For most of its life, Volvo made stodgy if dependable cars best suited for people who thought of cars as transport rather than something to showcase or get their rocks off in. This changed in the ‘50s when Volvo took out the P1900, which was a fiberglass-bodied roadster, inspired by the Chevrolet Corvette.
It failed miserably to the point only 68 of these were built between 1956 and 1957 before it slunk off, leaving a Volvo red-faced with shame, given the quality was abysmal. The 1.4-liter engine made all of 70 grand horses.
But Volvo carried on, and by 1961 had launched another sports car in the US and European markets, this time calling it the P1800. It was a 2+2 sports car, initially a coupe and by 1962, had become a shooting-brake style car, like a finely-tuned lovechild of a station wagon and a coupe.
This car was a hit and managed to continue all the way till 1974 with more than 47,500 made and sold. However, this is one of the classic sports cars that remains underrated today.
If you are in the mood to get one of these sporty classic cars, then this is what you should know about the P1800 and its current market value.
The P1800 Antecedents & Models
The P1900, the most despised of all sports cars, was a project by Helmer Petterson. His son, Pelle Peterson then designed the P1800, under the tutelage of Pietro Frua, while Frua studio was a part of Ghia coachbuilder. However, Volvo acknowledged Pelle’s contribution only in 2009. The car may have been a ‘60s child but at heart, looked like a ‘50s model with short tail fins and a small greenhouse as well though the body was tall and long.
At heart was the B18 engine, a 1.8-liter inline-four that managed to make 100 horses, mated to a manual transmission. In 1963, another transmission was added to the lineup, a manual one with an electronically controlled overdrive. The overdrive helped make for a longer-lasting transmission and added a fifth gear to the car, technically speaking. And yet, the cars without the overdrive managed to go up to top speeds of 120 mph while the ones with overdrive stayed at 110 mph.
Initially, once the concept P1800 started to interest the public, Volvo tied up with Jensen Motors, and a contract was signed for 10,000 cars. Later, as time progressed, Volvo became unhappy with Jensen’s assembly quality and production moved to Volvo’s plant in Gothenburg, Sweden with only 6,000 cars made. The car then became the 1800S, the engine improved and enlarged, jetting around 120 horsepower from a 2.0-liter inline-four in 1969. Top speed became 175 mph.
In 1970, the 1800E came to play with a fuel-injected engine, now jetting 130 horses and going as fast at 190 mph, armed with disc brakes on all four wheels. Finally, the last model came, the 1800ES, which was a station wagon popular for its frameless, glass tailgate although power was slightly reduced at about 125 horses.
With the advent of the strict emission norms, coupled with the oil crisis, it was the start of the malaise era that made Volvo end the run of P1800. But the going, as they say, was not just good, but magnificent.
The Celebrity Aspect
The Volvo P1800 got tons of exposure when it became Roger Moore’s car in the TV Series, The Saint when he played Simon Templar and drove a 1962 P1800 that bore the license plate ST1. Funnily enough, the production at the time had wanted a Jaguar but Jag didn’t have a spare car, or the interest, and so the P1800 became Simon Templar’s ride with the series lasting all the way to 1969.
Not to be outdone, when the British rock band, The Who, visited the Duke of York in London, 1966, they drove in and posed against the newly custom-painted 1966 Volvo P1800 belonging to the lead singer, Roger Daltrey.
Finally, in 1998, one Volvo 1800S owned and driven by Irv Gordon became the highest mileage private vehicle ever, having exceeded 3.25 million miles till the time Gordon could drive it.
So clearly, the P1800 was built to last. Perhaps even forever considering it outlasted Irv Gordon, who passed away in 2018.
Current Values Of The P1800
Almost 50,000 of these cars were made and sold, from 1961 to 1973. Clearly, they are not a rarity. If you are looking for one of these classic sports cars, remember to go for the later models, the ones made by Volvo 1963-onwards. The 1961-62 models made by Jensen Motors do tend to rust faster than the others, plus parts for the later models are also a lot easier to come by.
The station wagons, the Volvo P1800ES might be slightly lower on power, but still, carry loads of appeal because of that signature all-glass tailgate that looked as good as it came loaded with convenience.
The Volvo P1800 remains iconic in design and while it could never match the sales of the homegirl, the Corvette, it did well enough and will get you plenty of simpers on the road.
Sources: GQ, Hemmings, Hagerty