When you think of old-school Volvos – you know, those boxy designs that pre-date the more curvaceous models of today – what do you picture? The 240? The 850? Or do you think of the ultimate in squared-off Swedish design, the 760?

The model credited with saving Volvo was introduced in February, 1982, making it 30 years old this month. Reflecting on the occasion, Volvo looks back at the 760′s development, when it needed a car that would be reliable, efficient, durable, easily serviceable, quiet, somewhat attractive, and be a decent performer (in that order). The result was a rear-drive sedan four inches longer in wheelbase than the 240, yet a good 220 lbs lighter.

And that boxy design? That decision was as financial in nature as it was stylistic. After considering a number of design proposals, the final look was selected to be as cost-effective to produce as possible. In the end, those budgetary restrictions left us with a car that was, while not particularly exciting to behold, certainly an enduring icon of its time. Follow the jump to read the full retrospective, and flip through the images in the attached gallery.

Continue reading Volvo marks 30th anniversary of the 760

Volvo marks 30th anniversary of the 760 originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 05 Feb 2012 19:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re more than happy to admit we have an intense fondness for the classic Volvo Amazon, especially in wagon form. Among its many virtues are its timeless styling, rugged Swedish structure and, with its range of four-cylinder engines, reliability and economy.

Fast, however, it was not.

At least, not in stock form. But at least one enterprising man named Mattias Vöcks, who works for none other than Koenigsegg, decided to build an Amazon that was debuted back in 2006 at the SEMA Show in Vegas with a bit more power. As in 600 horsepower, courtesy of a turbocharged 2.8-liter inline six-cylinder engine. Yep, that ought to do it, eh?

In fact, it’s enough power to embarrass a Ferrari 599 in a straight line. Don’t believe us? Check out the video after the break for some terrifyingly fast turbo brick action.

Continue reading Watch a Volvo Amazon wagon race a Ferrari 599… and win

Watch a Volvo Amazon wagon race a Ferrari 599… and win originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With the new year in full swing and the Detroit Auto Show now just days away, the new debuts have been rolling in. And here we have Volvo’s centerpiece for the rapidly approaching auto expo: the Volvo XC60 Plug-in Hybrid Concept.

Based, as you might have guessed, on the production XC60 crossover, this technological concept packs a similar drivetrain to the V60 Plug-in Hybrid that just entered production. While its stouter counterpart utilizes a diesel to fill out the internal-combustion side of the hybrid equation, the XC60 concept packs a gasoline engine: those front wheels are driven by a 280-horsepower turbo four coupled to an eight-speed automatic transmission, with a 70hp electric motor driving the rear wheels for through-the-road all-wheel drive.

The result is what Volvo stretches to claim is a 100 mpg fuel economy rating in hybrid mode, 35 miles on electric propulsion alone, or a 0-60 time of 5.8 seconds using the battery as a booster. There’s plenty more to digest in the press release after the jump, so click through to delve in, and don’t forget to scope out the high-resolution image gallery for a closer look.

Continue reading Volvo plugging XC60 hybrid concept in Detroit

Volvo plugging XC60 hybrid concept in Detroit originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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