At the back of some Volvo dealerships, amongst the odd XC90 and S80, a few
C30
s still remain. In fact, Volvo is keen to celebrate its quirky hatch as production ends and we are too, not just because of the Polestar concept...
Polestar teased but, sadly, never delivered
Actually, there's more to the C30 than
RS3
-crushing, 405hp 4WD concepts. The origins of the C30 lie in 2001 Safety Concept Car; some of its technology is only now appearing in production cars, including forward collision and blind spot warnings as well as a driver alert system.
The production C30 arrived at the Paris show in 2006, based on the Mk2 Ford Focus. The Ford underpinnings meant the T5 flagship took the 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo with 220hp from the Focus ST, albeit with a more sedate attitude. An early T5 can now be had for £6,500, whilst this modified 388hp C30 looks interesting (it will be sold without the audio 'enhancements', thankfully).
Keen to strengthen the appeal of the C30 with younger buyers, Volvo collaborated with three tuners to create a trio of concepts for the SEMA show. The Evolve car featured 507hp, 14-pot brake calipers and 13-inch wide rear tyres, an ipd version came with gullwing doors and the Heico C30 was designed for those who enjoy hurtling down snowy mountains on planks. Radical indeed.
Focus ST-derived T5 could be a bit of a sleeper
Volvo claims 210,000 C30s have been made since 2006, with one in seven models sold in Britain. Predictably, it's the diesels that have done well here, but PH's interest in the C30 was really sparked in 2010 with the arrival of the
Polestarconcept
. The Swedish touring car outfit transformed the C30 T5 with a new KKK turbo, bigger intercooler, more aggressive cams and an ECU remap contributing to 405hp and 376lb ft. Ohlins suspension and Brembo brakes gave the dynamics some real bite and rumours soon surfaced about a roadgoing C30 superhatch. All that was ever offered in the UK was a light ECU remap with an extra 30hp. Boo.
To mark the passing of the C30, Volvo is giving away a Polestar C30 T5 R-Design. Starting next Thursday (June 13), the car will leave Gothenburg headed for Britain, due to arrive on Saturday June 15. But it will only arrive if enough Tweets are posted about it. Yep, Volvo says the hashtag #LastEverC30 must be used by those wanting to enter the competition and bring the C30 to Britain. There will be further clues on www.LastEverC30.co.uk to find the car on Saturday. Well, saves money on stamps for a postcard entry at least...
So that was the Volvo C30, gone and not to be replaced. The V40 is Volvo's latest hatch but there won't be a three-door as few are being sold. Volvo, nobody will complain if you allow a full-fat Polestar to make its way to Britain. Please?