Okay, before we get going – yes, I’m aware that Volvos aren’t made in Germany. Worse yet, this Volvo isn’t even made in Sweden. But occasionally we like to showcase some European cousins from the land of Abba, so if you’ll grant me a little leeway we’re going to look at this particular Volvo. As Volvos go, I think the 262C Bertone might be the least attractive made. That’s saying something, since I think the 240 might be the least attractive car of the 1980s. But the 262C was basically gone by the 1980s, and it embodied all of the wrong things of the 1970s. There was the chopped-look that Bertone gave the ungainly coupe. It was always somehow out of proportion to me, and despite the top-tier name I don’t think it’s an attractive design at all. Then there’s the reputation of the parts; assembled by Bertone in Turin, Italy, the 262 also featured the anemic and much maligned Peugeot/Renault/Volvo “PRV” V6. Top that off with a vinyl roof, and the 262C always seemed like a bit of a joke to me – what Swedes thought people in Florida would like if they bought a Volvo. So, I was not upset at all to find that someone had modified one. And when I say modified, it’s hard to see what they left alone:
