Did Volvo predict the future with this 1980s concept?

This is the ‘Light Component Project’ concept car, a Volvo the likes of which we’ve never seen before. And won’t ever see again, probably. The brief was simple: at least two passengers, a maximum weight of 700kg, fuel consumption above 70mpg and to make it look as ugly as possible. We’re just guessing at the last one. The car was first shown at what was a no doubt scintillating environment seminar in Stockholm in 1983 – in fact, four different models were shown, each with ‘minor technical differences’.

Exactly – the 2000 was because back in the Seventies and Eighties we would all be going around in hover cars by that point. The future is invariably a disappointment. But the Volvo engineers did get some things right… it used downsized turbocharged three-cylinder engines, plastic and aluminium to keep weight down, and even a bit of carbon fibre in the doors, a new and exciting material at the time. 

The wedge-shape was a Seventies staple when it came to futuristic design – this was the decade that discovered aero, after all. The rear-facing passengers were a nice touch – Volvo says this was for packaging and safety reasons, the back pair of seats accessible through the plastic tailgate. The laser focus on weight saving meant that the team behind the LCP 2000 just about hit the target – at 707kg, what’s a few bags of sugar between friends?

There’s nothing particularly futuristic about the interior, which was a typical period festival of brown. There’s a slight hint of the 480 Coupe to come in 1986 around the dashboard and exterior wedginess, but the Volvo team largely stuck to the brief, with practical weight reductions rather than any flights of fancy. The seats are thin, the dash is minimalistic and the rest of the interior workmanlike. Volvo insisted that you could fit luggage as well as two rear passengers, but we hear that toes are overrated. 

There were two different diesel engines powering the LCP 2000 – 3cyl models that would have been fashionable motors in recent years even allowing for the best efforts of the tinkers at Volkswagen. A 1.3-litre magnesium effort pumping out 49bhp and a 1.4 in cast iron producing a perky 89bhp that they got to run on rape seed oil, for that chip shop vibe. The end result didn’t quite match Volvo’s lofty ambitions, but remains impressive – the car managed 56mpg, a mildly sedate top speed of 110mph and a 0-62mph time that came in a smidge over 11 seconds. Power was delivered to the road through the front wheels via a five-speed manual box or an electronically managed CVT auto.

The LCP 2000 certainly informed Volvo’s thinking when it came to futuristic touches on its new cars, but the concept itself has been squirrelled away into the Volvo museum in Gothenburg. The enviro-tastic effort didn’t quite capture the imagination of the general public, but it seems like Volvo had plenty of fun making it. 

Lack of enthusiasm from customers aside, the LCP 2000 was more of a money-no-object clean sheet project than a candidate for production viability – look at the more recent likes of the Audi A2 or BMW i3 to see the mismatch between engineering enthusiasm and customer purchases. Volvo made a better fist of its 1992 future concept – this one looked excitedly at a car it had already started working on and only had eight years until the year 2000. The EEC (Environmental Concept Car) previewed the firm’s upcoming S80 saloon, complete with new design language, while showcasing a lightweight construction, hybrid powertrain (powered by a gas turbine) and advanced safety systems. 

Well, the Swedish firm certainly didn’t stop with the EEC – the 3CC concept was another lightweight aero-based number with a fancy powertrain. This time the car had an electric motor, and was designed to carry a combination of three adults or two adults and two children. Practical. The 180-mile range from the batteries was a bit more 2020, so Volvo definitely got it right eventually. Wouldn't mind a bit more room, though.