1961 Volvo P1800

The Volvo P1800 gained notoriety and stardom for its role in the hands of Roger Moore in the cult 1960s television series The Saint. The first generation of cars was built with the help of Jensen Motors in England until production was able to be transferred to Sweden. By 1971, it had evolved into a very practical and much-loved estate version. Production ended in the early part of the 1970s.

The P1800 sports car was powered by an overhead-valve four-cylinder engine displacing 108.5 cubic inches and offering 100 horsepower. It had an all-synchro four-speed manual transmission with overdrive and front disc brakes. The coupe had a seating capacity for two individuals in the front. It did have a tiny back seat which was more suited as storage than for passengers.

The P1800 had distinct bodyside moldings, tail lamps located below slightly finned rear fenders, P1800 script on the C-pillar, and a protruding oval grille in the front.

The P1800 was produced from 1961 through 1973 with 39,407 examples of the notch coupe and 8,077 of the sports estate. It wore a design by Pelle Petterson under the direction of Pietro Frua when Frua's studio was a subsidiary of the Italian carrozzeria Ghia. The mechanical components were derived from Volvo's Amazon/122 series.

By Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2019