Globe Trotter: 1982 Volvo 262C Bertone 5.0V8

This next car is a real international traveler.  No...not the Scout...I'm talking about a car that was born in the mind of a Swede named Jan Wilsgaard and assembled in a factory by Italians at Gruppo Bertone in Turin, Italy with an engine made in France (the PRV6)...and it is now being offered for sale on an Italian website with an American V8 inside and with the car located in the Netherlands...my head is going to explode.  Find this 1982 Volvo 262C Bertone 5.0V8 offered for  € 7.900 in the Netherlands via AutoScout24.it. Tip from Eduardo.

Please Restrain my Opulence: 1978 Volvo 262C Bertone

Leather. Wood. Chrome. Black Vinyl Top. Volvo. Are these words that go together? Someone thought so in the late '70s, strongly enough to create the Swedo-Italian personal luxury car that only true Volvo nuts and weird car fetishists could love. Find this 1978 Volvo 262C Bertone for sale in Portland, OR for $3,500 via the Turbobricks forum classifieds.

European Union: 1980 Volvo 262C Bertone

The Volvo 262C Bertone was a multinational affair long before the world became as hyper-globalized as it is today.  The coupe variant of Volvo's 200-series that featured a chop-top vinyl covered greenhouse designed by a Swede, assembly at the Bertone factory in Turin, Italy, and with an engine from France. It was one of the strangest pan-European projects since Napoleon invaded Prussia. Find this 1980 Volvo 262C Bertone offered for $2,800 in San Diego, CA via craigslist.  Tip from Rock On!

Super BOLD: 1980 Volvo 262C V8 Swap

The Super Bowl has been about extravagance in recent decades.  Take the numbers for instance -- no plebeian Arabic numbers, and instead the Super Bowl is designated with big BOLD Roman numerals, just like the football games back in ancient Rome played to the death in the Colosseum.  Big BOLD commercials where advertisers spend millions to sell you big calorific food snacks while you eat, so for DT's contribution to the Super Bowl, find this big BOLD 1980 Volvo 262C V8 Swap offered for $2,500 near Orlando, FL via craigslist.  Tip from Rock On!

Peppy Wedge: 1978 Fiat X1/9

Inexplicably, my preoccupation with Italian autos continues. Maybe it was too many episodes of Magnum PI as a kid, or maybe I just want to test my tinkering abilities...and patience!  An intriguing dilemma indeed, but one I suspect I will need to eventually fulfill. Is a Fiat the way to go?  Find this 1978 Fiat X1/9 for sale in North Berwick, ME for $3,500 via craigslist.

Thursday Twister: Coachbuilt Cars

In the early days of the horseless carriage, if you wanted a nice car, you picked your frame/running gear and then found a coachbuilder to make the body.  This was the recipe for expensive cars until the auto manufacturers decided they wanted 100% of the pie and started putting fancy bodies on their frames.  Oddly enough, there are still a few firms around that specialize in coachbuilding (Zagato, Pininfarina, Bertone, to name a few).  The question for our Thursday Twister is: what can you find for sale around the web that was coachbuilt?

Affordable Mid Engine: 1974 Fiat X1/9 Bertone

by Brian -- The Fiat X 1/9 was the first affordable mid-engine sports car for the masses. It has all of the looks of a Ferrari or a Lamborghini but at a much cheaper price, and with a removable top. The X 1/9 was produced from 1972-1989, but we did not see the X until 1974. The first X’s are highly desirable, and arguably look the best of all of the US market cars. This 1974 model looks to be a solid low mileage car that needs a little TLC. This 1974 Fiat X1/9 Bertone is available in Oroville, Oregon on Portland Craigslist for a mere $3000.

Lambo Mufflers: 1980 Volvo 262C Bertone V8 Custom

The Volvo 262C Bertone was a variant of Volvo's 200-series that featured a chop-top vinyl covered greenhouse and assembly at the Bertone factory in Turin, Italy.  It all sound great until you realize that it was powered by a French V6 -- except for this one today.  Find this 1980 Volvo 262C Bertone V8 Custom here on eBay bidding for $3,809 reserve-not-met with $8,900 buy-it-now located in Oklahoma City, OK.

