Volvo Tundra

Volvo Tundra
Volvo Tundra in the Bertone Collection
Overview
ManufacturerBertone
Also calledBertone Tundra
Production1979 (1 concept car)
DesignerMarcello Gandini at Bertone[1]
Body and chassis
ClassConcept car
Body style3-door hatchback coupé
RelatedVolvo 343
Powertrain
Engine1,397 cc (1.4 L; 85.3 cu in) B14 OHV inline-4
Dimensions
Length4,023 mm (158.4 in)
Width1,710 mm (67.3 in)
Height1,277 mm (50.3 in)

The Volvo Tundra is a concept car built and designed by Bertone in 1979.

Design

Bertone's design prompt was to do "something delicious" based on the Volvo 343.[2] The angular design was by Marcello Gandini, and continued the themes developed for the Lamborghini Silhouette and the Reliant (Anadol) FW11.[3] It was rejected by Volvo, who considered the design too modern and deemed it difficult to market.

It is often misreported that Bertone instead sold a very similar design to Citroën, where it was produced as the Citroën BX from 1982 to 1994.[4] However, this would have meant Citroën turned a concept into a series production model in less than 18 months.[5] The relationship is simply that the two designs appeared from the same design house.[6][7]

The Tundra's rear-side window had a pulled-down top edge, an idea also seen on the BX C-pillar. The effect was of a floating roof, a design idea that would become popular in the 2010s.[4]

Many styling cues from the Tundra, including the color scheme, would be reused by Bertone two years later on the Mazda MX-81.[8]

Specifications

The Tundra was powered by the same 1.4 litre four-cylinder engine as the 343, producing 70 PS (51 kW) and sending power to the rear wheels. The interior of the car featured an electronic instrument cluster.

References

  1. ^ "Volvo Tundra". carrozzieri-italiani.com. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
  2. ^ Padeanu, Adrian (2016-08-03). "Concept We Forgot: 1979 Volvo Tundra". Motor1.
  3. ^ Perini, Giancarlo (1979-10-18). "Muotoilun kaunokkeja" [Design beauties]. Tekniikan Maailma (in Finnish). Vol. 35, no. 17/79. Helsinki: TM-Julkaisu. p. 62. ISSN 0355-4287.
  4. ^ a b Söderholm, Erik (2014-07-05). "Volvos konstiga konceptbil – som blev en Citroën" [Volvo's strange concept car – which became a Citroën]. Auto Motor & Sport (in Swedish). Egmont Publishing AB. Archived from the original on 2020-02-15.
  5. ^ "Le projet BX".
  6. ^ "Citroën BX prototypes Projet XB".
  7. ^ van der Zanden, Thijs (2021), BX: A new generation of Citroën, ISBN 978-90-828147-9-8
  8. ^ "Mazda Just Restored Its Amazing MX-81 Aria Concept Styled by Bertone". MotorTrend. 2021-05-14. Retrieved 2025-07-26.
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