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Volvo C70 - not just for modern saints

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Created on July 14, 2020

Reading time 7min

Written by:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Volvo Car Group / Werk

Volvo / Werk

Volvo

Volvo Car Group Gothenburg

Volvo Car Group

Archiv Bertone

Volvo Car Corporation

Archiv

Volvo Car Group / Werk

Volvo / Werk

Volvo

Volvo Car Group Gothenburg

Volvo Car Group

Archiv Bertone

Volvo Car Corporation

Archiv

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Volvo C70 (1998) - mit Dolby-Surround-System

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Volvo C70 Convertible Centaurus 601 (1996)

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Volvo C70 Cabrio (1998) - offene Variante mit Stoffdach

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Volvo C70 Cabrio (1998) - wo bleibt die Sonne?

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Volvo C70 Cabrio (2001) - schnell unterwegs

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Volvo C70 Cabrio (2002) - elegante Farbkombination

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Volvo C70 Cabrio (2003) - elegant und offen für alles

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Volvo C70 Cabriolet (1999) - Werbung - bringen Sie Ihre Familie in Sicherheit

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Volvo C70 (2005) - Nachfolger des ersten C70, aber mit versenkbarem Blechdach im Stil der Zeit

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Roger Moore als Simon Templar in der Fernsehserie Simon Templar/The Saint mit dem Volvo P1800 S

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Volvo P 1800 - das neue Volvo-Sportcoupé am Genfer Autosalon 1961

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Volvo P 1800 S (1962) - frühes Serienmodell

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Volvo P 1800 S (1963) - eleganter Sportwagen für alle Tage - Abbildung aus dem Verkaufsprospekt

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Volvo P 1800 ES (1972) - ein Heckscheibenwischer war aufpreispflichtig

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Volvo P 1800 ES (1971) - bereits der Prototyp war goldfarbig gespitzt

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Volvo 262 C (1978) - die erste Serie war standarmässig in Silbern gespritzt

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Volvo 262 C (1982) - in dunkler Farbgebung als Serie 3

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Volvo 780 (1985) - Weltpremiere des in Zusammenarbeit mit Bertone entstandenen geleganten Coupés - Genfer Automobilsalon 1985

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Volvo 780 Coupé (1985) - aus dem Schaffen von Bertone

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Volvo 780 (1985) - ideales Luxuscoupé für das vermögende Paar

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Volvo 480 ES (1986) - mit Frontantrieb und quer eingebautem Motor vorne, Neuheit - Genfer Autosalon 1986

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Summary

When Volvo presented the C70 in Paris in 1996, the brand already had an impressive coupé tradition. However, the C70, which was powered exclusively by five-cylinder engines, was positioned significantly differently to the P 1800 or 480 ES. And it was also available as a convertible. The Americans loved both versions, but here in Germany the C70 siblings had a somewhat harder time, despite their intoxicating beauty and innovative technology. This vehicle report looks back some 25 years and describes the first-generation C70.

This article contains the following chapters

Famous ancestor
Multi-stage transition
Elegant new release
Proven technology
A warm welcome
Open-top version generates increased interest
Long production time

Estimated reading time: 7min

Preview (beginning of the article)

When they were looking for a suitable company car for the main protagonist in the 1997 film "The Saint" starring Val Kilmer, the choice fell on the Volvo C70. After all, Roger Moore, who played Simon Templar in the late 1960s television series "The Saint", had already driven a Volvo Coupé, the P1800S to be precise. Although the Volvo P1800 was not Volvo's first sports car - the P 1900 already existed before it - Volvo opened up the world market with the coupé presented at the beginning of the 1960s and enriched the sports car world with a coupé suitable for everyday use, which was also built as a sports estate from the 1970s onwards.

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