Ford V8 Motor: 1978 Volvo 262C Bertone

Volvo 262C var det ultimata exemplet på bakåt teknik - om konstruktionen skapades av i hus Volvos designers, som sedan kontrakte med Turin baserat Bertone att bygga organ av pre-rostig italienska plåt. Stranger fortfarande var tjock C-stolpen chop-top stil tak som täcktes i vinyl - förvisso Akvavit flyter i styrelserummet som godkänt 262C. Här hittar du 1978 Volvo 262C Bertone med Ford V8 erbjuds för 28,434 kr i Pasadena, Kalifornien via turbobricks forum (inloggning krävs).

Bertone Targa: 1979 Fiat X1/9

The Fiat X1/9 is one of those cars that love it or hate it...wait, what am I saying?  You can't possibly hate the X1/9 -- it is such a underdog, such a classic success story, that you can't hold ill feelings towards it in the least.  Find this 1973 Fiat X1/9 here on eBay bidding for $2,200 reserve-not-met with $4,250 buy-it-now, located in Spring, TX.

Bertone Restyles The Box: 1991 Volvo 780 Coupe

The Volvo 780 was a limited production (~8,500 examples built from '86-'90) 2-door coupe version of the popular 700-series sedan ('82-'92), of which 1.4 million were produced.  The unique body designed and built by Carrozzeria Bertone isn't unpleasing to the eye, and isn't covered with a vinyl top like the earlier 262C.  Find this 1991 Volvo 780 Coupe offered for $2,700 near Des Moines, IA via craigslist.  Tip from Zach.

Ivy League: 1969 Alfa Romeo 1750 GT Veloce

Back when I was 25, I was 4 years out of college, living in a one bedroom rented condo in a soon to be gentrified neighborhood.  In 1963, when Giorgetto Giugiaro was 25, he was working at the design house of Bertone in Torino, and created his first major design, the Alfa Romeo Sprint GT/GTV.  His iconic design will live on far into the future after he is gone.  I can't say that any of the TPS Reports I created will do the same.  Find this 1969 Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV for sale in Long Beach, CA for $20,000 via craigslist.

10k: Swedetalian: 1980 Volvo Bertone 262C V8 Swap

The Volvo 262C was not, as one might think, designed by Bertone and built by Volvo. No, this Swedetalian was drawn up in-house by Volvo designers, who then contracted with Turin based Gruppo Bertone to build the bodies out of rust-magnet Italian steel. It was an odd choice, just like the thick C-pillar chop-top styling - just like the idea of a Volvo luxury coupe - just like the idea that vinyl belongs on the roof of a car -- but somehow 6,622 buyers pickup one up between 1977 and 1982.  Find this 1980 Volvo Bertone 262C with V8 Swap & 6-speed, here on eBay currently bidding for $5659 reserve-not-met located in Duarte, CA.

2k: Simmer And Serve: 1980 Fiat X1/9

 People write the best stuff in craigslist advertisements.  Take this 1980 Fiat X1/9 offered for $2,695 here on craigslist, located in Council Bluffs, IA.  The seller calls the X1/9 "reduced."  Just how do you reduce a Fiat anyway?  Simmer it in the heat of a mid-western summers with annual salt baths during the winter months and it'll soon be thickened into a nice sauce.  Tip from Gerald.

5k: Oddity: 1987 Volvo 780 Bertone Coupe

This next feature comes courtesy of a tip from Andy L who writes:   I like it, even though it reminds me of a 2-door Chevy Celebrity and a Maserati Bi-turbo.  Driving up a hill.  It probably performs about as well too!!  Find this 1987 Volvo 780 Bertone Coupe offered here on eBay for $7,500 buy-it-now with a few hours to go, located in Long Island City, NY.

2k: Bertone Hardtop Equipped: 1973 Fiat 850 Spider

There isn't much in common between an R107 SL Benz, Honda S2000 and Fiat 850 Spider, except that they all actually look cooler with a hardtop in place of the folding top.  That and they all have 4 wheels. On this Fiat, the hardtop isn't an aftermarket piece that you'll find on something like an S2000, but it was designed by Bertone so it looks sharp. The rest of the 850 Spider was also designed and built by Bertone from 1964 to 1973, and is known for its razor sharp handling and riding lawnmower rivaling straight line performance.  Find this 1973 Fiat 850 Spider with hardtop offered for $2,000 in Colorado Springs, CO via craigslist.  Tip from FuelTruck.