1987 Volvo 780 Bertone Coupe - RARE, LOW-MILEAGE VINTAGE DRIVER. FUN & ORIGINAL!

1987

Volvo 780

Bertone Coupe

YV1HA6928HD002875

+++ 92,500 Miles +++

+++ Only Two Owners From New +++

In the summer of 1975 my newlywed wife and I acquired our first of many, many Volvos. I still regret selling that '67 122S two-door and I'll feel the same when this unique Bertone Coupe is loaded-out or the lucky new owner flies in to begin a fall road trip home! If you're familiar with these rare cars and might be in the market for one, you can stop now. I seriously doubt you'll find another this nice! The included factory books and manuals, along with the original folio pictured, indicate the Volvo sold new in Vancouver BC (About 90 minutes north of Seattle) during May, 1988. It then spent the next 27 years driven sparingly in the area by the original owner before coming to us here in Auburn, WA. If you've ever wanted to own a beautiful, somewhat exotic, hand-built Italian car, but want a reliable Volvo underneath - this is absolutely the ride for you! My name is Mark Thompson and my direct number is 206/914-1173. Feel free to contact me anytime with questions or to discuss a purchase before the auction ends.

Most of us "Volvophiles" know how unique and special these second-generation Bertone Coupes were as a milestone in the marque's history. Here's a little background I've come across while researching these cars over the years:

The Volvo 780 coupe made its debut at the International Auto Show in Geneva, Switzerland in 1985. It marked the return of a two-door 2+2 seater coupe to the Volvo stable after a four-year absence following the departure of the 262C in 1981. The 780 became available in Europe in 1986, and would come to the United States a year later.

Like its predecessor, the 780 was designed and built by Carrozzeria Bertone in Turin, Italy. However, unlike the 262C, the 780 was not merely a two-door 760 with a "chop top" roof. Bertone gave the 780 its own distinctive shape which set it apart from the other models, yet was still identifiable as a Volvo. The car had a sleek, low profile, inheriting some of the styling of the other 700 series cars, but without many of the severe angles and sharp corners. The hood, trunk, and rooflines were all slightly lower than the standard 700 series profile, and the C-pillar was wider and had a more gradual slope down to the trunk. Headroom was improved over the 262C, thanks to Bertone's mere one centimeter lowering of the roofline! Window frames all had black matte trim, and were accented with chrome. Chrome also highlighted the door handles, bumpers, and side moldings.

Headlamps were large, flush-mounted units with integrated high and low halogen beams, and the grille was a black, "egg-crate" design similar to the 740 Turbo. Fog lamps were integrated into the air dam. The original 780 had wide 205/60 HR15 tires mounted on signature 15-inch, 15-spoke alloy wheels, and was also offered in certain color schemes not available to any other models.

Following traditional Italian coach building practice, Bertone endowed the 780 with badges of its name and famous logo, which appear on the base of the C-pillars.

The 780's interior also received Bertone's undivided attention. The instrument cluster and general dashboard layout was carried over from the 760, but otherwise the interior was uniquely designed for the model. Birch burl wood accents with a high-gloss finish highlighted the dashboard and door panels.

In front were contoured, sculpted bucket seats with height-adjustable headrests—reminiscent of Bertone's classic designs for Alfa Romeo and Ferrari in the late 60's and early 70's. This style of bucket seat would be imitated extensively by most automakers by the early 90's. The rear seat was specially shaped for two occupants and featured integrated headrests. Seats were of course covered in hand-stitched leather.

In addition to the full complement of standard luxury equipment inherited from the 760, the 780 had some unique features of its own. It was equipped with a four-speaker stereo system with cassette receiver, seven-band electronic graphic equalizer, and a high-power amplifier mounted in the trunk under the rear packing shelf.

Map reading lights were mounted above and behind the rear passenger side windows. Buttons on the side of both the driver and passenger seatbacks tilted the seatbacks forward to allow for entry to the rear. And until the arrival of the 850 in 1993, the 780 was the only model to feature a power moon roof. Like the 760, a driver's side airbag and anti-lock brakes were standard equipment (both of which were considered a luxury item in 1987).

