Probably not the Bertone you would expect: Volvo 264 TE (Top Executive). It is based on the 242, but modified by the coachbuilder located in Turin. This spectacular sedan is one of the 30 state limousines of this type used in the GDR.
In the early 1970s, the Council of Ministers of the GDR could not show to the outside world that the previous government vehicles of Soviet production such as ZIL-111 or GAZ-Tschaika no longer met their requirements. Western vehicles like Mercedes from their Klassenfeind were out of question. So they peeked into neutral sweden
But the Volvo 242 just wasn't state-carrying enough. The solution was for Volvo to transport two-door bodyshells with all the necessary parts and assemblies to Bertone. In Turin, the bodies were cut apart and lengthened with prefabricated sheet-metal parts, galvanized, assembled and provided with the desired equipment. The vehicles were then delivered to East Berlin where they received the latest radio and air-conditioning technology and the finishing touches.
Only 250 vehicles of the Volvo 264 TE were built.
51 notes
·
View notes