The Volvo C70 is a Cabriolet (automobile) / cabriolet / coupé from Volvo, built from 1996 to 2013, when airbags, anti-lock brakes and Japanese build quality became the world standard. Under the bonnet: 2.0–2.4L I5. Ian Callum, Peter Horbury (exterior) / José Luis Diaz de la Vega (interior) drew it.
How it came about
The Volvo C70 is a two-door car which was manufactured and marketed by Volvo Cars from 1996 to 2013 across two generations. The first generation (1996–2005) was available as both a coupé (1996–2002) and softtop convertible (1997–2005). The second generation (2006–2013) was available as a retractable hardtop convertible.
The hardware
Power comes from 2.0–2.4L I5. It weighs 1499 -. It shifts through a 5-speed Volvo M56 Manual transmission / manual / 4-speed Aisin AW50-42LE Automatic transmission / automatic / 5-speed Aisin AW55-50SN automatic. The layout matters: the engine drives the front wheels, the packaging choice that gives a small car a big cabin. The wheelbase is 2660 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Family and rivals
Its family tree is legible: it took over from the Volvo 780; assembly was at Uddevalla, Sweden. Its contemporaries in the catalogue — the Porsche Boxster, the Lotus Elise, the Škoda Auto Škoda Octavia — show what else the money bought that year. Its Volvo stablemates include the Volvo 144 and the Volvo 264 TE.
What it costs now
The money question first: $13,300–$22,900 is the typical asking range today, and running it — fuel and maintenance at its age — costs about $4,305–$6,102 a year. Insurance sits around $1,490–$2,310 a year. The figures are class-level estimates from the federal record, with the formula on the methodology page; the model-year pages carry complaints, recalls and repair costs year by year.