4×4S.ORGTHE REGISTRY BASE MODEL · 1974–84
BASE MODELSweden

C303 (1974–84)

The Laplander’s successor: the C303 of 1974–84 with the 3.0-litre B30 six (125 hp civilian, 117 hp military), portal axles with locking differentials, a 2,300 mm wheelbase and 4x4 drive, the Swedish Army’s Tgb 11 and the vehicle of the Malaysian Army, Swedish utilities and Telekom Malaysia; about 8,718 of the C303 family were built, three-quarters for armies, and a C303 won the under-10-tonne truck class of the 1983 Paris–Dakar.

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Sources & evidence
C303 (1974–84) — Volvo C303 no Motorhistoriska dagen no Lojsta slott, Gotland.Bene Riobó · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗
MODEL LINEC303, C304 and C306BUILT BYVolvo (Lundby, Gothenburg)PRODUCED1974–84PRODUCTIONAbout 8,718LAYOUT4 wheels · 90.6″

The record

Volvo redesigned the Laplander around the B30 six and a stronger chassis for the Swedish Army’s 1970s requirement; the C303 (Tgb 11) was the 4x4 and the C304 and C306 the six-wheelers. Norway, Malaysia and civilian buyers (utilities, forestry, expedition owners) took the rest, and the type is prized for its portal axles and simplicity.

Specification

MANUFACTURERVolvo (Lundby, Gothenburg) ↗
plant, Gothenburg
MANUFACTURED1974–84
ENGINE3.0-litre B30 OHV petrol six, 117–125 hp
PRODUCTION RUNAbout 8,718 (C303, C304 and C306)
COUNTRY OF ORIGINSweden
STATUSended 1984
RECORD KINDBase model
MODEL LINEC303, C304 and C306
FAMILYC303, C304 and C306
WHEELS4
NOMINAL WHEELBASE90.6″
BODY STYLESoft top
VARIANTS4

Catalogue fields describe the vehicle's structure and body as this registry records it. They are not certified factory measurements, and no performance figures are published here.

Body styles & colours

Body style

Factory colours

  • Swedish Army green

Codes on hover. Hex values are representative approximations of period paint unless a source states a measured value.

AI rendering impression

An AI rendering impression starts from a 3D model of this vehicle, which an image model then paints into a scene. It is an artist's impression of the type, made to give a feel for the vehicle in its element — not a photograph, and not a record of any particular vehicle.

Proportions, fittings, markings, colours and the setting can all drift from the original in the process. For the vehicle's actual details, rely on the specification, the photographs and the cited sources on this page.

Sources

  1. 1Volvo C303 ↗Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-22SOURCE

Registry record updated 2026-09-22 · status: researched