like a shrunk Volvo of the past, it will fade. But if it lives up to it's potential, I think we'll all be thinking of Volvo a bit differently over time..... If the C30 were AWD it would really move in large numbers!

Matt

 

Top Gear did a test drive of the C30. It can be found here.

"Luckily, it's about more than design though. Sorry if this sounds grudging, but I was genuinely surprised by how well it drives. Volvo's sporty cars have usually had wooden suspension, torque steer and poor traction. The C30 trades that crudeness for something altogether more sophisticated."

BTW, the dreaded plastic trim mentioned in the article can be optioned out with either body color or contrasting painted panels. Then again my MINI has black plastic trim as well (luckily my car is black).

 

you didn't own a Gremlin back in the late 70's/early 80's, did you?

 

in 1988 or so... Does that count?

Matt

 

I said quirky, not hideous!

Speaking of hideous I saw an old AMC Pacer the other day

 

That has happened exactly once. In the rain IIRC. They usually break before the race is over. I believe they have transmission issues. To much power for the gearbox.

 

eek.. pacer...

 

Hater

A win is a win...

 

Me a hater? No way, I just wanted to set the record straight on their Speed series record. They have a great record in British touring cars, but their record here is abysmal. But you are right, yes they fell into one win.

 

You've got to forgive a Volvo enthusiast for being excited about stuff like that. Volvo's aren't exactly known for their racing heritage Any move in a positive direction as far as increasing Volvo's performance is good news for me (although the 1980s tanks will still always be dear to my heart)

 

I'm a Volvo fan too, but of the older models, 544, 122 & P1800. Now those were great cars.

 

Yep those were the glory years for Volvo, although IMHO they are entering a great era with some of their current and upcoming models. So far Ford hasn't ruined Volvo, in fact their ownership of Volvo has allowed more new models to be developed and I love the look of the C30, C70, and the new S80. Although I'm sure there are plenty of people who will disagree with me, the C30 and S80 were both included on the list of the world's most beautiful cars, so those whose opinions actually count do agree with me ( jk)

 

I agree Ford hasn't screwed up Volvo. In fact I think Fords relationship with Volvo has helped Ford come out with some better cars. They are sharing some platforms, now if they would use some of Volvo's engines.

 

and it SCREAMS P1800! A friend has one and the resemblence is strong....

Matt

 

That's what they were going for It even has an all-glass tailgate...

 

Well it doesn't scream P1800 to me. More like a wisper for me...psst, hey buddy look at my posterior. I do think it's a nice car. The P1800 coupes were the ones I lusted for. The P1800 ES was kind of like her fat sister.

 

Yea I think Volvo went with a few subtle stying cues that related to past models rather than going full-on retro, as has been the rage in recent years.

 

The S60R competes in the Speedvision touring series does it not? Either way, its a badass car, and its engine isn't that far different from the T5 in the C30, yet it makes a full 300 hp in the s60R. Sounds like potential to me. . .

 

If you haven't seen the C30s that were at SEMA I highly recommend checking them out. Volvo gave a C30 to three of the big Volvo tuners and they created some interesting cars. The one with the lowest output had 300hp and the Evolve C30 had 507hp. Here's the link the press release and if you look around on the site there are pictures and more details about each C30. But there is definitely some potential to make it a really fun car.

Also, Fifth Gear drove the C30 and the video can be found here. Favorite line, "My God, I'm smiling and driving a Volvo quickly, what's going on here?"