Bertone Beauty: 1978 Volvo 262C

1978-volvo-262c

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They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder and looking at this Volvo 262C, I think I finally understand the meaning of that saying! It’s a bit oddball and some might say it isn’t that pretty, but to these eyes, it’s a beauty! The Bertone styling is boxy, but elegant and even a bit sporty. For the past 3 years, it’s been a daily driver and looks to be in nice shape. You can find this Volvo here on eBay in Kemah, Texas with a current bid of $3,500.

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Comments

  1. Howard A Howard AMember

    You know, it’s kind of funny. For some of the cars I owned, there was always the coveted “high performance” model that was usually out of reach, and I “settled” for the less fancy car. When I had my MGB, any 6 cylinder British car would have been the next step up ( mostly a MGC) and when I had my ’78 Volvo 240, this Bertone 262 would have been THAT next step up. Like a 240 on steroids. While the interior is a little too “plastic” for me, these are awesome cars. Even though the “spaghetti bowl” of hoses and wires under the hood would make me nervous, this is a fantastic car. Certainly, can’t go wrong here.

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  2. Dave Wright

    We did a couple of these in our Volvo days. The chassis was fun with its chop top style but they had the god awful engine designed in colaboration between Puegot and Volvo. The same junk engine used in Delorean. I am sure the survival rate was quite low. I remember seeing many nice cars prematurely in junk yards from engine failure and the costs associated with repairs. We learned quickly to avoid this engine in favor of the more robust 4 cyl models.

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    • Horse Radish

      I heard about that questionable 6 cylinder motor long before an opportunity came to buy a car with it in it.
      Therefore the following model Volvo 780 (Bertone) came with either that motor or the 4 cylinder turbo, which I bought when time came .

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  3. gene

    Same engine as in a delorean. Which make an otherwise great car a pile of ……

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  4. Jeepster

    Does it take three days of wrenching to get to the heater core on these as well ??

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  5. Mr. TKD

    I’d like to have one of these with a Volvo turbo engine or a V-8 swap. I think I’d have a scaled dog.

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  6. Rock On

    Factory top chop. How much more custom can you get than that?

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  7. gene

    Back in the day , when I was doing illegal street racing. There was this guy with a
    240 4door and he had a 454 in it. It was as quiet as a regular 240 and much and I mean much faster than a Buick grand national. It was amazing to see a GN start out
    two cars length ahead of the Volvo and still loose.

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    • Mr. TKD

      I want an APB put out on this car. I have to see it run!

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  8. Rex Kahrs Rex KahrsMember

    Even Bertone could not polish this turd.

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  9. Paul B

    I always thought these incredibly ugly. All Bertone did was put that ungainly roof onto the boxy but otherwise acceptable Volvo. I didn’t know the engine was that bad. Pass — and I’m a Volvo owner.

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  10. Francisco

    They could have skipped that damn stripe. It reminds me of that stupid Porsche stripe they stuck on 914’s. A true Bertone style is attractive in its own right, and doesn’t need blatant advertising in the form of a banner. It must have been put there to appeal to American buyers who attach more importance to brand names than inherent quality. Witness the popularity of knock-off Gucci and Louis Vuitton handbags of dubious quality available up and down Canal Street in Manhattan; or of fake Rolex watches. It’s all about bragging rights and not pride of true ownership.

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    • Francisco

      That being said, I do believe this is a beautiful automobile. It combines the best of two automobile worlds; sublime Italian sculpture, and rugged Swedish engineering.

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  11. Rocko

    Volvo, a thinking man’s car !

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    • RobF

      WHAT were they thinking? Lol

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      • Murray

        What it was, it wasn’t a good idea…….

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  12. Alan (Michigan)

    Whoa.
    Didja see the old Mercury, visible in a couple of the photos, parked deep in the garage?

    (This Volvo really is a nice car)

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  13. Paul R.

    They eat camshafts and followers like crazy. A real pain in the butt to change them. Nice car.. junk engine.

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    • Horse Radish

      ditto……see above

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  14. Pfk1106

    Owned a 265gl, with the same colors, silver grey and black leather, engine and trans. Center console area looks the same, but instrument cluster on the 265 was different. Engine was much peppier than the 245dl model. Loved running through the gears and the handling was crisp for a wagon. But, the car always had engine and electrical problems.

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  15. AMCSTEVE

    That’s one ugly car.

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  16. Paul

    These rigs are great. Wheels should be silver in color. Change the oil & drive like you stole it. I had a 1980 & loved it. I now have (for Sale) a 1978 non-running, & a 1979 with a 4 cyl. engine that does run. I bought it that way, if converted I would drop in a Ford V-8.

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    • YellowjaxMember

      I’m sorry but….what a stupid saying “drove it like you stole it” have you ever had your car stolen? Not fun.

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  17. Rustytech RustytechMember

    There used to be a kit available to convert these to the 302 ci Ford, I wonder if anyone still offers them.

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    • Dave Wright

      I bet that would make it run……I wonder if IPD has them?

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  18. ROTAG999

    If i remember right the early v-6s had problems with cams going flat and maybe head gasket issues the improved later model where pretty good the Delorean got the later motors never heard anything too bad except not a power house. I know a person @ work who had the Volvo that needed a rebuilt that was very spendy i told him too look for a later low mileage in the bone yard he did not want to go that route to each his own they say.

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  19. chad

    local volvo mechanic put the 302 in,
    (stripe is not oe)
    became a nicer car…

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  20. Clinton

    It’s in Kemah . Check for rust I lived close and sold 100’s of cars around the area. Don’t believe all TX cars are rust free. Kemah and Galveston cars are subject to constant salt spray.

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  21. Jubjub

    I kinda dig the interior on these.

    That goofy stripe looks like someone had it made at a flea market.

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  22. rorty

    Looks like a clown pulled his hat down over his ears.

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