Price: £200.00 - £299.99, Tyre Diameter: 14, Profile: 70, Width: 185 | Volvo 244 245 264 265 & 262C 1974 to 1993

The 240 range is arguably 'peak' Volvo, certainly in the UK.

The UK didn't get the 242, 2-door saloon, tyre choices are similar to the 244 for these models.

244 DL (1976-1983) - 175SR14 standard tyre.

244 GL (1976-1983) - 185/70HR14 standard tyre.

244 GLT (1983 on) - 195/60HR15 standard tyre (on 15-inch wheel)

245 All models - 185SR14 standard tyre.

264 DL (1976-1978) - 175HR14 standard tyre.

264 GL (1976-1978) - 185/70HR14 standard tyre.

264 (1979-1983) - 175SR14 standard tyre, with 185/70HR14 as an option.

265 All models - 185SR14 standard tyre.

The release of these cars saw Volvo become a mainstream brand, these cars became an everyday sight. Developed from the preceding 140 cars, the new range had different front suspension, and new styling (particularly the even squarer front end) commonly described as "The Flying Brick." Again, it was a declaration of Volvo's focus on safety, with big bumpers, scientific headrests, lots of seatbelts (and a flashing warning light if you didn't put them on!) and a 'softer' dashboard. The model names were descriptive, the 244 is a 4-cylinder, 4-door saloon; the 245 is a 4-cylinder, 5-door estate; the 264 and 265 are the same just with 6-cylinder engines (a new V6 shared with Renault and Peugeot); and the 262C is a 6-cylinder, 2-door coupe. The latter is an unusually styled luxury coupe, and didn't sell anything like as well as the rest of the range, which sold hugely, and remained in production even after its replacements had arrived!