Do you remember the… Volvo 780?

Renowned for its wagons, Volvo also has a long tradition of coupés, ranging from the P1800 to the C70. Thanks to an association with a prestigious Italian coachbuilder, the success of the 780 seemed guaranteed. However…

The Italian sector

The Bertone house is the Alfa Romeo Montreal, the Lamborghini Miura, the Lancia Stratos and it’s also… the Volvo 262C. The association between Volvo and the Italian coachbuilder began in 1976 with the 264 TE, a 7-seater limousine produced by Bertone in limited quantities. In 1978, the Swedish brand presented a coupé version of its 260, the 262C. Volvos were often said to be built like tanks.

Well, with the 262C you had a Volvo that looked like them too. Because if this coupe was well assembled at Bertone, it had been designed by Jan Wilsgaard, Volvo’s chief designer from 1950 to 1990. This may explain it… The 262C uses most of the body parts of the 260 under the body line and a roof lowered by almost 10 centimeters. Unsurprisingly, production stopped at the end of the 1981 vintage after only 6,622 units.

The last chance

At the end of the 1970s, Volvo was in a difficult financial situation. The replacement of the 200 series (240 and 260) is absolutely crucial for the survival of the brand. The project is also initially baptized 1155, which means “5 minutes before midnight”. Hello mood… The design of the 700 series (740 and 760) began in 1975.

It is Jan Wilsgaard who will sign the cuneiform lines (despite proposals from Coggiola and Italdesign) and Sven-Gunnar Johansson who will be the technical director. After a complicated development, the 760 finally arrived on the market in 1982, followed by the 740 in 1984. The 700 series quickly allowed Volvo to replenish its pockets, especially since the 240 was still selling very well.

A true collaboration

It was in this difficult context and after the failure of the 262C that Volvo made the belated decision to launch the study of a coupe based on the 700 platform. An agreement was signed between the brand and Bertone in August 1981. Very happy to run its production lines, the coachbuilder nevertheless asked to be involved in the design this time around.

However, at the beginning, Volvo only wanted to carry out a project very similar to the 262C. Jan Wilsgaard leaves for Italy and will work together with Bertone’s designers. The end result is a compromise of the two influences and the car shares nothing with the 760. Logically, Sven-Gunnar Johansson is in charge of technical development.

The coupé comes from Bertone, at the Grugliasco factory, in the suburbs of Turin. The Italians receive most of the floors, engines, transmissions, suspensions, heating and air conditioning systems as well as the dashboards from Sweden. Most of the manufacturing is done by hand, which is why it takes 49 hours to build a 780.

The factory was capable of producing 20 cars/day but will never produce more than 12/day. To make the stunning seats (which can be available in two tones), 20 square meters of leather are needed. The woodwork is reinforced with a steel plate to prevent splinters in the event of impact (we’re at Volvo, don’t forget…).

A class apart

The 780 was unveiled to the public on March 4, 1985, at the Geneva Auto Show. It will be available in Europe from 1986 and a year later in North America. It is only offered with the V6 B280F (house code for the V6 PRV resulting from a joint development between Peugeot, Renault and Volvo and which will be found in several other brands, including DeLorean) of 2.8 liters and generating 145 horsepower.

It is mated to a 4-speed automatic transmission. European markets also get a Volkswagen Genuine 2.4-litre turbodiesel inline-6. At launch, a V6 turbo is planned (that of the Renault 25 Turbo and Alpine GTA) for later but it will never be used by Volvo, not meeting American pollution standards and experiencing cooling problems under the hood of the prototypes.

If the 780 cannot count on the ardor of its engine, it puts on its list of standard equipment: aluminum wheels, anti-theft alarm, automatic air conditioning, electric sunroof, radio cassette player with 4 speakers, full leather finish and wood, electric and heated seats… Not to mention the arsenal of safety equipment: 4 disc brakes, ABS, driver’s side airbag and front seat belt pretensioners. Often, all this is available as an option from the German competition.

Exactly, let’s talk about the competition. At 49,980 Canadian dollars, in 1988, the 780 seems to be in a class of its own since it faces rivals that are much better motorized but also significantly more expensive: BMW 635 CSi ($71,900), Jaguar XJS ($61,375 ) or Mercedes 300 CE ($71,750). At launch, Volvo described the 780 as “an exotic automobile for the practical man”. The press salutes its finish, its comfort, its equipment, but regrets the absence of a manual gearbox as well as its high fuel consumption (the V6 PRV, naturally gluttonous, is not helped by a Cd of 0.39).

Support sales

Volvo will hardly touch the aesthetic part during the career of the 780, however, the technical part will know some important evolutions. The 1988 vintage saw the introduction of a new independent multi-link rear axle (with Boge Nivomat leveling control). The following year, a second engine was added to the range.

It is a 2.3 liter turbo B230FT with 175 horsepower, still mated to an automatic transmission. Volvo hopes to help sales by introducing this sportier model. For 1990, the turbo engine was extensively revised and now developed 188 horsepower. For its last year of production, 1991, the 780 simply took the name “Coupé”.

At launch, the manufacturer thought to build 3,000 units per year. But the 780 did not really convince customers and only 8,518 Volvo 780s were made. The United States will absorb the bulk, ie 5,669. As for Canada, Volvo will only sell 364 units there. Production will stop on December 9, 1990 at the Grugliasco plant. It will be necessary to wait until 1997 for a new coupé to be part of the Volvo range. But this is another story…