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After the beautiful, but disastrous from the economic point of view (67 copies sold), Volvo P1900 of the year 1957, the Swedish brand is working on a new sports project that serves to give a dynamic image to its range.
The decision is made at the end of that same year, 1957. It will be a coupé, better adapted to the Swedish climate than a convertible, and developed from the platform of the 122 S Amazon saloon, to reduce costs. As for the motorization, a completely new four-cylinder engine will be mounted (actually half of a V8 designed for a truck of the brand). Robustness and smoothness will be its main attributes. On the other hand, this engine does not shine for extraordinary performance, with its initial 90 horsepower.
On the other hand, sports car bodies are not a domain in which Volvo designers are comfortable, and thus the study of it is entrusted to the prestigious Italian firm Frua. Interestingly, by an incredible succession of coincidences, the praised “Italian” line of the P 1800 coupé is actually due to a young Swede: among many projects in competition, the one of a son of a Volvo manager was chosen, who was doing an internship in Fruit.
The silhouette of the Volvo does not give off an image of lightness and yet it is an example of homogeneous curves, with a small cabin located between a long front hood and a raised rear part, which some consider to be somewhat baroque but with a strong personality. that few discuss.
Finally, at the 1960 Brussels Motor Show, the P 1800 coupé was presented, but its marketing was delayed. The problem is that in the Volvo factory the sedan production lines are not set up for marginal manufacturing. After a series of unsuccessful talks with the German coachbuilder Karmann (the manufacturer of the beautiful coupés and cabriolets based on the Volkswagen Beetle), Volvo entrusts the assembly of its coupé to the British firm Jensen. Six thousand units were born there until, dissatisfied with their finish (problems with sealing and the cellulosic paint, which deteriorated rapidly), Volvo broke the contract and took production to Sweden in 1963. However, the British company Pressed Steel Ltd, will continue to supply bare bodies until 1968.
Renamed P 1800 S, this change of scenery is beneficial. To the increase in manufacturing quality, a series of positive changes are added: an improved interior finish, better seats, a more sober and modern exterior (some chrome disappears), and wheel trims like those of the Amazon saloon are incorporated. But it is also possible to fit Robergel spoked rims, available as an accessory.
In autumn 1963 a more powerful engine (108 hp SAE) was mounted, and in 1966, one of 115 hp and then one of 118 hp. It will also incorporate disc brakes on all four wheels and in 1970, the 1800 S becomes the 130 hp 1800 E, when the carburettors are replaced by Bosch electronic injection. Incidentally, in 1965 the 1800 had stopped bearing the “P” in its official name.
The Saint
One of the factors that contributed to enhancing the image of the P 1800 would be its presence in a highly successful television series broadcast between 1962 and 1969, “El Santo”, which began broadcasting in Spain on December 17, 1964, and was Offered on Thursdays at 10pm.
It was a British production starring Roger Moore in the role of Simon Templar, a literary character created by Leslie Charteris in the twenties, who chased criminals to rob them, and helped men and, above all, women with problems, while a Scotland Yard inspector persecuted him for his not always very legal methods. Well, this modern Robin Hood needed, of course, a car. The first idea was a Jaguar E, which seemed tailor-made for the protagonist. But the firm from Coventry, in great demand at that time, had no possibility of supplying any car, much less the models of the interiors, necessary for the filming of certain scenes. Aston Martin was also ruled out as too elitist, as were a number of other small British craft manufacturers. This is how Volvo’s door was knocked, which immediately responded affirmatively because they saw in the project a fantastic way to promote their sports car. Thus, Roger Moore, excuse me, Simon Templar, got behind the wheel of a white Volvo 1800 registered «ST1», which on its hood bore the famous symbol of El Santo, a stick figure, a «stickman» as the English say, with a halo in the head
El Shooting Brake de 1971
In 1971, the 1800 received a second boost thanks to a new body variant. Contacted by the factory, Pietro Frua and Sergio Coggiola designed, respectively, the Rocket and Beach Car shooting brakes (a very British synthesis of coupé and family bodywork), respectively. Both prototypes are considered very futuristic and give way to the project of a designer from the house, Jan Wilsgaard, with a more classic design, but maintaining the shooting brake concept. The new 1800 ES has enormous appeal and soon outsells the coupé.
The 1800 disappears in 1975, a victim of American anti-pollution regulations (its main market). But there remains his career, that of a television star, a cult car from the sixties and a sales success (47,482 units, of which 8,078 ES). And that its price was quite high, just below that of a Jaguar E, but who puts a price on feeling like Roger Moore, like Simon Templar, behind the wheel of a P 1800?
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