Essentially, from the base of the windshield forward it's the junior-sized Volvos with only minor modifications. Things start to get a little different at
the windshield, which is much more curved to flow into the raked roofline, promoting a sleeker shape. As with all Volvos since the S80, the front fenders extend from nose to tail, creating 'shoulders' at the car's waistline. At its rearmost end, the C70 is differentiated from the 40 and 50 series cars by uniquely shaped tail lamps and a rear bumper with a longer overhang.
While it may not have been designed by TWR (Tom Walkinshaw Racing), the previous generation was developed and built in cooperation with the renowned British motorsport cum custom fabrication company off of S70/V70 architecture, or penned by Jaguar's Ian Callum, also like the old C70, the new model is fantastic to look at from all angles.
"We've succeeded in creating an attractive convertible which, at the mere touch of
a button, converts into an equally elegant coupe. The customergets two cars in one. Both with space for four adults," says Volvo Cars chairman Hans-Olov Olsson.
To adapt the C1 platform for convertible use, Volvo's engineers carefully studied both the chassis and body in order to make the car as rigid as possible. Having learned a lesson from the extremely flexy first generation C70, and when it comes to convertibles being flexible is not a good thing, Volvo's engineers put torsional rigidity as a high priority, by using carefully positioned braces and beams to improve the vehicle's strength. Impressively, Volvo claims that the new C70 is twice as rigid as the old model. As well, when the metal roof is raised, rigidity is approximately 10 to 15 percent higher than in its open-air state.
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| The C70 will feature a 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-five that will produce 218-horsepower and 236 lb-ft of torque. (Photo: Volvo of America) |
While it may not have been designed by TWR (Tom Walkinshaw Racing), the previous generation was developed and built in cooperation with the renowned British motorsport cum custom fabrication company off of S70/V70 architecture, or penned by Jaguar's Ian Callum, also like the old C70, the new model is fantastic to look at from all angles.
"We've succeeded in creating an attractive convertible which, at the mere touch of
 |
| "We've succeeded in creating an attractive convertible which, at the mere touch of a button, converts into an equally elegant coupe. The customergets two cars in one. Both with space for four adults," says Volvo Cars chairman Hans-Olov Olsson. (Photo: Volvo of America) |
To adapt the C1 platform for convertible use, Volvo's engineers carefully studied both the chassis and body in order to make the car as rigid as possible. Having learned a lesson from the extremely flexy first generation C70, and when it comes to convertibles being flexible is not a good thing, Volvo's engineers put torsional rigidity as a high priority, by using carefully positioned braces and beams to improve the vehicle's strength. Impressively, Volvo claims that the new C70 is twice as rigid as the old model. As well, when the metal roof is raised, rigidity is approximately 10 to 15 percent higher than in its open-air state.