Most military vehicles—tanks, HUMVEEs, duck tours boats—are resoundingly horrible to drive and virtually impossible to use as a normal vehicle. Not so with the 1970s Volvo C303, which is built to defeat the Soviet Union but can happily drive around town.
That’s what Regular Car Reviews found out recently, being surprised that the cab-forward midengine truck with portal axles was actually pretty easy to drive. The straight six gasoline engine had plenty of low-speed power, the transmission shifted like a car, and the dimensions were surprisingly manageable.
The ultra-low top speed and the tendency to get a little hot in baking summers were the only issues.
I found this out myself when I (and my coworker Andrew) drove this very Blipshift-owned Volvo last year. If you can get over how you look like a military wannabe driving it, the thing is actually pretty sweet.