Volvo 262C

{{Infobox automobile | name = Volvo 262C | image = File:1978 Volvo 262 Coupé Bertone.jpg | caption = 1978 Volvo 262C Bertone (with US-spec headlights) | manufacturer = [[Volvo Cars|Volvo]] / Bertone | aka = Volvo Coupé | production = 1977–1981<br />6,622 built<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.volvoclub.org.uk/pdf/brochures/IMP-262C.pdf |title=Volvo 262c |work=Volvo Car Club UK |access-date=6 May 2024}}</ref> | model_years = 1978–1981 | assembly = Italy: [[Turin]] ([[Gruppo Bertone]]) | class = {{ubl |[[Mid-size luxury car]] |[[Grand tourer]]}} | body_style = 2-door [[coupé]] | layout = [[FR layout]] | platform = | related = [[Volvo 200 Series|Volvo 260 series]] | engine = {{ubl |2664 cc ''[[PRV engine|B27 (PRV)]]'' [[V6 engine|V6]] |2849 cc ''[[PRV engine|B28/B280 (PRV)]]'' V6 }} | transmission = {{ubl |3-speed automatic |4-speed manual}} | wheelbase = {{cvt|2640|mm|in|1}} | length = {{cvt|4890|mm|in|1}} | width = {{cvt|1710|mm|in|1}} | height = {{cvt|1440|mm|in|1}} | weight = {{cvt|1425|-|1440|kg|lb|1}} | predecessor = | successor = [[Volvo 780]] | designer = [[Jan Wilsgaard]] | sp = us }}

The '''Volvo 262C''' is a luxury coupé made by [[Volvo Cars|Volvo]] from 1977 (as a 1978 model) until 1981. Based on the [[Volvo 200 Series|264 six-cylinder]] saloon, the 262C was designed in-house by Volvo's [[Jan Wilsgaard]], and built by [[Gruppo Bertone|Bertone]] in [[Turin]], [[Italy]].<ref name=McC>{{cite web |url= https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/volvo-262c-bertone-coupe |title=Volvo 262C Bertone Coupe |last=McCourt |first=Mark J. |date=23 September 2018 |work=Hemmings Motor News |access-date=6 May 2024}}</ref>

==Concept and design== The 262C was positioned to serve as a [[Halo effect#Marketing|halo car]] for Volvo.<ref name="Niedermeyer">{{cite web|url= https://www.curbsideclassic.com/vintage-reviews/vintage-rt-review-1978-volvo-262c-there-simply-is-not-enough-headroom/ |title=Vintage R&T Review: 1978 Volvo 262C - "There Simply Is Not Enough Headroom" |first=Paul |last=Niedermeyer |date=26 December 2020 |website=curbsideclassic.com |access-date=14 January 2026}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Niedermeyer"/>

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.<ref name=McC/> The roof of the 262C is about {{cvt|100|mm|in|1}} lower than that of the 260 sedans. The [[Chopping and channeling#Chopping|chopping]] had the effect of cramping interior space, and the wide [[Pillar (car)|C-pillars]] made for small-sized rear side windows.<ref name="Puthz">{{cite web |last1=Puthz |first1=Martin |title=Cut-price cruise liners: Volvo 262 C and 780 Bertone |work=Classic & Sports Car |url= https://www.classicandsportscar.com/features/cut-price-cruise-liners-volvo-262-c-and-780-bertone |date=28 September 2020 |access-date=3 August 2022}}</ref>

[[File:1978 Volvo 262 Coupé Bertone Norge.jpg|thumb|Rear view of a 1978 262C (pre-facelift)]]

The 262C used the [[PRV engine]], a [[V6 engine]] developed jointly by [[Peugeot]], [[Renault]], and Volvo.<ref name=McC/> The engine used a Lambda-sond [[oxygen sensor]] system; this was the first use of this system on a production [[V engine]].<ref name=hartford>{{cite magazine|last=Hartford |first=Bill |date=February 1978 |title= Imports & Motorsports: 1978 Volvos |page=42 |magazine=Popular Mechanics |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=vc8DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA42&dq=Popular+Mechanics+Volvo+262C&hl=en |via=Google Books |volume=149 |issue=2 |access-date=14 January 2026}}</ref>

