The Volvo P1800 was a 2+2, front-engine, rear-drive sports car built from 1961 to 1973. It began as a coupé and gained a shooting brake, the 1800ES, for its last two years, and it became famous as Simon Templar’s car in the television series The Saint.
Volvo P1800 at a glance
| Production | 1961–1973 |
|---|---|
| Bodies | coupé 1961–1972, shooting brake 1800ES 1972–1973 |
| Layout | 2+2, front engine, rear-wheel drive |
| Styling | Pelle Petterson, under Pietro Frua at Ghia |
| Mechanicals | derived from the Amazon/122 series |
| Engine | 1.8-litre B18 with twin SU carburettors, 100 hp |
| Gearboxes | M40 four-speed, M41 with Laycock overdrive from 1963 |
| Early production | Jensen Motors, West Bromwich, bodies by Pressed Steel at Linwood |
| Fame | Roger Moore in The Saint, 1962–1969 |
| Record | an 1800S driven more than 3.25 million miles by one owner |
History of the Volvo P1800
The project began in 1957 because Volvo wanted a sports car for the American and European markets, despite the failure of the P1900, of which only 68 were sold. The driving force was the engineering consultant Helmer Petterson, who had been responsible for the PV444 in the 1940s. Unknown to him, the styling was done by his son Pelle under the Italian designer Pietro Frua, whose studio was then part of Ghia; Volvo insisted the design was Italian and only officially recognised Pelle Petterson’s authorship in 2009.
Frua built three prototypes in 1957–1958, later designated P958-X1, X2 and X3. Helmer Petterson took the first to Karmann in Osnabrück in December 1957 hoping the German firm would build the car, and its engineers were ready to do so, but Volkswagen reportedly forbade it. NSU, Drauz and Hanomag were approached without success. Volvo then turned to Jensen Motors in England, whose lines were under-used, and signed a contract for 10,000 cars; Pressed Steel built the bodies at Linwood in Scotland and Jensen assembled them in West Bromwich. The first production P1800 left Jensen in September 1960 for the 1961 model year, and the car was shown publicly at the Brussels show in January 1960.
Engineering
The engine was the 1.8-litre B18 with twin SU carburettors in 100 hp B18B form, with a higher compression ratio and a different camshaft from the B18D of the Amazon 122S. It drove through the M40 four-speed gearbox until 1963, after which the M41 with electrically operated Laycock de Normanville overdrive was a popular option; overdrive cars had a higher final ratio and non-overdrive cars a lower one, giving the latter a slightly higher top speed just under 120 mph.
Fame and record
Marketed as a touring car rather than a sports car, the P1800 became widely known when Roger Moore drove one in The Saint from 1962 to 1969. In 1998 an 1800S owned by Irv Gordon was certified as the highest-mileage private car driven by its original owner in non-commercial service, having covered more than 3.25 million miles by his death in 2018. The 1800ES shooting brake of 1972–1973 closed the line.
Design and features
- Italian-influenced styling: Pelle Petterson’s shape, credited to Frua for decades.
- Amazon mechanicals: proven engines and suspension under a low body.
- Overdrive: the M41 gearbox gave the car a long-legged fifth ratio.
- Television fame: the car of The Saint with Roger Moore.
- Shooting brake: the 1800ES of 1972–1973 with a glass tailgate.
Volvo P1800 versions
- P1800 (1961): Jensen-built coupé with the B18B engine.
- 1800S: the Swedish-built version that followed.
- Overdrive cars: M41 gearbox with Laycock de Normanville overdrive.
The P1800 used the mechanicals of the Volvo Amazon, replaced the failed Volvo P1900 and inspired the hatch of the Volvo 480. More cars are in the Volvo collection.
Sources
- Volvo P1800, English Wikipedia: development, Jensen production, engines, fame, record
