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Sweden’s signature sports coupe, which also happens to be one of the most reliable car of all time, turns 50 and there is much to celebrate is you are a Volvo enthusiast.
Volvo’s P1800 was first produced in 1961 and became perhaps the brand’s most renowned car of all time, especially in the North American market, where it was a commercial success.
Despite its ignominious origins – from 1961 to 1963 P1800s were built by Jensen in Britain – the design, sketched by Pella Petterson (son of a Volvo consultant) was an instant classic.
The bold, yet perfectly formed, proportions and defined tailfins, running aft from the sloping rear of the cabin section, made for a most distinctive design. Five decades after its launch, the P1800 remains a highly desirable automotive collector’s piece.
THE CLASSIC THAT KEEPS GOING
Produced from 1961 to 1973, the P1800 revolutionised Volvo's image. Although it was never an overly swift coupe (the first cars featured a modest 75kW 1.8-litre engine, improved with fuel-injection to peak at 97kW, in 2-litre form, by the end of production), its elegance and reliability were to ensure the P1800 true classic status.
Beyond its dramatic design and neat (nearly unbreakable) engineering, clever product placement of the P1800 helped enhance its image. After Jaguar had refused a request to supply vehicles for Roger Moore’s character in the 1960s' British TV-drama The Saint, Volvo seized the opportunity; something it repeated with the C70 coupe, featured in the 1997 film version, starring Val Kilmer.
Beyond the P1800 celebrity and classic car status, perhaps its most enduring appeal has been the Volvo coupe’s longevity. This is illustrated most remarkably by New York educationalist Irv Gordon, who bought his 1800S in 1966.
Gordon really loves driving his P1800. In fact, after Irv took delivery of his car on a Friday, he took it back to the dealership that following Monday - for its 2 500km service check-up. Since then Gordon's P1800 has rolled in excess of 4.5m kilometers, with only routine maintenance and a single engine overhaul along the way...
If you seek a distinctive classic car with style and unmatched reliability, then Volvo’s vintage P1800 coupe is an excellence choice; provided you can actually find an owner willing to part with theirs.
Volvo’s P1800 was first produced in 1961 and became perhaps the brand’s most renowned car of all time, especially in the North American market, where it was a commercial success.
Despite its ignominious origins – from 1961 to 1963 P1800s were built by Jensen in Britain – the design, sketched by Pella Petterson (son of a Volvo consultant) was an instant classic.
The bold, yet perfectly formed, proportions and defined tailfins, running aft from the sloping rear of the cabin section, made for a most distinctive design. Five decades after its launch, the P1800 remains a highly desirable automotive collector’s piece.
THE CLASSIC THAT KEEPS GOING
Produced from 1961 to 1973, the P1800 revolutionised Volvo's image. Although it was never an overly swift coupe (the first cars featured a modest 75kW 1.8-litre engine, improved with fuel-injection to peak at 97kW, in 2-litre form, by the end of production), its elegance and reliability were to ensure the P1800 true classic status.
Beyond its dramatic design and neat (nearly unbreakable) engineering, clever product placement of the P1800 helped enhance its image. After Jaguar had refused a request to supply vehicles for Roger Moore’s character in the 1960s' British TV-drama The Saint, Volvo seized the opportunity; something it repeated with the C70 coupe, featured in the 1997 film version, starring Val Kilmer.
Beyond the P1800 celebrity and classic car status, perhaps its most enduring appeal has been the Volvo coupe’s longevity. This is illustrated most remarkably by New York educationalist Irv Gordon, who bought his 1800S in 1966.
Gordon really loves driving his P1800. In fact, after Irv took delivery of his car on a Friday, he took it back to the dealership that following Monday - for its 2 500km service check-up. Since then Gordon's P1800 has rolled in excess of 4.5m kilometers, with only routine maintenance and a single engine overhaul along the way...
If you seek a distinctive classic car with style and unmatched reliability, then Volvo’s vintage P1800 coupe is an excellence choice; provided you can actually find an owner willing to part with theirs.
