Found on the Interwebs by Peter
- November 7, 2009
For Sale: 1987 Volvo 780 Bertone
Don’t you just love Kijiji? Even though I have no idea where it originated, it feels Canadian to me. Like a Canadian version of Craigslist. So it’s more honest, more straight-forward, and has free medicare is just all around better. How much do I like Kijiji? Well I bought my last car from a Kijiji ad, and now it looks like my next car, should all the stars align, will also be from Kijiji.
It might be a bit of a surprise to find out that I’m such a fan of the site, considering the second asshole I ripped it last time. But it offers so much value, it completely takes out the dealership middle-man and puts you in touch with (mostly) reasonable people who just want to make room in their garage. And it’s free!
Today I found one of the cars on my Dream Garage List, for the very reasonable price of CAN$5500. The price might seem steep considering you could buy a perfectly serviceable Volvo built in the 21st century for $5500, but no other Volvo has so much sex appeal, so much eccentricity, so much Italian in it! Plus, not only is it incredibly difficult to find 780 Bertones in good condition, but I’ve seen ones going for three times this price.
A little background on the 780 Bertone courtesy of Wikipedia: total production of the car was only about 9,500 units worldwide. First produced in 1986 by Corrozzeria Bertone of Turin, Italy, the 780 was originally sold with the B280F V6 engine producing 150hp. This wasn’t a huge amount of push against the 3400 lb mass so the 175hp B230FT+ turbocharged engine was made an option in 1988. This year also saw an upgrade of the suspension from a live rear axle to self-leveling Nivomat shocks. Nineteen eighty-nine saw the introduction of a 188hp version of the turbo engine.
This particular model is a 1987 with 260,000km on the clock. The seller says that it had a blue and black leather interior, although no pictures of the interior are provided. Also, whether this car features a 4-speed auto or a 4-speed manual w/ overdrive is unknown, although I’ve e-mailed the seller to inquire further.
This appears to be an attractive price for such a cosmetically-sound vehicle. The 1987 wasn’t the most desirable year due to the weaker engine and the live rear axle, but it is still a living, breathing classic. And I want it now.
2 Responses to “For Sale: 1987 Volvo 780 Bertone”
As the Parts Manager at the Volvo dealer in Edmonton— I both smile and cringe at the 780.
I love the lines and body, the V6 was a monstrousity…. with Renault getting involved making simple things much more complex. You normally have one rad hose to the water pump? That' silly, we should have 3,coming into a block that houses the t-stat that you can't buy anymore.Reminds me of a Jaguar V12.
I still see a few around here. Also, I love the ad. Volvo had the best ads in the 70's and 80's-very clever.
Unfortuanetly, we don;t see these greats ads anymore.
By Jaimie on Nov 9, 2009
You make the 780 sound a bit like the Citroen SM. Intoxicatingly beautiful, but god help you if you ever need a mechanic. Yet somehow, I'd still have either. Logic defers to passion, I guess.
By Peter_Dushenski on Nov 10, 2009