1972 Volvo P1800

A young Roger Moore (his character, Simon Templar) and a stylish Volvo P1800 played starring roles in the popular television series, The Saint, raising the popularity of both. The P1800 represented something of a radical departure for the sober-sided Swedish concern, offering enthusiastic performance and chic Italian bodywork. Styling was by Swede Helmer Petterson, with the Italian Carrozzeria Frua (while a subsidiary of carrozzeria Ghia) commissioned to develop the design for production. Ultimately Frua was allowed to take full credit for the styling, something that suited all parties at the time.

The Volvo P1800 2+2 sports car was designed around the mechanical components of the 120 Amazon saloon and equipped with a new five-main bearing version of the company's four-cylinder unit, designated the B18B, powering the rear wheels via a four-speed M40 gearbox.

Carrozzeria Frua built the first three prototypes between September 1957 and early 1958 (later designated by Volvo in September 1958: P958-X1, P958-X2 and P958-X3 (P:Project, 9:September, 58:Year 1958 = P958, X: eXperimental)). X1 (the first hand-built prototype) was driven by Helmer Petterson in December of 1957 to Osnabrück, West Germany, headquarters of Karmann, with hopes of Karmann accepting a contract for tooling and building of the P1800. Karmann initially agreed, but withdrew their support after their most important customer, Volkswagen, forbade Karmann to take on the job due to fears that the P1800 would compete with sales of their own cars. Volvo explored other German firms of NSU, Drautz and Hanomag, but negotiations were never ventured due to Volvo's concern about their manufacturing quality and capabilities.

The prototype version was introduced in 1959 and initially, the body shells were produced by Pressed Steel in Linwood, Scotland, with final assembly taking place at Jensen's factory in West Bromwich, using platforms shipped over from Sweden.

The engine was equipped with dual SU carburetors, five main crankshaft bearings, and delivered 100 horsepower. The M40 manual gearbox was used through 1963, and from 1963 to 1972, the M1 gearbox with electrically actuated Laycock de Normanville overdrive was a popular option. Two overdrive types were used, the D-Type through 1969, and the J-type through 1973. The J-type had a slightly shorter ratio of 0.797:1 as opposed to 0.756:1 for the D-type.

After approximately 6,000 examples were built, production was relocated to Gothenburg (Volvo's Lundby Plant) in April 1963 due to concerns over quality control, with subsequent models badged as the P1800S. 'S' versions received new wheel trims, badging, a hotter camshaft, and a higher compression ratio of 10:1, boosting power to 108 bhp. In 1966, horsepower rose to 115 bhp and the top speed of 109 mph. In 1969, the B18 engine was replaced with a 2-liter variant known as the B20B, increasing horsepower to 118 bhp, though it retained its 1800S designation.

When fuel injection arrived in 1970, the name was changed to the 1800E, with the 'E' representing Einspritzung, the German word for fuel injection. With the Bosch D-Jetronic fuel injection system and a revised camshaft, output was rated at 130 bhp and top speed was achieved at 118 mph. Additionally, the 1970 Volvo P1800 was the first with four-wheel disc brakes, while previous versions had discs in the front and drums at the rear.

The 1800ES was introduced in 1972 and was the final variant of the P1800. It was offered as a two-door station wagon with a frameless, all-glass tailgate. Two prototypes had been initially built by Sergio Coggiola and Pietro Frua, but it was the design by in-house stylist Jan Wilsgaard that made it into production. The ES powerplant had reduced a compression ratio and a thicker head gasket, with output rated at 125 bhp. A four-speed plus overdrive manual transmission or a Borg-Warner three-speed automatic were available.

Volvo produced 47,492 examples of the 1800 from 1961 through 1973, including 8,077 of the ES.

by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2021