Although not a sports car in true sense of the word, the Ghia-styled Volvo P1800 was a good long- legged cruiser. It features an overdrive gearbox, had a respectable top speed of over 100mph (160km/h). The 107bhp engine was a twin carburetor, in-line four-cylinder unit with a four speed transmission sending the drive to a coil sprung live rear axle. Servo assisted front disc brakes were standard, giving safe but uninspiring handling.
Handsome and practical, the P1800 quickly gained popularity, despite a high price tag, and its profile was further raised by weekly appearance in the TV series ‘The Saint’, in which it was driven by show’s star, Roger Moore (who also owned one in real life). The initial production of Volvo’s stylish P1800 coupe was somewhat convoluted. The steel bodies were built in Britain by Pressed Steel in Scotland, and then sent to Jensen of West Bromwich who, with chassis parts supplied from Sweden, assembled the complete cars.
But Volvo was never very happy with the quality of the Jensen built cars, and in 1964 it shifted production to Sweden. With more power and detail trim differences, the car became known as the 1800S. The engine developed into a full two liter unit, with 115bhp in 1968; from 1969, it gained fuel injection, increasing the power output to 125bhp.
The final evolution of the design was the 1800ES, Volvo’s answer to the Reliant Scimitar GTE ‘Sporting Estate’. With its extended roof-line and rear hatchback, it was a useful small load carrier with a good turn of a speed. However, by the early 1970s Volvo was beginning to lose interest in its old sport cars, and stopped production in 1973.
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