The Volvo P1800 was already stylistically outdated when it finally went into production in 1961, having been designed back in 1957. Yet it soldiered on all through the sixties, with nary a change. And marched into the seventies, looking downright antique, what with its fins and all. Amazingly, Volvo found a fairly quick and easy solution, other than to spend a fortune to create and tool up for a totally new car: turn it into a shooting brake. That body style, a sporty, mostly two-passenger wagon/hatchback, was experiencing something of a fashion peak at the time, and sure enough, the resulting 1800ES was accepted as something quite…acceptable. Perhaps the dated aspects of the rest of the body somehow added to its unique charms?
But underneath the stylish now roof and glass rear hatch, it was essentially still an outdated car. And not a very sporty one, at that. Like the P1800, its suspension was not tuned for genuine sporty driving; it felt more just like a regular Volvo with a somewhat cramped body. The 2.0 L ohv four ran well enough thanks to its electronic fuel injection, but performance was also on the middling side, with a 11.3 second run from 0-60.
I remember seeing two of them at a small Volvo dealership in the late 70’s, early 80’s. Their low, sleek, sporty shape really stood out between the frumpy, brick-like new(er) Volvo’s parked there and I’ve liked them ever since. Maybe my favorite Volvo.
R&T must not have received their monthly vig from Volvo based on the slanders in their review. I find the style charming and if I’d had a small family back then, my choice would have been between the 1800ES and the wagon version of the VW Type 3. I would have found the wagons offered by the Big 3 to be too large and thirsty.
Look at that last picture! The 1800 could have helped move furniture or been a nice camping rig.
The exotic proportions of the 1800ES, and generally clean lines, more than compensated for the dated bodywork details. I thought they were one of the most attractive shapes of the early 70s. The clever all-glass hatch added such a modern appearance. Then and now.
I love shooting brakes (especially the BMW M version) but I’d take this one too.
BTW, in case anyone is wondering, here is the derivation of the term “shooting brake” from a google search.
“The term ‘shooting brake’ comes from turn-of-the-century England, where it referred to a car used to transport a hunting party and its gear. “Brake” referred to a chassis that was used to break in horses. It eventually just came to refer to early wagons in general.”
I don’t know how “break” became “brake”; perhaps an unintenional assumption given the eventual automotive use.
These are pretty cars, managing to be timeless and dated at the same time, which is quite a trick. (The 1800 coupe certainly doesn’t achieve that!!)
My parents bought a Vega Kammback wagon in 1972 for our family of four, which has some stylistic similarities. (Dad also looked at an MGB GT, but it was even more obviously too small; I was 10 but I vividly recall his disappointment.) But I don’t recall them looking at these even though Mom’s family was Swedish and their previous two cars had been Swedish: a PV544, followed by a 67 Saab 95 3 cylinder wagon. Well, actually maybe that is the reason: the 95 was horribly unreliable and died an early death when the transmission failed in a big way. As it turned out, they should have bought an 1800 instead of the Vega which quickly smoked more than the 2 strike Saab ever did…
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-european/our-ex-curbside-classic-1973-volvo-1800-es-gone-but-not-forgotten/
This R&T road test was from the period when they only lavished praise on British and German cars.
Not sure about that; their tests of the first B20 Volvo 142E and 164 were very positive, as well as their test of the 1970 Camaro’s. Not to mention the 240Z …
I briefly owned one, and there’s a COAL of it. My impression was that it pretty much drove like an Amazon/122. And while the Amazon was fairly sporty for a family car, the 1800ES wasn’t very sporty for a sporty car.
Which Toyota promptly ripped off:
I like the Volvo and the Toyota.
There’s enough room in my fantasy garage for both shootings brake.
In case one’s brakes are shot,
the other’s are not.
So have a shot.
And shout a lot.
About why you are lucky
to have whatcha got. 😀
Wow.
That’s quite good.
I actually owned the Toyota (a ’78 SR5 liftback) for five years and 70,000 miles. No complaints whatsoever, other than the cockpit eventually just felt too dark (black interior) and too cramped. The ’84 Civic sedan I traded it for fixed that.
Had the tv series “Return of the Saint” with Ian Ogilvy had been produced circa 1972-73 instead of 1978-79. Simon Templar would had drive a 1800ES instead of a Jaguar or another possibility is the original series got a longer production run where Roger Moore could have drive a 1800ES but he wouldn’t star in the Persuaders and James Bond. 😉
At one point I had in my collection six 1800 S. They were as easy to servce as the 2CV’s.
As a current owner of a Volvo C30 T5 manual I can attest to it’s similarities to the P1800 ES. C30 mpg compared to the P1800 ES is roughly the same in city driving. Highway cruising gets up to 30 mpg at 65-70 mph. 0-60 is about half of it’s forbearer coming in at 6 seconds with manual transmission. My modifications include Koni adjustable shocks, lowering springs and anti sway bar front and rear. Those suspension changes take it from a dull daily driver to as though its riding on rails. Favorite design feature carry over is the all glass hexagon hatch for its look and superb rear visibility. It does reduce maximum cargo size compared to its brother from another mother the Mazda 3 hatchback. Rumor has it a few guys around town upgraded the necessary components and hit 400+ horsepower. Sounds like tremendous fun during summertime but not during winter as the only drivetrain available is front wheel drive. That’s the only misstep I think Volvo made was not offering an all wheel drive option.
Nobody mentions that Erv Gordon drove his 1966 Volvo P1800 3.2 Million miles and is in the Guinness Book of World Records. It is still running though Erv is not.
O how we miss our C30.
I still remember the 1st one I ever saw- our sports- teacher bought it brand new and to us, it stood out amongst all those nondescript mediums of transport in the school- parking lot.
True, I personally prefer the coupe- version, (I own 4) but still think the ES is an outstanding beauty. (Got 2 of those as well…)
My daily is a XC90, but climbing into one of the 1800’s always puts a mile on my face- and of many others who are watching us driving by.
I’ve got one. 1973. Love it. Rescued after 18 years in a storage unit. In October it becomes The Great Pumpkin.
I owned and loved a1972 P-1800 Volvo ES in safari yellow. It was my second P-1800. My first was a 1964 model in classic white. Today, I never, ever see an 1800 on the road, assuming most are tucked away in Swedish garages. Sadly and with hindsight regret, I sold my ’72 in 1990, caving into the nagging of an ex-wife who failed to appreciate the car’s panache and classic style. Of the two, I only miss the Volvo!