Burgundy Car Appreciation Society – 1989 Volvo 780 Bertone Coupé

Returning to the forecourt where the Buick Roadmaster, my first Hooniverse sighting was parked, I shot this ’89 Volvo 780 Bertone. Like the Buick before it, the 780 bears scars from years of use, and is also an American import. And it has tan leather that looks very worn, echoing the chairs on the Roadmaster.

The paint has faded, there are dents and dings, the interior is partially sun-wrecked and the car in general looks world-weary after its trip to the Old West. But still, there’s something about the 780 that stands cool. It’s an Italian realization of a quality Swedish automobile, and I cherish the fact the engine is the same as in the DeLorean. No word on whether that’s a good thing.

The work Bertone did on the basic 700-series sheetmetal works. It’s Volvo, but not the way it’s become familiar to us. In a way, it looks better than the latter C70, even if that car still looks amazing in the right colours.

Tough guy. The ravaged grin makes the 780 here look somewhat menacing, and the headlights have the lifeless look of a shark.

Basketweaves will work on almost anything.

While the rear seats are in clean and tidy shape, the front seats are wrecked.

A little bit of bodywork missing here. How easy or how hard can it be to source?

While the paint, albeit faded, would probably still respond well to a good buffing, the dent on the side would need some bodywork magic to make disappear. It’s annoyingly visible. The tints, too, would have to go.

But still, my heart warms to the 780. While I wouldn’t take this one under my wing, a cleaner and more complete one would be welcome. It’s never been a common sight, and a clean one would be that much rarer. They’re asking 2900 eur for this, and while shipping it here hasn’t probably been cheap, the price is steep in my opinion.

[Images: Copyright 2013 Hooniverse/Antti Kautonen]