EVERY pack has its joker and with Volvo in the 1970s it was most definitely the 262C.
Based on the rugged 200 Series the 262C was a hunky six-cylinder coupe with a very American angular coupe rear end.
This wild card was an attempt to build a luxury coupé and it certainly provoked comment.
With a lowered back and chunky rear pillars on top of a 260 lower body it gave the impression of utter solidity and looked more American than Swedish.
The rear may have been a bit short on room but the front seat occupants were treated to a sumptuous leather-bound environment licensed to pamper rather than thrill.
The car definitely had the look of high fashion at the time and not surprisingly it was produced in association with the Turin-based works of Nuccio Bertone, which was chosen for the quality of building and standard of finish.
Cars were shipped to the Bertone works partially built, with the rest of the components in kit form to be assembled and painted.
The 262C's public debut was at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1977 with many of the motoring journalists' comments being somewhat scathing.
It certainly shows how opinions differ in the ranks of motoring scribes because I thought the highly expensive 262C was a wow and its worldwide sales for such an expensive car certainly backed up this view.
In all, 6,622 cars were produced during the years 1977 to 1981. This was well in excess of the original planned production rate of 800 cars per year with 90 per cent destined for the United States.
There were three easily identified variants - the original production model, the 1979 model year with a redesigned rear section and the final 1981 version with the new frontal treatment and revised instrument panel.
Engines were the same as the standard 260s, thus a 140bhp 2,664cc V6 at first, followed by a 155bhp 2,849cc V6 towards the end of production.
Although the Italian build quality of this mean and moody monster may not have been all it was cracked up to be with a surprising amount of corrosion showing up, many Volvo fans are addicted to these cars.
The American link with this model is intriguing. The US had been a consistently good export outlet for Volvo and a visit to the ultra-modern Volvo Kalmar factory by industrialists including Henry Ford II brought a little bonus.
The delegation brought with them some two-door Lincoln Mark coupes with low roofs and wide rear pillars which fired the enthusiasm of the Volvo car makers so much that company decided to make something similar but in a true Volvo vein.
It was decided that the envisaged coupes would have to created elsewhere because they would be low-volume vehicles that could not be accommodated on the factory production lines. Hence the link with Bertone.
If this car has an entry in the automotive hall of fame it is that it was the first large Volvo that you would aspire to own rather than just need.
Its lofty pricetag of £13,000 at launch ensured its exclusivity and not that many were sold in the UK.
If you do see one on the road it is more than likely to be one of the versions in silver with a black vinyl roof – a feature that did not just declare its American link but yelled it.