Volvo P1800 turns 50

Volvo P1800 – Click above for high-res image gallery

The Volvo P1800 was always supposed to be eye candy. Despite never being intended as the highest-volume Volvo, the P1800 is still setting records in its own way. The 1800 debuted in 1961 as a way to draw people in to Volvo dealerships in the hope they’d drive away in something. The design has been credited to Pietro Frua, and while the famous Italian studio did submit drawings, it was Pelle Petterson, a student of Frua’s and son of Volvo consultant Helmer Petterson, who penned the winning sketch. The classically handsome coupe shape still turns heads, though the way the proposal was snuck in at the last minute caused agitation for Volvo’s then-president Gunnar Engellau and cheated him out of his desire to have an Italian-designed car. The subterfuge doesn’t seem to have mattered, and shrewd moves like giving a car to Roger Moore to drive for The Saint television series helped develop interest.

A pretty shape and good publicity only go so far, so it’s a good thing Volvo had robust mechanical components to borrow from its 122 model. The world’s highest-mileage automobile is an 1800S, currently headed for 3 million miles, proving the 1800′s diamond-hard durability. A new 1.8-liter engine, the B18, debuted with the P1800, and through its run, the car received a displacement increase and electronic fuel injection. In 1971, a hatchback 1800ES morphed the sports car into a Grand Turismo Estate that inspired today’s Volvo C30.

It’s good that the Volvo P1800 was attractive and strong-boned, with niche-level sales expectations. Volvo’s limited production capacity led to a rocky launch, forcing the decision to subcontract England’s Pressed Steel for body construction and Jensen for paint and assembly. It didn’t go well. Labor problems, quality challenges and supplier issues led Volvo to make room within its own production facilities for the 1800 in 1963 after 6,000 cars were built. The 1800 would remain in production for ten more years, and today, fifty years removed from its introduction, this model is a vital piece of the company’s history. Volvo’s official press release is posted after the jump.

Gallery: Volvo P1800 turns 50