hit the Lotto, I'm gonna make them an offer.
[www.volvoadventures.com]
This Bertone is more to my tastes. I saw a beautiful example in Rosemont a couple of months ago.
@Red AuerБЯд╒╒: And here is a non fotoshopped convirtible [www.volvobertone.com]
@TheTooth: Know what it's for? A one-time move, that's what.
The 262 was nice and all but it has nothing on the 780. I would loveeeee to track down a nice 1991 Bertone the only year with the Limited Slip Dif.
Do not forget the Jenson bodied p1800's
Looked better as it was originally intended, with the single lens rectangular headlamps.
They made the car look more 'interesting European', less 'ugly GM thing'.
No, I've not seen that US headlamp treatment before, and it really does wreck the whole look (if you consider the original look wreckable, of course, which I do).
Bertone must have been quite embarrassed by this. How much extra did Volvo pay him?
@lankybits: V6 and Italian leather all over the insides
Do you mean "grammar," by any chance?@maxforrest32:
I've always seen the Volvo Bertone as kind of an inside joke that I just don't get. To me, if I really wanted a car with a vinyl roof and all square-like, I'd have grabbed an Olds Toronado Brougham and be done with it.
@SundaySunday: You can't see the interior from these pictures. If you ever have a change to take a look at the interior on either one of the Bertones, you can see why it makes sense as a personal luxury coupe.
My brother bought a black over silver Bertone Volvo to match his black/silver '75 Jaguar XJC. He even added matching K.H. wire wheels and leaping cat hood ornament.
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