So what do we have here? Why, it’s a classic Volvo 1800E, the original “souped-down Ferrari”, as Volvo called it. This is an especially rare ’72 version, last year for the coupe. Let’s celebrate Michael Freeman’s ‘new’ Volvo with another classic Swede.
The styling of these cars was pretty modern when they were introduced in the early ’60s, but ten years later, they were unintentionally retro, before retro was cool. The solution was a new roofline, which became the 1800ES, with its more modern shooting brake styling. The coupe lasted one more year, however, adding the ES’s new vertical black plastic grille and slotted steel wheels with chrome lug nuts and center caps. Only 1,865 coupes were produced in swan-song 1972. Like the ES, it used the tried and true B20F four cylinder, producing 120hp in American market versions.
Thanks are due to runningonfumes, who found this neat old Volvo and posted it to the Cohort. If you haven’t checked out the Cohort lately, there’s no time like the present!
At out local Bob’s Big Boy there’s a guy who occasionally shows up in one of these. Only difference is his has a tunnel-rammed small block Chevy in it.
Thanks for putting my photo up on the site. I took this shot on my way to work, which is how I find all of my curbsides. This Volvo immediately caught me eye as I cut through the parking lot. I’ve always loved the styling of these cars. Just lovely from any angle.
I’ve been reading a lot of Swedish crime fiction lately, Asa Larsson is tops, and I often put myself in the story tearing through a northern forest road in one of these sexy sleds.
I took a class in Scandinavian fiction in college, and the crime novels were great – I kept them all. I especially like The Locked Room by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo and Enemy’s Enemy by Jan Guillou.
I took a South African history class and kept my Nadine Gordimer and JM Coetzee novels. There is a similarity between the Afrikaner and Nordic style it seems to me. Dark, tragic, heavily influenced by the landscape. Except for the apartheid. The Swedes are funny though. The Afrikaners not so much.
I suspect that photo isn’t taken outside the shipyard main gate in Bremerton, but that is certainly what it reminds me of.
This car ALWAYS reminds me of my Dad. He was a “Car is nothing more than a way to get From A To B’ …sort of guy on the topic.
But This Was One Of Very Few Cars i can remember him specifically having a shine to everytime we passed one.
On The next street over Vilmos Sostorich owned about a 1966 Cream one that he would take that block just to pass by it. It was rare to understand how he was “Swooning” for his love of a car the way I look at many, many cars I love.
I also Remember him Loving the 1971 Toronado when it first came out. Now THAT is a Pretty car! he’d say…. It further sparked my lifelong interest, if not love ,of all things Toronado.
When the car was new, I literally hated it. The years have softened me, or maybe the ugliness of contemporary automobiles.
Simon Templar alias “The Saint” might like that Volvo. 😉
Roger Moore drove one of these in a 60’s-70’s show. I can’t recall if it was “The Saint” or another show I can’t remember the name of. Tony Curtis was in the show with Roger. Roger was Lord Sinclair or something like that.
Anyhow, about a mile away from where I live, an old guy owned a battered brown Volvo coupe just like the one above. It was in pathetic shape in the early 90’s. I used to see the old guy driving it, seemingly blind to the decrepit condition of the car. At some point, I’d see the car in his driveway, never downstreet. Then, no longer at the house. The guy must have passed away, and who knows what happened to the car?
The car was certainly rare. It’s the only one I ever saw.
I had a die-cast model of this car when I was a kid…it even had “The Saint” emblem on the hood. Probably still kicking around in my mom’s basement somewhere.
Was it Blue?
Suddenly Im surrounded by Volvos though I must admit the one I drive at night is very cool and clever it has none of the style of this one.
Hi this is Swedish Jim Rockford at the sound of the tone leave your name and number……
The P1800 sure his its cult following but all the ones I have ever seen were horrid rust-buckets, and that in an area where cars really don’t rust at all. Perhaps those cars were from out of province.
Jensen built these for a while until Volvo took over due to poor build quality maybe those were what you saw
Even the Swedish-built cars could rust pretty badly, although the greasy bits are quite durable.
This car never looked “dated”.
The Autorags of the time said it looked “dated”. The 1800 series was an instant classic from day one.
The ES “shooting brake” is one of my top two bucket list cars (the other being a certain Ford from 71)
Rear view reminds me a bit of the 1961 Dodge – those weird fins. Needless to say, these were good cars. I know someone who’s had one since new. They don’t rust in SoCal.
I have a strange and weird love for all things P1800 and P1800ES. I swoon over thr sight of these cars. It’s like root beer, you can never go wrong with it no matter how bad it is.
As a confirmed member of the “Elderly Rear-wheel-drive Volvo Fan Club”, i’m ashamed to admit I’ve never seen one of these in the metal 🙁 They pop up on trademe occasionally though, so they’re definitely out there, out here. Have never seen an ES on trademe though, which is a shame, I think they look fab.
I got to drive one and that kinda ruined it for me, I always used to think these looked like baby Aston DB5s for some reason, and then I drove it, and it was like a regular old Volvo with a pretty body on it, I always expected them to be as fast as they looked, still are very pretty cars.