i was talking with some co-workers today about my car and they say that the c70 might have been the volvo's attempt at making a sports car since it has a horrible turning radius, poor build quality and i think i read on the net somewhere that volvo shared a build factory with some race team, citroeon i guess???

so does anyone know what the c70 was meant to be?

 

I agree on the turning radius.. but the build quality is not that bad.. its better than some cars now...But like many european car companies the volvo c70 was made for Europe.. since many cars over there are small, mostly 2 doors/hatchbacks, volvo needed a smaller car. I lived in Spain and volvos competition over there was extreme. OPEL, FIAT, SEAT, RENAULT, ALFA ROMEO...etc started all making 2 doors or as the call over there 3 doors...

 

yeah, my co-worker was figuring the horribleturning radius was a trait of a race / sports car.

ok, so is the 98-04 C70 volvo's attempt at making a 2 door sports car? if so i just think it falls way short, especially when compaired to the nissan 300Zx or 350Z, mustang, supra, 3000GT, RX7 or any of those great sports cars.

could the first genC70's experimental sports cars?

 

Being a 300zx owner, I'll have to agree with that one

I don't think Volvo intended it to be a full-blown sports or GT car, like those you mentioned above. It'd like the MB CLK Class, they're "sporty" luxury/near-luxury vehicles.

Hard to believe I'm considering selling my Z and buying a Volvo(!!!), but I just took a 2.3L '99 out for a test drive this weekend, and was quite impressed.

I've heard bad things about the car's throttle system, but all in all they seem like solid, quality vehicles.

I mean, it's no Z32 TT, but this fellow tank of a vehicle still pulls its weight around comparable to my old non-turbo Z.


BTW...first post - I'll be lurking and researching here and other Volvo forums, trying to learn as much as possible about these things. Possibly picking up a new car as early as this week, though not in any rush. Just found an amazing deal on a '99 black C70 in town, hard to overlook. It's one of the few cars on my list of "replacements" for the Z.


BTW...this apostrophe thing is annoying.

 

Tom Walkinshaw Racing was the organization Volvo collaborated with when designing this car.

They also designed the car around the audio system and worked very closely with Alpine and Dolby Laboratories to conceive the FIRST Dolby certified in car entertainment system.

Very impressive for 1997.

 

wow, thats some good info. Cade if you wanna C70 take mine and gimme that TT Z it has to be way easier to work on and parts should kill my pockets

 

Get a 1998 c70 and safe your self the aggrivation of the throttle system and also finding performance parts if you want to do that.

 

... it was introduced as the first generation C70 at the 1996 Paris Motor Show (I read this), following a European introduction as a 1997 model, and later as a 1998 model in North America (the one I have)— with both low-pressure and high-pressure (this is the best), 5-cylinder, turbocharged. An American designed the exterior and Mexican led the interior design team. TWR (Tom Walkinshaw Racing) was part of the join venture to the C70. The C70 was created as the new volvo sport car and it was used in "the saint" movie as an introduction they nearly didn’t make it on time. This is a very exciting kind of car … yes the turning is not that great but that turbo over 40 mph can take anyone by surprise. I owned Alfa romeo, Renault, Toyota supra, Peugeot, fiat, simca … this car have the best potential (un-branded ..of course) it ‘s head turning kind of car … I’m planning to restore this car taking it all apart and put it together again ..I’ll need a lot of help with trims and performance parts that fits … I hope I can count on Volvo people to have my toy in great condition … will go for a ride at about 150 mph … how about it …

 

wow, thats an awsome post! so what has been the ultimate C70 known? the blue wide body on? the one burnt orangethat IPD has? is there one thats an all around performer with power, handling and great looks?

 

I agree with Cade on the market positioning of the car.

Also, everyone who says the turning radius is poor, is spot on. But I can deal with that. The build quality is fairy good, but mine has low miles. The body is so stiff it's a joy to drive otherwise. In the past I've complained about poor fuel economy, but I'm looking into HHO boosters, some have claimed phenomenal results on everyday cars like Nissans.

Volvo dropped the ball on this one. Why? They didn't make a base model (as appeared in the LA Auto Show at about $32k in 1997) that moderately successful people could afford,sans turbo. Walkinshaw should be shot for the D student job they did on the suspension. A $45,000 car 10 years ago should have had killer handling. The suspension is so clunky it can't even take a rough spot in the road without bouncing around. Even Miata's are better. I'm looking at $1,800 or more to fix this annoyance. You guys have inspired me to add bigger sway bars, better shocks, and a strut brace in hopes of remedying the clunkiness. BTW, has anyone replaced the rack bushings with polyurethane with results?

 

i upgraded my suspension with vogland springs and HD bilstens sofar and i really don't like how they take small speed bumps and other bumps cause as you said, it's a klunky thing.

i don't know why volvo would make a car that looks like a rear wheel drive a front wheel drive, make a car thats almost 4000lbs with only 190 hp even WITH A TURBO! the plastics are crap and break if you stare at them hard enough.

i'm currently and slowly fixing these issues that pi$$ me off the most and even though this is not my favorite car i will make it something great and maybe sell it. and why you may ask, why put so much money into it if your gonna sell it, well cause it's a challenge.

 

Volvo cheaped out. They borrowed the running gear from the 850.

Me, I'd have retro'd the P1800 complete with an avant model with the oval window the S30 is sporting now. Also, I'd have rear driven it with German-like handling and good fuel economy, and priced it in the hands of the masses. Volvo's image would have skyrocketed. It would have aced the Mini before it was a thought.

Sigh, only the died-in-the-wool Volvo grandmothers with fantasies of youth and soccer dads bought it. And they were moneybags nevertheless.