Volvos Coupe Before The C70: The Volvo 780
Coupes have come and gone in Volvos lineup for years. For example in 1981 mass production of the Volvo 262C which is a model of Volvos early coupe was discontinued. After four years without a coupe in their lineup the Swedenbased car manufacturer unveiled at the 1985 International Auto Show in Geneva Switzerland their return to the twodoor coupe market with the 4seater Volvo 780.
The then newest coupe in the stable of Volvo was designed by the same designer of the defunct Volvo 262C the designing house in Turin Italy which is Carrozzeria Bertone. While the Volvo 262C and the Volvo 780 was designed and built by the same outfit the Volvo 780 is given its own distinctive shape but is still identifiable as a Volvo.
The design of the car is prominently Volvo. It has a low profile that is common in the 700 series of the Volvo lineup. What separates this though from its cousins are its even lower hood trunk and roof lines making it the lowest profile car in the entire Volvo 700 series. But the lower profile of the car does not sacrifice space for the cars occupants. In fact the lowering of the roofline increases the headroom of the Volvo 780 over the Volvo 262C. The interior of the coupe rivals those of its toughest competition. Chrome dominates the design of the car in itself from the bumper to the door handles to the side moldings. The window frames which had a black matte trim were also accented with chrome.
Through the cars production days it has undergone improvements to make its performance even better. In the coupes first two years in the global market it came equipped with a B280F V6 engine and a live rear axle. In its third year the coupe was equipped with improved Volvo 780 parts. This includes an independent rear suspension that gave the car better suspension and improved handling. The upgraded rear suspension system configuration is equipped with selfleveling Nivomat shocks which keeps the ride height of the vehicle at its correct level. The improvements made to the car increased its performance but the company is not done with its improvement to the car while it uses a V6 power is still not at par with some of its competitors.
The B280F V6 engine employed at that time by the Volvo 780 can only cough out 150 horsepower which primarily is not enough to power the car efficiently through more than normal demands. The car after all weighs 3400 pounds and to drive something that heavy a better performing power plant is needed. What the company came up with is the B230FT which is essentially a B230FT engine with a boost controller which is the Turbo developed by Volvo. The newer engine has a relatively higher output of 175 horsepower. This power is further increased to 188 horsepower the following year. The significant increase in the power output of the engine which the 780 employs made this a serious competitor in its class.
The coupe lasted in the market for five years when production of the coupe was ceased in 1990 through that time Volvo has produced 8518 cars although different sources estimated that the number of these cars produced is actually much higher. After the discontinuation of the coupe model of Volvo the company would be absent again from the said market for another five years. Their absence in the coupe market is once again broken by the release of the Volvo C70 in 1995. Today though Volvo is concentrating on the coupe market evident in their recent unveiling of the Volvo C30 at the Montreal International Auto Show.
About the writer: Glady Reign is a 32 year old is a consultant for an automotive firm based in Detroit Mi. she is a native of the motor city and grew up around cars hence her expertise in the automotive field.
The History And Future Of The Car Hire Industry
The history of car hire is almost a hundred years old; the first hire company was believed to have rented Ford’s Model T to customers and was started by an enterprising young man by the name of Joe Saunders. This was 1916 a time when many people did not even own a car so Saunders’ enterprise must have been popular with those looking for transport and also those looking for the novelty of driving.
Car hire companies were quick to exploit the fact that having your own means of transport made journeys far easier and infinitely less stressful than public transport. The ability to travel in your own time cannot be underestimated while the freedom of having your own means of transport is a liberating factor. Car hire can be an important element of any trip as no matter where you are the world a car hire desk is never far away.
The majority of international airports have a car hire desk almost as soon as you step off the plane well at least in the arrivals lounge. The last thing you want to do as a traveller after a long journey is spend hours waiting for a train and coping with the rigours of the public transportation network. A far better option is to hire a car and head out of the airport stress free and under your own steam.
Since the first day’s car hire companies have grown in number today however they may well be entering a golden age. With inflated prices of public transport in Britain car hire offers a startling alternative to forking out for the shocking rail fares. If a group of adults has to travel any reasonable distance often the train can cost hundreds of pounds; a far better option is to hire a car and chip in together for the cost; the money saved is usually a considerable amount and can be better put towards activities.
