Volvo 700 Series

The Volvo 700 series is a range of executive cars produced by the Swedish manufacturer Volvo Cars from 1982 to 1992. The 700 series was introduced in 1982 with the premium 760 models, followed two years later by the more basic 740s, which benefited from the 760's prestige, while sharing the same bodywork. The 700 series was then gradually replaced, beginning in 1990, by the 900 series. The 700, designed by Jan Wilsgaard, was originally to have been a replacement for the 200 series, but production of that model continued until the early nineties. The expensive 780, a Bertone-designed coupé version, entered production in 1986 and departed without a direct successor only four years later.

The most visible differences between the 700 and 900 series were the much more sloping rear greenhouse (sedans), instead of the extremely square, formal, upright C-pillars of the 740s and 760s; more rounded corners on the 900's bodies, and a somewhat better-appointed interior. The 700 series came to an end in late 1992 when the last 740s were built (although they were considered to be of model year 1993). The range had been augmented and finally supplanted by the Volvo 900 in 1993, with the last of the 900s being sold in 1998.