Volvo introduced the 760 to the U.S. market as a 1983 model, as a replacement for the six-cylinder version of the 260 series. The 700 series, as a whole, was intended to supplant the entire 200 (i.e., 240 and 260) series, but those models were so successful that Volvo continued to sell them through the 1993 model year, by which time the 700 series had already been replaced.
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...Volvo introduced the 760 to the U.S. market as a 1983 model, as a replacement for the six-cylinder version of the 260 series. The 700 series, as a whole, was intended to supplant the entire 200 (i.e., 240 and 260) series, but those models were so successful that Volvo continued to sell them through the 1993 model year, by which time the 700 series had already been replaced.
Volvo's attempt, in the mid-to-late seventies, to establish itself as a player in the near-luxury section of the marketplace was stymied by the step-up model's similarity to its base car. The all-new 760 represented a more serious play for a piece of the luxury car pie. Its boxy styling was definitely in the Volvo tradition, but despite being no longer, overall, than the 240, the 760 looked like a larger car. More important, perhaps, were the smoother ride provided by a wheelbase that had been stretched five inches, and a roomier interior whose luxury appointments weren't simply tacked on to what was originally a lower-end car.
All 1983 760s carried the GLE designation, which in Volvo's scheme of things indicated a full measure of luxury trim. For its first year, the 760GLE could be had with either the Volvo/Peugeot/Renault 2.7-liter overhead cam gas V6 (as first used on the 260 series) or a 2.4-liter turbo-Diesel. In 1984 a more sporting version of the 760, dubbed the Turbo, was introduced. As implied by the model name, its 2.3-liter inline four cylinder engine's power was enhanced by a turbocharger. 1985 was the last year for the Diesel variant, and the first for the amazingly roomy station wagon. During its lifetime, the 760's engines received some useful upgrades. The Turbos got more power, while for the 1988 model the original odd-firing V6 was modified to a smoother even-firing configuration.
The smoother engine was just beginning of the 1988 model's upgrades. The car's front end was restyled, and the interior got a complete makeover, complete with effective electronic climate control, high-end stereo, and eight-way power seats that were, even by Volvo standards, supremely comfortable. That year also marked the replacement of the sedan's solid rear axle with a multi-link an independent rear suspension.
The 1990 model year was the 760's last. It was replaced, for the 1991 model year (1992 in the U.S.), by the similar, but more modern-looking and technically advanced, 960.
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