Photo: Theophilus Chin
The way the convertible market works right now, a comeback of the Volvo C70 would work. Sure, everybody says that retired bankers in Florida just aren't buying anymore, but that hasn't stopped Audi from making the S5 Cabriolet or Mercedes from launching its Maybach S650.
Because of emissions regulations and such, people don't expect to see a big V8 under the hood of every Cabrio. Even Bentley is going to offer diesel, so the sound isn't all that important in a way.
But Volvo is probably the company that steered the most away from large engines. Whereas the XC90 flagship used to be offered with a 4.4-liter 60-degree V8, this newer model is all about the 2-liter block and is doing rather well.
So why are we even looking at this C70 rendering? For starters, Theophilus Chin has done an excellent job, and you can tell he loves Volvo's design esthetic. He based his work on the S90 sedan, production of which has recently been switched to China.
The body has been squeezed and pulled to make a 2-door with a more conventional fabric roof. The last C70 had a retractable hardtop with a complex and frankly beautiful mechanism. But you can get the desired sound and thermal insulation from multi-layered fabric - at least that's what BMW is doing with the Z4 successor.
The only problem is that most convertibles are driven with the top up for 90% of the time, and they feel gloomier than most cars. That's why Volvo is thinking of picking up where the C70 left off with a pure, sleek coupe called the C90.
It would be based on the same architecture as the S90 sedan, XC90 SUV, and V90 wagon. In a way, it's already been previewed by the Concept Coupe shown in Frankfurt a while back. But Volvo is probably not going to approve this project in a hurry since it's busy updating the entire 40 and 60 series lineup of cars. Models the the XC40 crossover and X3-fighting XC60 are worth a lot more money than a rival for the 6 Series, so we don't see approval happening in a hurry.
But Volvo is probably the company that steered the most away from large engines. Whereas the XC90 flagship used to be offered with a 4.4-liter 60-degree V8, this newer model is all about the 2-liter block and is doing rather well.
So why are we even looking at this C70 rendering? For starters, Theophilus Chin has done an excellent job, and you can tell he loves Volvo's design esthetic. He based his work on the S90 sedan, production of which has recently been switched to China.
The body has been squeezed and pulled to make a 2-door with a more conventional fabric roof. The last C70 had a retractable hardtop with a complex and frankly beautiful mechanism. But you can get the desired sound and thermal insulation from multi-layered fabric - at least that's what BMW is doing with the Z4 successor.
The only problem is that most convertibles are driven with the top up for 90% of the time, and they feel gloomier than most cars. That's why Volvo is thinking of picking up where the C70 left off with a pure, sleek coupe called the C90.
It would be based on the same architecture as the S90 sedan, XC90 SUV, and V90 wagon. In a way, it's already been previewed by the Concept Coupe shown in Frankfurt a while back. But Volvo is probably not going to approve this project in a hurry since it's busy updating the entire 40 and 60 series lineup of cars. Models the the XC40 crossover and X3-fighting XC60 are worth a lot more money than a rival for the 6 Series, so we don't see approval happening in a hurry.
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