As very often, a dream car is a dream car because it first is a car with an History, and because you have a story with the car.

This is exactly the case of the Volvo P 1800, and a story I will tell you, now.

1/ The History of the P 1800:

Here, I will make it short, as many specialized websites did an awesome work of research and provide exhaustive informations on that model.

I don't want to steal their work and researches, so I will just sum the facts.

The P 1800 is not the first and the last attempt from the Swedish brand to create a Coupé.

Before the P 1800, there was an amazing car, the P 1900, which had a very short life, at the middle of the Fifties, and an even shorter production ( Circa 60 P 1900 were made! )

The P 1900:



Volvo revised the copy, and wanted something really different.

They asked to an italian Designer, Frua, to work on the project, and as soon as 1957 ( it seems ), the first Proto came, with the name code P 958 X1



Then, the definitive car, very close to the prototype, by the way, came out in 1960. The P 1800 was born, for a 13 years life.

During the first 3 years, the car was assembled by Jensen, in Great Britain, because Volvo didn't have the means to do it by themselves.

The car came with a 1.8 L double SU Carburators motor, delivering 90 BHP.

The body was very elegant, with very pure lines, " moustache " bumpers, and a very nicely stylized Volvo signature, on the rear side of the car:



Then, in 1963 till 1964, the P 1800 knew a slight aesthetical evolution: The Moustache bumpers were still there, but the elegant signature on the rear side of the car disappeared, the overdrive was mounted in series, and the motor gained 6 horses ( 96 BHP ).



In 1965, the moustache bumpers disappeared at the benefit of straight ones, and one year after, the motor gained some extra power ( 103 BHP ).



In 1966, the chrome line on the doors in not curved anymore, but straight, and the steering wheel changes, two years after.

The old steering wheel. ( Please note the lovely blue and black Smith Counters )



The new chrome line on the doors:



In summer 1968, the capacity of the engine increased in a significative way. While the B 18 was 1778 cm3, the B 20 is now 1986.

For one year, the Double Carburator survived, and gained 2 horses ( 105 BHP ).

In August 1969, the first Volvo P 1800 was born, which represents the bigger change in the life of this model:

- New rims, a black front gril, while the former one was chromed, aperture on the rear wings to bring more air on the rear brakes which are now disc brakes everywhere.

- The gazoline tank is now on the left wing, and not near the trunk.

- The Black and blue counters and clock are changed for more conventional black ones.

- The seats are totally redesigned.

- The rims are different.

- The motor receives an injection ( D - J Tronic Bosch ) used in some famous cars such as the Porsche 914 or the Ctiroen SM Maserati, and the power increases in a significant way ( 120 BHP, now ) as well as the maximum speed which is now 190 Km Per Hour, when the first " Jensen " was able to go at 170, only.

In 1972, which is the last P 1800 produced, this model gained 4 Horses ( 124 BHP ).

The " E " :





From 1971 to 1973, Volvo released a shooting break version of the P 1800, the ES.

Same mechanical parts, but the aesthetics change a lot, as well as the personality.





The P 1800 was produced during 13 years, and a bit more than 57 000 cars were made ( 49 000 coupés, 8 000 Shooting breaks ).

The Coupés can be seen as an exception, in the history of the Swedish brand.

Indeed, the P 1800 had no real successor till the C 70, which was unveiled in 1997.

The 262 C, from the Mid Seventies, and the 780 from the Mid Eighties were confidentially produced, and didn't have the fatal attraction of the P 1800:



The 780:



The C 70 was another story, with its sensual line, which had something of an Aston Martin, somehow, and which was used by another Saint, Val Kilmer, in the eponymous movie:





The T 5 version was explosive with its 240 horse power motor!

A second generation of the C 70 came in 2006, which is still in production, even if Volvo announced that it will be discontinued in 2013.

The big interest of this last version is that it is a Coupé AND a convertible at the same time.



The lines are elegant, too, almost classic but it seems that all these tries cannot compete with the original, which, in my opinion, is still THE Coupé from Volvo.

2/ My story with the P 1800.

As for many of us, we were in love with cars in our childhood.

