Volvo 700 Series: the 760, 740 and the Bertone 780 coupé

The Volvo 700 Series was built from 1982 to 1992. Volvo introduced the expensive six-cylinder 760 first and followed it two years later with the cheaper 740, which shared the same bodywork but had less equipment. A Bertone-designed 780 coupé joined the range in 1986.

Volvo 700 Series at a glance

History of the Volvo 700 Series

The 700 Series was designed by Jan Wilsgaard as a replacement for the 200 Series, though the older car stayed in production into the early 1990s. Volvo broke with convention by launching the executive 760 first, in 1982, and adding the four-cylinder 740 only in early 1984 for the 1985 model year in the United States and Australia. Wilsgaard’s team proposed more than fifty designs for the new car; unusually for an executive model of the time, the 760 kept a live rear axle, which Volvo argued was as capable as an independent layout and saved cost and weight.

The 740

The 740 was the lower-end version of the 760, meant to offer more space, style and luxury than the 200 Series. The middle digit no longer meant the number of cylinders: four- and six-cylinder engines were fitted across both ranges, and the 4 simply signalled less equipment. It came as a four-door saloon, often called the 744, and a five-door estate, the 745, which premiered at the Toronto and Chicago shows in February 1985 and was aimed at North America before going on sale in Europe that autumn. The 740 was a common police car in Scandinavia.

For 1985 Volvo offered an intercooled 2.0-litre turbo, the B200ET, in markets such as Italy where larger engines were heavily taxed; its 160 PS gave a claimed 200 km/h. The estate became available worldwide for 1986. A 16-valve B234 engine arrived for 1989, Volvo’s first multi-valve unit. In 1990 the 740 received smaller composite headlamps and 780-style tail lamps, larger connecting rods in the B200 and B230, a Mitsubishi turbocharger in place of the Garrett, and a newer Bosch LH-Jetronic system with onboard diagnostics. The 740 Turbo 16V with the 2.0 B204FT engine was sold mainly in Italy, Portugal and Belgium. Late in 1991 came the 740 SE in red, black or white, mechanically a 740 Turbo with leather, a sunroof and a body kit.

The 780

The 780 was a two-door coupé designed and built by Bertone, produced from 1986 and withdrawn four years later without a direct successor. It shared the 2.0-litre 16-valve turbo engine with the Italian-market 740 Turbo 16V.

Production of the 740 ended on 2 October 1992, although the cars counted as 1993 models, and the engine, gearbox and chassis carried over almost unchanged into the 940 that had appeared in September 1990.

Design and features

• Two launches: the luxury 760 first in 1982, the cheaper 740 two years later.
• Estate body: the 745 became the benchmark load carrier of its generation.
• Turbo and 16-valve engines: from the taxed-market 2.0 turbo to the B234 multi-valve.
• Live rear axle: a deliberate choice for cost, weight and durability.
• Bertone coupé: the 780 gave the range a halo model.

Volvo 700 Series versions

• 760 (1982): six-cylinder executive saloon and estate.
• 740 (1984): four-cylinder saloon and estate, GL, GLE, GLT and Turbo trim.
• 740 Turbo 16V: 2.0 B204FT for Italy, Portugal and Belgium.
• 740 SE (1991): special-equipment Turbo with leather and body kit.
• 780 (1986): Bertone-built two-door coupé.

The 700 Series replaced the Volvo 200 Series and was itself replaced by the Volvo 900 Series. More cars are in the Volvo collection.

Sources

• Volvo 700 Series, English Wikipedia: 740, 760 and 780 history, engines, facelifts