Back when Volvo wasn’t too fond of autonomous driving and plug-in hybrid powertrains, the Swedish manufacturer was in the business of making very honest passenger cars and military vehicles. The C303 is one of the latter and, as fate would have it, Mr. Regular of Regular Car Reviews had the opportunity to drive it.
After Roman ends his rendition of a Stone Temple Pilots song, this episode of Regular Car Reviews kicks off with a slightly rusty, poor-looking general purpose troop carrier and logistics vehicle from the 1970s. Designed and developed in the late 1960s, the Volvo C303 was produced in 4x4 and 6x6 forms. And yes, it has portal axles at each end and selectable locking diffs.
Curiously enough, the 3.0-liter B30 pushrod straight-six engine is mounted right in the middle of the beast. What started life as the driving force of the magnificent Volvo 164 luxury sedan ended up in a military vehicle with 125 hp (126 PS) and 162 lb-ft (225 Nm) of torque on tap. To put that output into perspective, this variant of the C303 weighs 5,291 pounds (2,400 kilograms).
Given these specifications, the speedometer doesn’t go over 62 mph (100 km/h). It would’ve been terribly frightening if it did, though, more so when you realize that you can refill the C303’s double redundant brake system from inside the vehicle. Yup, check out the dashboard and you’ll spot where the brake fluid goes in. But wait, there’s more madness to be unraveled!
On top of the C303, you’ll spot a handful of hardpoints for machine guns. Furthermore, this particular example of the breed needs two bags of ice shoved through the radiator grille every then and now to keep the 3.0-liter straight-six cool. On the upside, Mr. Regular is surprised by the manual transmission. He notes that shifting in this thing is similar to driving a car.
Speaking of passenger cars, you’ll be hardly surprised to find out that the Volvo C303 meet and exceeds 1970s U.S. safety standards for passenger vehicles. That’s pretty impressive considering that the C303 was never meant for civilian use, nor did Volvo ever imagine that the C303 would arrive on American soil thanks to the slightly simple-minded 25-year import rule.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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