Volvo VESC

The Volvo VESC, short for Volvo Experimental Safety Car, was a concept car shown at the 1972 Geneva Motor Show to demonstrate a series of passenger safety ideas. It grew out of earlier Volvo safety work, including project P1560, which was cancelled in 1971, and an Experimental Safety Vehicle programme that also ended but left prototypes and design work for the VESC. The 5,520 mm car was designed to survive a frontal crash at 80 km/h, with a very long front bumper area, an engine that would be forced down under the cabin floor and a steering column pulled into the dashboard. It also had anti-lock brakes, front and rear airbags, an integrated roll cage and an early rear-view camera. Much of its design influenced the Volvo 200 series launched in 1974, and a VESC is displayed at the Volvo Museum in Gothenburg.