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VOLVO HISTORY

The Volvo Owners Club has put many of these historic documents together here to make them easier to find. These documents contain lots of useful information, both of a general and technical nature.

1920-2005
Technical facts about the various models with photographs, and a comprehensive Volvo Car Production Statistics from 1927.

1920-2000
These documents have fuller details about the year and the models.

History Articles
A series of documents from Volvo and other sources. Some have company statistics and other detail the background of Volvo and car production. Most are in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.

VOLVO COMMUNITY FORUM


Visit the Volvo Community Forums, a series of forums covering all models of Volvo cars.

VOLVO SALES AND WANTS


Visit the Volvo Sales and Wants, a place to buy or sell any Volvo car or car parts.

VOLVO GALLERY

Visit the Volvo Gallery, a place to view and upload your own photographs of Volvo cars.
Click to enlarge.

by MMOISI
· · ·
140, 164
168 photos
58 comments
by Stephen B
· · ·
XC90
6 photos
3 comments

THE HISTORY OF VOLVO CARS

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VOLVO C70 CABRIOLET/CONVERTIBLE IN PRODUCTION 1997-

[ 940 | 940est | 960 | 960est | 850 | 850est | V40 | S40 | V70 | C70 Coupe | S70 | C70 Con | S90 | V90 | S80 ]

C70 Convertible

The story of Volvo convertibles is as old as the Volvo car itself. In 1927, the first Volvo car was an open car, the ÖV4. During the 1930‘s a number of convertibles was built on different Volvo chassis by independent specialist coachbuilders. In 1956 - 57, the famous Volvo Sport (P1900) was produced in a very limited number of 67 specimens, of which most have been preserved to this day.

Many were surprised when the C70 Convertible was presented in 1997, as this was by far the most exclusive and expensive car with a Volvo badge until then.

However, the C70 Convertible was far from being just beautiful. First and foremost it was an exciting 'drivers car' with almost the same roadholding characteristics as the C70 Coupé, and with top speed and acceleration far beyond the figures obtained by most so called 'sports cars'.

Volvo had long hesitated to make an open car for safety reasons. But, thanks to the Volvo ROPS (Roll Over Protection System) innovation, safety was integrated even if the open car should turn upside down, thanks to an automatic roll-over-bar which was activated in the event of an accident.

Volvo C70 Convertible was first and foremost intended for the North American market, but the open Volvo soon became popular in several other markets with a climate favouring open cars (the C70 is of course also sold in cold countries like Sweden, but in smaller numbers).

The C70 Convertible combines its beautiful looks and high performance with superior comfort, thanks to an ergonomic interior, top-class audio equipment and a soft top offering the same insulation (or better) than a conventional steel roof.

Production of Volvo C70 takes place at the Uddevalla plant in limited numbers.

In 2005/6 a new C70 model was launched that had a retractable steel roof.

 
Technical facts:
 
Prod. years: 1997 -
Prod. volume:  
Body style: 2-door convertible
Engine: 5-cyl in-line DOHC, 1.984, 2319, 2.435
Transmission: 5-speed, 5-speed automatic
Brakes: Hydraulic, all-round disc brakes
Dimensions: Overall length 472 cm, wheelbase 266 cm

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