Because our favourite hero drove one, because we saw one parked in the street, one day, or overcoming our parents' car on the motorway at the speed of sound, and so on...

Who can forget Emma Peel's Lotus Elan, Thomas Magnum's Ferrari 308 GTS, James Bond's Aston Martin ( and Lotus Esprit ) The Persuaders' Ferrari Dino and Aston Martin?

The Volvo P 1800 was famous mainly because it was Simon Templar's car in the not less famous TV series " The Saint ".

The " Good " traveling with class in the whole Europe, and running after " The Bad "... Always in good company, or often, at least...

Danger, suspense, seduction, class, the winning cocktail a marketing team and a brand is dreaming about!







The story says that the producers of this Cult TV series first thought about a Jaguar Type E to lead Simon in his adventures.

But Jaguar was not interested, as the Type Es sold very well, at this moment ( 1964 ).

Roger Moore was so in love with this car that he bought it to the production team and not only one but at least two of them!

The P 1800 is an unforgettable love story which, for men lasted 35 years, at least.

Not that I saw it every day, during these 35 years, but each time, it came to my mind, entered my memory, and fed my lust.

In the streets, on the motorway, in some public parkings, in some conversations with friends, even a nighbour of mine got one!

Several times I postponed the dream, and I had some opportunities to make it true!

In my early lawyer's days, I didn't have the means to get it,as I had other priorities.

Or the car wasn't in good condition...

OR I didn't solve the main problem of an old car: Where to park it, when you live in Paris and where the parking places are as rare as they are expensive, and how to maintain it in good working condition?

In my life, I had and still have a lot of affection with cars, even if the reglementation makes this kind of love an impssible matter: Speed limits, costs, taxes... Which can kill the pleasure.

I had many temptations, such as an old Porsche 911 ( I have to confess that one of my favourite is the 964 which came in 1989 ), or a Fiat Dino, an Aston Martin (the DB 7 made me dream hard ), a Maserati Ghibli ( the old one, not the one from the Eighties ), a more modest Alfa Romeo Giulia GT 2000, a Lotus Elan, Esprit or Seven, a Convertible Peugeot 504, or even nicer 404, and so on...

BUT, always, the Volvo P 1800 came back... Maybe because of its original elegance, maybe because of its reliability, and its human costs.

One extra thing I needed: Luck.

Just before this summer, I started, once again, to check where and if it was possible to find a nice one, out of curiosity.

I started to notice that several were for sale, in France, and in the whole Europe.

Ok, that is a possible dream, but how to do it, how to solve the issues which seemed to be unsolvable till now?

I decided to speak about my dream with a good friend of mine, who collects watches, and also cars.

His answer was immediate: " You need a place, and the logistic? I have both and can help you on that ".

The hunt can start! The Dream is knocking at my door, in a real way.

3/ The Dream comes true: My P 1800.

As per watches, hunting a car is an exciting journey.

Though, you have to deal with a lot of questions, and precisely one: Which P 1800 to hunt?

A Jensen, a " Moustache Bumpers ", a Double Carburators B 20 motor, or an " E "?

Aestghetically speaking, the Jensen is the one to get: The line is an example of purity.

BUT the problem is that the quality was not always at the " Rendez Vous ".

The " S " which were in production after the Jensen till the " E " are quite a nice compromise. The line is still very pure, the quality was better, and the motor received some more vitamins.

The blue and black counters are the cherry on the cake, too.

Now, the E has its advantages, especially in the mechanical register, with its enhanced brakes and motor, even if the body is a bit less pure, because of these grils on the rear wings, the lss of the chromed front gril and the counters, which are all black, now.

To help me in taking my decision, I focused on what was important for me: A body and chassis which is not eaten by the rust, and accident free, a good paint, the mechanical parts in good condition, a certain coherence between all the elements, and a car I could use quite often, even for long road trips.

No shooting break for me, even if I like it a lot, but the Coupé was the one which made me dream, so no ES for me.

I narrowed my selection to more or less 20 cars, asked for some more detailed pictures, and went down to 4 P 1800, a ' 67 in France, a ' 69 Double Carburators in Italy, one ' 64 " Moustache " in Belgium, and a last one, an " E " from 1970, in Netherland.

