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The owner of this 1980 Volvo 262C Bertone Coupe has decided that it needs to go, so they have listed it here on craigslist in Phoenix, Arizona. It is going to need an interior and a motor, but this rare Swede is being offered for $600. At that price and with only 6k built, it might be worth buying even if it is just to part out so others can keep theirs on the road a little longer. Take a look at this article on Hemmings to learn what made these special. Special thanks go to Horse Radish for the tip!
REAL PROJECT doesn’t even begin to cover it. If you look at the pics on the photobucket link there are two in various stages of disrepair and both are missing pieces. I suspect this guy also owns at least one nice restored one?? Just a guess…
I think it needs at least 10-12k to put it back on the road.For these investment you can get a key ready car from Netherlands.
Manny
They never looked right design wise to me. A chopped roof on a block of cheese body.
Ditto they gave Bertone a free pencil on the roof, why?
Have to agree. A bit like seeing the librarian in a leather miniskirt. The design is awkward.
The interior was sumptuous, though, and I’m sure to re-do it would cost lots.
I’m not sure that is a good analogy, although I get your point. I guess I have a thing for librarians…
In 1976, Bertone did a really nice stretch job on a 264
https://www.facebook.com/volvo264te
In 1977 they did this. Apparently this was the final step in converting Bertone from a carrozziere to a manufacturer. All cars were assembled at Grugliasco. Considered a great commercial success for them. See a few of these around Australia, in pretty good condition as well. Led to the much prettier 780 coupe.
Agreed, caution in order here. Needs lots of time / $$$ / effort on the interior, paint, windows and probably sunroof, and has the usual bad V6 engine, likely bad camshafts and maybe more depending how long it was run after the camshafts went bad.
The body is the best part, so at only $600 this might make sense for someone who has a good running rust belt car and can transplant some good mechanicals into this one. But for all the time and effort required you need to really want a cheap Bertone Coupe bad.
Seller deserves lots of credit for calling it like it is: a $600 parts car.
Tough crowd this morning.
Wow, not the response I expected here.
These are rare and off course the design isn’t everybody’s cup of tea, but My goodness, as rare as these are this rust free example should get another chance.
I guess the real car guys are sleeping in this Saturday morning or they’re at the Lambrecht auction in Nebraska….
Yeah, here we are talking about Volvos when we should be in Nebraska! Oh well, I have an interesting one coming up for those of us who couldn’t make it…
Yeah the boat loads of $’s for those Chevy’s, 140k for the Cameo.
i thought that once buyers found out that they were not getting an open MSO but instead a title and a canceled MSO the bidding would cool off a little but it has not.
Didn’t someone do a Ford V-8 swap for this series Volvo?
Yup, Converse Engineering. The same outfit that built the 960 for Paul Newman and David Letterman.
There are lots of people that have converted Volvos, and there is a site devoted to them – V8volvos.com
Ian
My aunt had one of these in the 80’s (same color too). Was pretty cool when it came out.
Restoring this will never make sense, so why not have fun with it? I think it would make a great lowrider. Give it a metallic orange paint job, with airbrushed murals; they should depict Norse mythological scenes, but in classic lowrider latino style. Little dinky whitewalls on tiny gold-plated wires. Full hydraulics. Orange and white diamond tuck on every interior surface, except the white fur carpet and chrome chain steering wheel. And commission Arash (Iranian-Swedish DJ and dance-music guru extraordinaire) to do a Euro-dance version of War’s “Lowrider” to play on a continuous loop out the 10,000-watt sound system.
I’m diggin’ it.
I need some of that s**t.
You’re preaching to the choir.
Get off that acid!
this car was on ebay in the past. the photos that are part of the CL sale are of 2 different cars, this one and a black 262. i do not know what the story on that is. .
i do think replacing the motor with a volvo 4cly out of the 240 series would be the way to go. but first would have to do a PI to see how much else it needs. might be the asking price in parts or make offer. i do not know how much work it is to convert to manual transmission, i had a 264 with an automatic and that was the only thing i did not like about the car. great find.
Hmm. Hate to say it, but at this price it has
all the makings of a, dammit I really hate to
say it, a LeMons entrant. My schtick would
be to make it appear as stock as can be and
the driver made up in a 3 piece, headin’ for
the stock market.
I’m not a volvo guy. Missing an engine and interior?
Prob not something I would salvage but to each his own.
Locating good/missing trim components is/will be the challenge. To me, the original seating with it wild ‘strapped’ leather covers should have made Ricardo Montelban jump ship to Volvo to hawk ‘rich Corinthian leather’.
As the English car magazine CAR summarized these Volvos in the Good, Bad and Ugly section “Armored car looks and drives like it, too.” The interior looked like all the other Italian cars of the era; Maserati biturbo and quattroporte and even the Laforza SUV. Not Bertone’s best work by far unlike its successor, the 780, which was and still is, in my opinion, a very attractive two door.
Good point.
But for $600 I would have bought a 780 and not post it here……
Have to agree. I always thought they looked like they were done by the aftermarket folks who did “Cabriolet Tops” to match the vogue tires that filled the parking lots in Delray Beach around “Early Bird” time.
That’s why I see those around here so much. You left out the part that you can’t see the drivers just the steering wheel & the knuckles.
I liked these for some reason.
The few I have seen were always silver/black.
There is a guy in Reno, NV that took one of these and widened the body – from a rear quarter view it looks sort of like a custom 1966-67 Chevy Nova. Of course, it has the Chevy small block under the hood as well…
JTR ( Jaguars That Run ) had a small book out on doing the American V8 swap for the 240-260 series Volvos, and also sold the parts to do the job. You might be able to find a copy at http://www.addall.com , which is the best book search I have found. ( I was able to find the Haynes manual for my Triumph TR-6 , which has been out of print for decades, for less than $10 ! ) Summit Racing in Sparks, NV had copies on the shelf in the retail store , but that was probably at least 7 years ago.
Restoring one of these with a Volvo engine would not make sense financially, the V6 was a POS from Peugot-Renault ( also used in the Delorean ) that had severe cam oiling problems that usually showed up at about 115-130K due to
oil passages that were too small. I have heard that the last year Volvo used this engine that problem had been addressed, but by then it was too late.
That being said, the Volvo 2 series cars can make for very nice turnpike cruisers that will surprise other drivers when outfitted with an American V8 – I have seen several fitted with LS engines, and the small block Ford is a common swap as well – Paul Newman’s wagon had a supercharged 351 in it….and most folks would only see Grandma’s grocery-getter when looking at it.