Swedish automotive company Volvo has been producing reliable, attractive and safe cars since 1927. Over 90 years, many interesting models have been released. And one of these can rightfully be considered the Volvo P1800, which deserves special attention.
Briefly about the model
This car was published in 1961. Volvo P1800 immediately attracted attention, because it was a sports car with an amazing design. It was produced only in two versions - in the back of a coupe and a jailbreak (2-door station wagon). Even during production, the Volvo P1800 was a rare car. For 12 years, the concern has produced a little more than 39,000 coupes and about 8,000 station wagons.
Interestingly, the prototype of the first sports car did not meet with approval. But the specialists of the concern decided not to give up and assigned the design development to another professional, who was Helmer Pettersen. He managed to create a stylish car. Her dynamic retro look immediately appealed to motorists. All models, barely coming off the assembly line, instantly sold out.
It is important to note that the Volvo P1800 is a Gran Turismo class car. Which literally translates as "a great journey." Accordingly, the car is designed for active driving. And one of the owners of Volvo, Irv Gordon, used this car for its intended purpose - so much so that it “dashed” over 4,800,000 kilometers on it! Thanks to this, the man, like his car, became famous.
What's under the hood?
For the 60s, the Volvo P1800 was a very powerful car. Even by today's standards, it can be considered as such. It was equipped with a 100-horsepower V8 engine, which the manufacturers decided to adopt from the Volvo trucks of those times. But this unit was used only in the first five years of production. Then the cars began to be equipped with improved 115-horsepower engines. And in 1969 even more powerful units appeared, producing 118 liters. from.
Initially, the engines worked in tandem with the M40 transmission. But its manufacturers used only until 1963. Then a new checkpoint appeared - the M41. These cars were really powerful. The first "hundred" they exchanged in 9.5 seconds. And the maximum speed reached 190 km / h. And for the 60s, these were solid indicators.
Production nuances
Until 1963, Jensen produced 6,000 copies of the Volvo P1800, the photo of which is presented above. Then the assembly began to be carried out at a plant located in the Swedish city of Lundby. The next transfer of production took place in 1969. Then it was decided to start collecting bodies in Scotland. By the way, after this, the model began to be called as it is now known. Before that, the letter “S” was also present in its name. And the car was called Volvo P1800 S. This letter denoted the country in which the production was carried out, that is, Sweden.
But the appearance of the model has changed little. Transformed only the shape of the grille, wheels, body color and moldings. And so the P1800 model was in many ways better than machines manufactured in parallel. The most noticeable differences were the presence of an electronic fuel injection system, the option of water cooling the engine, disc brakes on all wheels and a gearbox with overdrive.
Compartment hatchback
In the end, it is worth saying a few words about such a model as the Volvo P1800 ES. This car was a compartment hatchback, quite successful and attractive, by the way. After all, it was used in the future to create completely new cars. The modern Volvo C30 hatchback , for example, is one of those.
And still it is impossible not to mention that the P1800 is a real “star” of television screens. After all, it was this unit that was chosen for filming by the directors and producers of the famous series The Saint, in which Roger Moore starred . The car instantly became popular. And until the end of the series, he remained his symbol. It is not surprising that it was during the film screening that sales of the stylish coupe increased sharply.