The Volvo C70 celebrates its 20th birthday, so we look back at its history

The Volvo C70 was a very special car for the Swedish brand. It was the first coupé the company had built since the appearance of the 1800, and at Volvo they wanted it to be something different, to change the company’s image and to offer a new experience to buyers of its cars. These were the early years of the 1990s, and it was necessary to think about how to make this car different and attractive.

The design and development method of the Volvo C70 was also different, as it counted on the collaboration of the British design company Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR), which was already working with Volvo in the competition department. The small project group was led by Håkan Abrahamsson, a project manager who was not yet 40 years old and who represented the young sector of the company, which was the target being sought.

The design of the C70

To arrive at the final shape, the members of the group had to carry out an exhaustive examination of the coupés and convertibles of the main competing brands, in order to obtain all the data they needed to shape the two models they were planning to build, one of each type. And to do it, they moved to the South of France with their families to begin gathering all the data needed to start work.

The design of the Volvo C70 also involved, in a way, the families of the engineersIt is said that it was thanks to the decision to have the families accompany the engineers that they were able to obtain a series of data they would otherwise not have noticed. Being outside the industry allowed the companions to find clues that the professionals did not see, more focused on comfort and convenience than on the technical characteristics of the cars. With all this, they returned to TWR’s facilities in Oxford and the design and development work began.

While Volvo developed the base on which this C70 was to be mounted, TWR took charge of the design and the production tuning. For the design, the team received carte blanche, quite unusual in the industry, and they began to think about an important change in the bodywork. They moved away from Volvo’s characteristic square shape and considered slightly rounding the forms, offering a totally innovative design for the brand.

The new model was built on the 850, from which it kept the length and the wheelbase. Even with these dimensions, the new C70 offered a more elegant look, with a front end that recalled Volvo’s traditional design, but at the rear it had a totally different appearance. This set the trend for the following Volvo models, which have followed the line set by this model.

The launch

The collaboration between Volvo and TWR made the process fast and efficient. Only 30 months passed from the start of the project until the Volvo C70 entered the production phase. As for the engines, it reached the market with the engine that also equipped the 850, a 2.3-litre unit delivering 240 CV. The range also included a slightly milder one, with a 2.5-litre and 193 CV. In markets where engine displacement mattered for tax calculations, 2.0-litre versions were launched delivering 180 and 225 CV.

The 30 September 1996 it was presented at the Paris Motor Show, and on the very day the coupé was launched the arrival of a convertible version was announced. As a side note, it was launched with 17 possible body colours, and it had an interior designed by José Díaz de la Vega, who also took part in creating the exterior colours. The presentation of the Volvo C70 was the first that could be followed live over the internet, something very common today, but which in 1996 represented a very great technical complexity.

Today, the Volvo C70 remains as popular as it was at its launch, and in Sweden there is a club of owners and fans of the model, who are working to celebrate this 20th anniversary of its launch.

Source | Volvo