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 [[BorgWarner|Borg-Warner]] three-speed automatic instead of the four-speed manual with electrically operated overdrive.<ref name=McC/> By 1981, the manual-transmission option had been discontinued for the U.S. market.<ref name=RT127>{{citation |title=Road & Track Road Test Annual and Buyer's Guide |date=January–February 1981 |editor-first=Tony |editor-last=Hogg |page=127 }}</ref>

==Reception== 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.<ref name=RT127/> It competed against the [[Cadillac Eldorado]] and the [[Mercedes-Benz W123|Mercedes-Benz 280 CE and 300 CD]]. A total of 6,622 cars were produced from 1978 until 1980.<ref name=McC/>

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.<ref>{{cite web |title=Volvo 262C Petrol |work=Volvo Cars of Canada |url= https://www.volvocars.com/en-ca/cars/legacy-models/262c/ |date=2025 |access-date=14 January 2026}}</ref>

Road test by ''Road & Track'' magazine described favorable public reaction to the 262C.<ref name="Niedermeyer"/> 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.<ref name="Niedermeyer"/> 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.<ref name="Niedermeyer"/>

One automobile journalist described the 262C as "the strangely proportioned two-door looks like a chopped diesel locomotive" that "evades the classic ideals of beauty, regardless of the stylistic authorship."<ref name="Puthz"/>

==Annual changes== [[File:Volvo 262C Bertone.JPG|thumb|1980 model year Volvo 262C (Europe), without the vinyl roof]]

For the 1979 model year, the rear-end design was modified with a deeper trunk lid and wrap-around taillights. Upgrades included thermostatic heater controls, and cars with manual transmission included the shift linkage from the 242GT.<ref name=McC/>

The 1980 model year featured an engine displacement increase from {{cvt|2664|to|2849|cc|cuin|1}} as a result of the bore going from {{cvt|88|to|91|mm|in|2}}. The engine was also reconfigured, with seven main bearings instead of four and an increase in compression ratio from 8.2:1 to 8.8:1. Also, in 1980, the front air dam from the 242GT was added to the 262C.<ref name=McC/> For North America, the 2.8 L engine was rated at {{cvt|130|hp|kW|0}}.<ref name=RT127/>

The [[vinyl roof]] cover was deleted for the final 1981 model year of production.<ref name=McC/>

==Convertible== [[File:Volvo 262 C Solaire Classic-Gala 2022 1X7A0261.jpg|thumb|Volvo 262 C Solaire]]

On the occasion of Volvo's 25th anniversary in the United States, Volvo North America contracted Newport Conversions of [[Santa Ana, California]], to convert the 262C into a [[convertible]]. It was destined as a gift to the company CEO. The version was called the 262C ''Solaire''.

Volvo's Swedish headquarters vetoed the project due to safety concerns. Nevertheless, a total of five convertibles were made.<ref>{{cite web |title=Volvo 262C Solaire – med himlen som tak! |trans-title=Volvo 262C Solaire - with the skies for a roof! |language=sv |last=Nyblad |first=Fredrik |url= https://www.klassiker.nu/video/volvo-262c-solaire-med-himlen-som-tak |website=klassiker.nu |date=15 July 2019}}</ref>

==References== {{commonscat|Volvo 262 C}} {{Reflist}}

[[Category:Volvo vehicles|262C]] [[Category:Bertone vehicles]] [[Category:Coupés]] [[Category:Executive cars]] [[Category:Luxury vehicles]] [[Category:Rear-wheel-drive vehicles]] [[Category:Cars introduced in 1977]] [[Category:Cars discontinued in 1981]] [[Category:1980s cars]]