Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2001
Hi,
My name is Pete Huggler. I believe I was the second owner of the first P1800 in the US. The serial number is 534. I purchased it from the original owner when it had about 14,000 miles on it, drove it for three months, got married, took it on my honeymoon (I think there were more pics of the car than the wife), and traded it even for a new Saab 95.
The original owner owned an auto dealership (Volvo, Saab, Triumph, Austin) in Brunswick, Maine, from which I had purchased another auto. When she saw the pictures of the P1800, she called Sweden and asked Volvo to send her one. They replied that the P1800 was not scheduled to be shipped to the US for nearly a year, and the only way she could get one was to go to Sweden and buy one and have it shipped home.
When she got to Sweden, Volvo said there were no cars available to purchase. After telling the Swedes in graphic terms what they could do with their dealership, they relented and took one off a boat and gave it to her. The car was destined for the Prince of Denmark, but they said he could wait a week.
When I purchased it, it had received its costly resealing job that all early units had to undergo to try and prevent outside water from entering the cockpit in Biblical proportions. It worked well as long as it did not rain, which caused every right-hand turn to empty a half cup of water into my right shoe.
Water also made cancerous-looking white spots on the red paint. After many waxes, I spent the day compounding them out and waxing the car. The next day's rain brought them all back. The "S" was added to the "P1800" to assure the buyers this was built in Sweden, NOT England, because of all the quality problems with the early units. I have many fond memories of the car.
Pete Huggler