CONDITION:

The photos tell the Volvo's story. When it came to us, I felt it was in such superior original condition a detail wasn't even necessary. What you see is the result of a wash and vacuum only, I mean we didn't even need to clean the engine compartment or vacuum out the trunk! The exterior has the original off-white paint and you can see from the photos that it still holds a shine very well. All the glass is original with no cracks or pits. The chrome trim and emblems are all present and look great. The factory original wheels are straight and true with at least 60% rubber. We've made no attempt to paint or update the remarkably clean engine compartment and the trunk still holds the original spare and jack.

Rust? Please! Cars here in the Pacific Northwest hate body rust and I find NO evidence of any here! Yes, we get a bit of drizzly rain, but hardly ever any snow so our winter roads are never salted. Climb over, under and around this Bertone - I know you'll come up smiling!

Please take another good look at the interior. The original hand stitched leather upholstery on the seats is in extremely nice condition - clean tan leather and NO sagging loose springs. Sit on these firm buckets and you'll cruise comfortably for hours! No need to look for door panels or carpets either- they're all extremely original - clean and undamaged by the sun or otherwise. The carpets have been protected since new by rubber mats and they're in super condition as well (I'll make sure the mats are included).

Mechanically, the car drives out superbly. Even after I've let it sit in our storage warehouse for a few days at a time, it starts right up at the first crank. After driving it daily for the past three weeks, I can tell you that it freeway accelerates to 60 MPH quickly and that the brakes feel just fine. The Automatic Transmission doesn't slip and shifts through all the gears just as expected. Having owned almost a dozen Bertones over the years, I'm finding myself drawn more and more to these non-turbo models with their better low-end torque and MUCH smoother, quieter ride over the four-cylinder cars. About the only negatives I can think to point to are the heater works fine but I don't get cold air from the ac, so servicing the system is in order. The heater fan is switched on by a small toggle on the side of the console rather than the regular slider. While the odometer always tracks miles accurately, the speedo needle is intermittent. That's about it! I truly love driving this Bertone and will miss it when it moves on to the next caretaker.

We've helped arrange long-distance shipping for many of our customers, but have had many from as far away as Alaska, Eastern Canada, Chicago, New York, California, Phoenix and even the Mexican Baja fly in and drive their new purchase home. (I'm happy to pick you up at Sea-Tac International just a few miles away). C'mon, fall is the perfect time for a road trip and the weather's still great! If you're overseas, I'm always happy to help get our cars to a port for shipping and we have several former Seattle Bertones now driving the roads of Denmark, Austria and the Netherlands.

Please BID WITH CONFIDENCE and know that you are purchasing a nice vehicle from a respected Ebay seller. I want you to be happy with your purchase (and with me) and that's the main goal! Please don't be upset if I miss other minor flaws or an unforeseen problem! No used car is ever perfect. Having said that, I have every confidence in this Volvo and the way it drives out!

Because of the amount of money involved in buying a vehicle, I require that Ebay members with a feedback history of five (5) or fewer transactions call or email before placing a bid. If I don't have this initial contact, your bid may be cancelled. The phone number to talk directly to me, as outlined above, is 206/914-1173. Please feel free to call any time during the auction. My name is MARK.

A Few Additional Terms and Conditions:

Payment in full is due within seven business days unless prior arrangements have been made with me. I can accept bank cards for part or all of the purchase, but I'll first need to invoice you and ask that you cover the 3.5% fee the processer charges us. Please remember you are bidding to buy and I fully expect the winning bidder to fulfill their Ebay contract! You're not bidding to hold or then come inspect and test-drive the vehicle later -- You're more than welcome to do this before the auction ends.

If you do decide to have thecar transported home, there are scores of companies to choose from. I ship vehicles regularly and suggest you get a transport bid from Dependable Auto Shippers (DAS). They're EBay's preferred hauler and will give you a fair quote. Call them directly at (888) 817-6203. Give the phone rep my affiliate number (2362642) and they can pull up all our information for a station-to-station or even door-to-door quote.

For west coast bidders, we have a great transporter that delivers quickly to Washington, Oregon and California at reasonable rates.

As another alternative, you might get bids from the U-Ship.com website. You'll be able to choose a shipping broker from multiple offers. The zip code for pick-up would be 98002 (Auburn, Washington). The transport of the vehicle and company chosen are the responsibility of the BUYER.

Thecar can be stored free of charge at my location for up to two weeks after the auction ends assuming full payment has been received. After that period storage is $20 per day.