262C

The 262C was Volvo's unlikely luxury coupe, built by Bertone in Italy with a distinctive vinyl-covered roof and a chopped roofline that gave it a look unlike anything else in the Volvo range. Powered by the PRV V6 shared with Peugeot and Renault, it was aimed at American luxury buyers and competed with the likes of the Cadillac Eldorado and Lincoln Continental Mark V, though on a much smaller scale.

Only about 6,600 were built across the production run, making it one of the rarest Volvos ever made. Australian examples are extremely scarce. The car divides opinion, as it always has. Some see it as an awkward oddity, others as a fascinating piece of Volvo history that shows the company was willing to take risks. Values have risen sharply in recent years as collectors have come to appreciate its rarity and its place in the Volvo story.