I haven't posted up many Volvos here for a reason; a majority of my Volvo sightings are either some variation of the venerable 200 series, or they're much later cars. I have seen a scant few interesting Volvos that aren't Amazons, though, and this is the most recent catch.
Volvo first teamed up with legendary stylinghouse/coachworks company Bertone to produce the love-it-or-hate-it 262C Bertone. While that car "suffered" from a factory chop-top look and rather akward hood-to-roof porportions, the 780 changed all that. Introduced in 1987 for the US, the 780 stuck around till 1989. As with most other Volvos, speed and horsepower were not a selling point. At best, the turbocharged four produced a rather bland 150 horses; this, coupled with a slushbox and a 3600 lb curb-weight resulted in this coupe being a looker versus an outright performer.
I like this cars--and always have. I've always thought these looked better than their four-door cousins, and I've thought the idea of an 850 coupe would be cool, too. Sadly, like the 262 Bertone that came before it, the 780s are fairly rare. Thankfully, this one is in great nick aside from the missing wheel-hub centers. Paint is shiny, and all the trim is present, save for the chrome missing from the grille, though I suspect that's pretty common, given the fragility of the grille itself.
I'm glad I shot this when I did, because I haven't seen it since; I spotted this a couple summers ago, when I first got my camera. I'm quite impressed with these shots, even if they aren't my best work. I am still learning, and perfecting my night-shooting technique, and the idea of practicing my skills on a rare vehicle only makes me happier. I wish I could reshoot this Swedish coupe, though, and get more thorough shots of it.
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