There’s something about the Volvo 262C that lures you in with a promise of so much more.
Volvo UK brought their chop-top-coupe to the recent SGMW heritage and drive day and it wowed the crowds as it had on its launch back in 77. This time round however the crowds were far nicer to it.
For want of simplicity, Volvo gave Bertone of Italy the basics of the 242 and then for the master of design to wield his magic, chop the top by 4 inches, weld it all back together and finish the rest.
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It was then fitted with a vinyl roof with soft comforting padding down the C pillar adorned with a royal crown badge. It was furnished with the finest ruched black leather they could find and then slapped with some wood trim for that executive look.
The visual presence of the car is quite striking. Not however in the sense of other cars that had seen the magic of Bertone bestowed on them. Its square lines look like they had come straight out of the pencil case of Marcello Gandini. But he had nothing to do with it and Bertone only built it. The design work was all the work of Volvo. There is no getting away from the sheer bulk of the 262C up to the waistline that it is all Volvo.
The squash of the top takes some mind-bending to appreciate it. Even now, some 47 years later. It still makes you stop and stare. The angle of the windscreen goes against the upright boxy lower half. Coming out in the same year, it does have a mild visual of the demonic car from the film “The Car” Probably why Volvo only sold them in sensible silver and not black!
Cabin Fever
The big heavy doors of the 262C open with that reassuring feel of solid construction and they ‘thud’ shut behind you. The ruched leather certainly grabs your attention. It’s almost out of place in such a sensible car from a no-nonsense company like Volvo. In the 1970’s, Volvo was about sensibility and functionality over frivolity. This car has it roots firmly set with the 200 series. And no one can ever forget the boxy 265 estates.
But you can’t help but be mesmerised by that leather. It’s not just on the seats but also the door cards. You almost feel out of place not lighting up an Embassy No.5 as you get yourself comfy behind the wheel. It has a real feel of a gentleman’s smoking club about it.
And then your eyes are confronted by the Volvo sensibility of the dashboard. You could hardly not notice this because the cigar lighter end is incorporated into the design of the little corner of the facia that it’s housed in. It’s those little touches that made Volvo the sturdy wagons they became known for.
The black of the interior makes the cabin feel even smaller than it is. Light and airy it is not. And this was something that the 262C was criticised for back in the day. And this makes you wonder what muttering rotters were drinking back then. This for me at least, made it feel intimate. And this becomes more-so when you are at one with the wheel.
Power for the Lazy
The Douvrin engine has a history behind it. If it’s pub talk wooing that you’re after, ignore what the Peugeot-Renault-Volvo PRV initials stand for and go for the car most famous for this engine. The DMC DeLorean.
The 90 degree V6 unit might boast 138 horses of power but you’d be hard-pressed to find them even on the straight roads of the New Forest. The engine felt lazy due to the use of a 3-speed Borg-Warner automatic gearbox. Volvo quotes a 0-62mph time of an impressive 10.6 seconds. It’s fair to say that on my little jolly around the scenery ahead of me, you are more taken by the smoothness of the engine that refuses to budge above 3000rpm. It’s safe to say that your right leg will tire before the engine does if you hold the throttle open and aim the tachometer to 4000rpm and beyond. On the open road, it felt pointless trying to push it.
But outright performance isn’t what the 262C was or is all about. The visual splendour that is the wood treatment within the door cards reminds you where you are. In one of the greatest boulevard cruisers from the 70’s.
Driven this way and showing a little respect to the old boy, you find yourself beaming with a smile as you cruise along the roads. The 262C has a set-up that cushions you against the horrors of badly kept British roads. It makes it all so cosseting. It was quite a shame that I had to hand Volvo back the keys. I could have quite easily driven it around all day until the fuel tank ran dry.
