30 years after the 1990 New York Auto Show and five owners later the Volvo Bertone 780 had been “rode hard and put up wet” as the old farmer use to say. Other than the first owner, an American Airlines stewardess who bought it with only 635 miles in factory new condition. But as the car passed to the second owner and the next, its unique history was lost. The fourth owner told me “I figured it was some body kit a dealer had put on it.” No idea it was a $100,000 show car that Volvo had invested in it as the showcase vehicle for their Volvo booth display in 1990.
The wheels were not even matching. The driver’s door body panel had fallen off and was missing (along with the inside driver’s door panel and the matching wood insert) The front spoiler had been hit, was hanging by zip ties and the front passenger’s edge was completely missing. The original steel plates ASC used to mount the body panels had rusted, making an even more distressed look. Lots of rust between the fiberglass panels and the original body. The good news was that the interior had someone been spared from sun damage, thanks to the super dark tinted windows. Of course, this didn’t prevent the many drink spills and enough lost french fries under the seat to keep McDonalds in business for days! Lots of work ahead!