In France, the car was very interesting, very well restored, but the seller didn't answer to my mails.

In Italy, the deal was way too complicated. A pity, as this was the most wonderful I saw.

In Belgium, there was an issue with the papers and the brakes. You can easily solve the issue with the brakes, it is much more difficult with the papers.

So, the winner is the " E ", not the purest, but very nicely restored by a passionate guy, and, as previously said, the body and chassis are fine, and the motor and brakes are enhanced, which is very important if you consider using it very often.



The color code, 94, confirms that this British Green Racing is its original color, and that the sand interior is the good one, too.



After viewing a few pictures, and some emails with the seller, it was time to see it in the real...In Amsterdam.

The funny thing is that the nicest details were a bit less nice, and that the less good points were better, in the real.

When you are confronted to a car you dreamt about for a long time, and that you know it can be yours, your heart beats faster, the emotion is your worst enemy, as it is very difficult to stay objective.

The first impression is strong...

No picture can give justice to the P 1800. Only the real experience can make you feel how desirable it is.

The proportions are suprising: Slim, thin, delicate, low, very low, protecting a " cocooning " interior.





The front part is very long with these never ending wings high lighting the ... Full beams.

The front gril is like a shark mouth, ready to devour the kilometers.



The interior, very small compared to the other parts of the car, is sensually curved, adding some elegance to Elegance...With elegance.



And the rear body is just sublime.



A detail I love a lot, on the " E ", the rims... Which give a nice sporty and vintage look to the P 1800:



As for the interior, it is really cosy:



The hand door is original, and very nicely thought: Push it down, and the doors in open:



The steering wheel is very large, which is good when you have to deal with a direction which is not assisted.

The access to the interior is not easy, because of this large stirring wheel, though, but when you get used to it,it is not a problem anymore.

You will also notice the complete battery of indicators ( Oil and water temperature, gasoline, oil pressure and clock ) which are very helpful to travel in complete serenity.



The ambiance iniside is at the image of the car: A blend of luxury, more Grand Tourisme than Sporty, an invitation to long travels.

Ideal for two adults, the seats being very comfortable... A child can enjoy the rear seats, though.

After these static impressions, it is time to start the engine.

The direction is tough, as there is no assistance, but not unpleasant. It needs some real efforts when you have to park.

The suspension is very supple and comfortable, but efficient. The beahaviour of the car on the road, even the smaller ones, is very sane.

The engine makes a delicious sound, which we are not used to hear in our modern cars anymore: Deaf, round, low, noisy when the revs are high, but never unpleasant.

Here is the video made by Ze Bimb, which will give you an idea of the engine sound:

automotive.watchprosite.com

The best speed for this car is somewhere around 120 / 130 Km / H, which is enough to avoid issues with the Police, and to allow you to drive in good conditions for long distances.

To be sure of that, I drove back home from Filip's house, which represents a 320 Kilometers trip... Without any issue, and with great pleasure.

One thing I will have to solve, though... The brakes... I have to change the servo, which will be done in two weeks.

Then my pleasure will be total!

You got it, this Volvo P 1800 is an enchanting car, from my point of view.

Not the most nervous, not the most exciting to drive, as it will never give you the same sensations than a Lotus 7, Elan, or a Porsche, Ferrari, Maserati, even a good old powerful Alfa Romeo, but it will lead you with class and elegance in another universe, or better said, a forgotten universe, the universe of your childhood.

At least with it, you know when you leave home, and you know you will reach your destination, which is not always the case with these Vintage jewels.

At least, it will provide you a lot of pleasure, some good feelings, and some sympathetic reactions.

A car to love and to cherish, definitely.

Looking forward to hearing your comments and thoughts,

Nicolas.

PS: Here are the credits to the owners of the pictures and informations I found on the net:

Volvo 1800 France.

Veni Vidi Vici

Classic Cars

Christiano Luggazo

P 1800 Buying Tips

Scandcar

Hilton and Moss

And a few others I could not identify clearly, but as always, I would be happy to credit them under request.