This 1800S swooped into view from the exit ramp of Lake Shore Drive in my neighborhood and zoomed north on Sheridan Road. I was instantly transfixed as I watched its birdlike lines dart swiftly against the flow of southbound, evening rush hour traffic.
On the one, clear capture of this classic coupe that I managed, my eyes were drawn instantly and repeatedly to the warm, orange glow of its dashboard lights and the muted, elegant shade of its robin’s egg blue paint. With a chorus of locusts shrieking its late-summer farewell loudly from the trees, and in the cool breeze off nearby Lake Michigan, I imagined what it might be like, instead of heading indoors to get ready for work the next day, to throw together a weekend bag, plan my call-in-sick speech for the following morning, and hop in my classic Volvo that night on a four-day road trip to somewhere…
Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois.
Wednesday, September 14, 2016.
For comprehensive reading on the subject car:
- From Paul Niedermeyer: Curbside Classic: 1964 Volvo P1800S – Transcending Time, Distance And Fashion; and
- J. P. Cavanaugh: Curbside Classic: 1970 Volvo P1800E: About Lars, Who Bought a Stylish Italian Suit and Wore it for Twelve Years.
The Volvo P1800 – one of my favorite cars of all time.
Before I went in the USAF in 1969, Volvo was my favorite import car maker. I wish it still was…
The P1800 is a beautiful design, Been a fan of it since (like probably many others) first seing it prominently on “The Saint”.
Yep, that’s where I discovered it, too. A very long term fan of the show.
And pissed as hell when Moore became James Bond. Sorry, no way. That guy is Simon Templar.
A friend had one in the late 1960s – red. Don’t remember the year. Very cool car, especially up close.
Interestingly, I never watched “The Saint”, hardly watched TV at all. Music, music, music, all the time!
As far as Roger Moore being James Bond, “For Your Eyes Only” is the only one of his Bond movies I care about and own a copy of.
You found one of the earlier ones where that swish of chrome follows that line on the door. Very nice! I wondered for a moment if it could have been the same car I wrote up several years ago (found in Indianapolis) but no, mine was one of the later ones with the more restrained side trim.
Good to know that someone besides Irv Gordon has one of these out on the road.
JP, I also thought it might have been the same one as you saw (“Lars”), but the colors seem different.
I believe the side trim changed in ’67 to the more linear design.
One of the nicest cars cars Volvo built back then and a design that still looks good today.
The picture also reminds me that minutes from my home the shell of a P1800 continues to rust away in a storage yard. Pity no one saved that car.
Wow; love that shot! Congratulations on catching this one so splendidly.
+1 that is an amazing shot of a beautiful car.
Thanks, guys.
Great car, find, and in motion picture as well. All it needs is a halo. Actually, maybe it does have automotive version. The reflection on the parked van’s windshield does sort of look like the Volvo’s back glass has a Roger Moore saintly reflection hovering over it.
A jewel in a sea of mediocracy. Fabulous photograph.
There are some cars where fins never look outmoded. This is one of them.
I suspect that they looked more outmoded in 1965 than today.
I think you’re probably right, John. Now that this design is over 50 years old, it probably looks better now than, say, thirty years ago.
But I still dig it in its own merits. The rear three-quarter view is my favorite. The front is just okay.
These are some very tastefully executed fins – I agree 100%.
A truly timeless design. Though I like the Avanti styling, something tells me that if it were a bit more softened and contoured and had less harder, sharper lines, that it would have ended up looking more like an 1800S.
Reminds me of that guy who put 3 million miles on a 1966 P1800 he bought new (and the last report is from three years ago, and in the NYC area, no less). As you might imagine, a few parts have been replaced, but it seems to be mostly original, including the engine. Probably more impressive is that it looks like it still has the original seats.
Yup, Irv Gordon. I did a little checking, and it seems that he hit 3 million miles in 2013. As of February, he was up to about 3,175,000. Just think of it, how many people can put 175K on a car in 4 years?
By the way, I think Colin Powell is another famous 1800 owner.
What a treat! Light blue must have been a #1 seller on the P1800. Dad had one in this color and at a car show a few weeks ago there was a twin to the feature car, also a ’65. It was a 2-owner car never restored. The quality of the chrome was unbelievable.
I’m glad someone posted this specific shot of the chrome side molding, not for the quality, but just for the way it has what seems to be an odd curve up to the B-pillar. I guess it gives the side a distinctive character but I have to wonder what the car would look like if the side molding just followed a completely horizontal line back to the taillights. Personally, I think it would look much better. Maybe someone can photoshop it?
The P1800 isn’t my most favorite car, but it’s not the least favorite, either.
I always like the station wagon version of this body stye. When it first came out I thought it was one of the most beautiful cars at the time.
Timeless? Hmm … when these cars were current I think neither the styling nor the function (performance, ride, handling, packaging) were particularly well regarded by the automotive press once the new wore off around 1965 or so. The best thing most magazines said, in a backhandedly complimentary way, was to expect better reliability than a British or Italian sports car. As a Volvo buff and 122S owner in the ’70’s, few of my similarly inclined friends had much love for the 1800 coupe. And we modified and autocrossed our Volvos, which were more likely to sport SCCA than “Save the Whales” bumper stickers. I don’t think it was till the ’80’s that they started being regarded as a classic design, and certainly in this photo it looks very nice to a now-old me.
The first one of these that really caught my eye was parked at an auto repair shop on my way to work many years ago. It was the same color as the feature car.
That’s another beauty in Melbourne Australia.
Well done, Joseph!
Never been all that enamored over these but this excellent shot really makes me appreciate it. I don’t know if it’s the car or the photography, but either way I can’t stop looking at it!
I really like the side trim, the way it sweeps up to line up with the quarter window trim is neat.
I loved my 1800ES. I always thought the extra length gave the wagon an even more elegant and sleek look.
Thanks, everyone. I think I have a couple more weeks of “car spotting season” before folks start putting their toys away. 🙂
Nice photo of a wonderful old car .
-Nate
That’s a great photo, JD. Thanks.
I was in a classic Volvo meeting last Friday, so more Volvos coming this way tomorrow.
I knew someone who was a jazz dj @ the college radio station I hung around in the late 90s who had a red p1800 that he set up to race on the weekends. It had American mag wheels & it was a gorgeous looking car.
Of the cars I have owned, this remains my favorite. In Aquavit (white), of course.
Second favorite, for you haters out there, 1999 Toyota Camry XLE.
Beautifully captured! The motion, the car, the late afternoon light–just perfect.
This also supports my theory that there aren’t any 60’s European sports/sporty cars that panasport wheels don’t look good on.