Volvo ‘bags’ unique safety technology

The C70 retractable hardtop uses vertically deploying curtain airbags to provide added open-top passenger safety.

Very few auto manufacturers would have the nerve to introduce their newest model by involving it in a spectacular crash. But that is how Volvo showed off its new C70 folding hardtop convertible. Because the words “Volvo” and “safety” go together, the company wanted to demonstrate the effectiveness of its safety systems, particularly a new vertically deploying curtain airbag.

In the 1970s, with the drive for automotive safety still in first gear but propelled by a powerful lobby, the future for convertible cars looked distinctly doubtful; a total legislated ban seemed increasingly likely. Airbag technology was in its infancy, rollover bars were not generally in use, and even the most avid supporters of soft tops had to admit that they were potentially more dangerous than their hardtop counterparts. As for body structure, crashworthiness and torsional rigidity were almost universally unimpressive for sedans and far less impressive for convertibles; scuttle-shake and body flexing were the norm. As usual when faced with a real threat, though, the industry reacted sufficiently convincingly to stave off a ban and set out on a route to safer convertibles. The 2006 Volvo C70 is the latest example.