Volvo P1800 S

Assar Gabrielsson, Volvo's CEO in the 1950s, saw the Corvette as an "image booster" for the Chevrolet brand. His answer was a new concept for Volvo's own model range: the P1900. Unfortunately, this was not crowned with success due to significant quality problems. His second attempt, the Volvo P1800, was a success and still is today. It was common knowledge that the Italians were good at designing stunning touring cars. Therefore, Ghia and Frua were asked to create the new sketch. The final prototype was produced by Frua.

Due to capacity problems in Sweden, Karmann was contracted to build the P1800. When Volkswagen, Karmann's most important customer at the time, learned of this, they threatened to cancel all contracts with Volkswagen. Fortunately, Volvo quickly found a new candidate: Jensen. In 1961, the first P1800 rolled off the assembly line in England.

The engine (type designation B18B) was based on Volvo's V8 truck engine, which had been sawed in half. Due to the use of aluminum engine parts, the engine weighed only 143 kilos. Despite several attempts by Volvo, Jensen did not deliver the same build quality that Volvo was known for. Again, the brand was persistent and built a new assembly plant in Sweden to ensure its quality. To illustrate this, the P1800S was born. The S stands for "Swedish Assembly." A Swedish statement, beautifully.

Our Swedish produced P1800s is in very good condition. Technically, the car is ready for many long drives; and how nice it is with the overdrive working well. The beautiful piano black paint gives the classic a great feel, and who else could own a beautifully designed black classic than the greatest Dutch interior designer of all time? The Saint is asking for a new owner with the same grandeur, come check it out soon?