Businessmen have realised this for many years and subsequently use car hire services extensively. For those who spend an eternity travelling stopping in only one place long enough to have a meeting then board a plane again the hire of a car shaves vital minutes off a trip. The commercial world has long been patrons of hire companies as frequent business is often rewarded. As most travelling businessmen will state the less time spent travelling the better especially for those with families at home.
Modern car hire companies have also realised the importance of holidays unlike 1916 when Saunders’ started his business most people now have a car that is why offering car hire as part of a holiday package has been an impressive ploy in the car hire industry. Fly and drive holidays are becoming more popular for tourists seemingly with the shortened attention spans of the modern generation holidaying in one place for any length of time becomes quickly boring. Car hire allows travellers to visit many parts of a region and also creates the opportunity to stop off and have some truly unique experiences.
So what is next for the car hire industry? A good question as seemingly the business has taken all the avenues open to it. An option it to start providing technological innovations as part of car hire packages. This is increasingly becoming the case with satellite navigation systems being included in hire cars to make journeys as simple as possible. This technological increase twinned with providing unparalleled customer service is the way to make a profit in the industry after all airport car hire desks have to deal with some of the most stressed customers and keeping these happy is the path to repeat business.
About the writer: Travel expert Thomas Pretty looks into the history and future of the car hire industry. To find out more please visit http://www.budget.co.uk/
Top 7 Tips For Saving Fuel
Driving a car to work and refuelling these are not one of the best things to do in India today. But lack of options for transport forces people to travel in their cars. Expenses on fuel can be curbed by simple methods. By implementing these methods one could always save more fuel than the manufacturer stated mileage levels.
1 The car burns most fuel when moving in the first gear when the car is revved up. Accelerate gently to a comfortable speed and then shift to the next gear. In manual gearbox change the gear as soon as the car feels comfortable in first gear. In automatic gearbox the transmission shifts quicker.
2 Avoid unnecessary acceleration and braking. Such exercises are usually carried out near traffic signals. Maintain a constant speed at 5060 km/h or lower if required in order to avoid sudden tension on braking and acceleration equipments. Over a period of time these equipment s could break down and cause irreversible damage to the car performance. The best thing to do will be to accelerate gently and roll back the speed slowly to a halt position.
3 Cruising at an average speed will save fuel in the long run. This will put less pressure on the engine. It has been noted by automobile experts that those cars driven over 60km/h are likely to increase fuel consumption by 510 percent. High speeds mean more power and that means the engine has to work harder to deliver the output. However cruising at high speed once in a while does no harm.
4 Avoid idling in traffic signals or traffic jams. Keeping the engine idle for lengthy period will affect its performance. It is noted that a lot of fuel is wasted at such period when travelling. It is estimated that at least 10 percent of fuel can be saved when vehicle is switched off at signals and traffic jams. Interestingly the hybrid cars are designed to cut down on fuel consumption when idling. The car automatically switches to electric power source as soon as it is kept in idle position.
5 Use air conditioner only when necessary. Air conditioners are known to consume as much fuel as is needed to run the car. That means fuel efficiency will be halved. A perfect solution will be run the air conditioner for a few minutes and switched off when the cabin temperature is reduced. This way the driver will be able to enjoy a cooler cabin without compromising much on fuel efficiency.
6 Ensure that the car tyres are properly inflated. Make sure that the wheels are properly aligned. Read the owners manual to find the manufacturer recommended tyre pressure and follow the guidelines. Well inflated tyres can bring down fuel consumption and improve handling.
7 Ensure that car offers least resistance while driving at high speeds. Remove all exterior attachments when not needed which will slow down the car performance. Attachments like roof rails heavy decorations on front fascia can cause resistance. Even the interiors slow down car performance. A light boot will increase performance and lessen fuel consumption.
Conclusion
However for those who value a cars space more than its performance could do well by keeping the car well maintained check fuel level engine wear and tear check lubricants and other fluid levels well tuned suspension clean exhaust and other aspects. This will ensure that the car maintains its mileage ratings while delivering a smooth ride quality.
A wellmaintained car helps to improve fuel efficiency and lower maintenance cost.
About the writer: Buy new cars sell used or preowned cars from Indias First Interactive Car Portal. Click Compare and Choose your car. Get free car price quotes.Carazoo.com