The Volvo 262 was a rare version in the Volvo 260 family. It was based on the same 2-door body used for the 242, but it naturally had the 260-series components and frontal appearance. A limited volume of this model was produced specifically for the North American market between 1975 and 1977. Unlike the 262C, the 262 had an identical roofline compared to the 242 model.

Volvo 262

Volvo’s chief designer Jan Wilsgaard did sketches for the shapes of the prestige car, but no clay model was ever built. Instead, he used a Volvo 164 that had been used to test new interiors. It was taken to the Italian designer Sergio Coggiola’s company in the Italian city of Turin, where the four-door body was rebuilt into a two-door body with a lower roof. The roof was clad with vinyl and the wide C-pillar adorned with three crowns – Sweden’s heraldic national symbol. The three crowns were replaced with one larger one on the production car, which is one of the very few differences between it and the prototype – except the obvious one that it was based on a 164.

volvo 262
volvo 262

In 1977, the Volvo 262C was introduced at the Geneva Motor Show. The 262C was a 2-door coupe with four comfortable seats; this was possible as the car had the same wheelbase as the Volvo 264. In addition, it had a much lower roof line than the 4-door cars on which it was based.

volvo 262

The windscreen sloped more sharply and the car had a very wide C-pillar. In the first years, the cars were painted silver and had a black vinyl roof. Later, other exterior colours were offered. The interior was very exclusive, filled with leather and wood. The car was designed at Volvo in Sweden, but Bertone in Italy produced it.