I am looking for a daily driver sports car and think the Volvo 1800 would be a good choice. I can still remember the first one I ever saw. Growing up in rural Missouri, I have seen very, very few.
I have gleaned as much info from the net as I can, but still have a few questions. Among purist fans of the car what year is considered to be the absolute best year? Were the rear "fins" the same height in all years? Will a 6'3" husky guy fit in an 1800 okay? Was a convertible 1800 ever produced?
The ES model appears to be cheaper than earlier models. (Which would be good for the budget.) Is there a reason for this? The only rear picture of an ES I could find was that of a wagon.
Are the tail lights of the ES coupe rectangular also? If so, would that make this model less desirable (i.e. a 60's car trying to look 70's)?
Thanks for maintaining this informative web page and answering my dumb questions. If you know of any good candidate cars in the general area of Springfield, Missouri, please let me know. White would be my color of choice.
Thane Kifer
April 9, 1997
lotweed@getonthe.net
Thane-
I've seen a lot of P1800s, but I still remember the first one I ever saw roaring up the street in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1968. I loved all sports cars, and the Volvo made a big impression with its sleek shape reminiscent of World War II fighter planes.
You have some good questions. I can answer a few of them definitively, but others are simply a matter of opinion.
A short history of the car may be helpful. The Volvo P1800 was designed and prototypes made in Italy in 1958. The first production cars rolled off the assembly line in 1961 at the Jensen automobile factory in England, because Volvo did not have a facility to start building the car in Sweden. In 1963, starting with chassis number 6001, P1800 production was moved to Sweden, and the car was renamed the P1800S.
In 1970, Volvo added fuel injection to the engine, and the P1800S became the P1800E. All the production cars up to this point were coupes. As on any other car, subtle changes were made from one year to the next, but the basic body shape remained the same, including the fins.
Then, in 1972, Volvo introduced the wagon version of the P1800, which was called the P1800ES. The wagon was built also in 1973, but 1972 was the last year of production for the coupe. Volvo never made a convertible P1800, but some independent shops in the United States "remodeled" coupes and turned them into convertibles.
Purist fans of the car all agree on one thing: It's a great car. As far as the best year goes, most purists will pick the year of the car they own. From a practical standpoint, the middle years are probably the best, because it's harder to find parts for the earlier models, and the fuel injection system on the later models is more difficult for the average backyard mechanic to maintain.
The Volvo P1800, like most of its contemporary sports cars, was not built for very tall drivers. At six feet, three inches, I'd say you're right at the point where you would just have to decide for yourself whether the car fits well or not.
In the U.S., these cars sell for anything from $500 for a basket case to $15,000 for a really nice one. The price doesn't seem to depend much on whether it's a coupe or a wagon. (You might think the wagons would be more expensive, since fewer of them were produced.) You should be able to find a decent daily driver in a big city for about $3500.
Thanks for your interest. I hope you find what you're looking for. -Glenn.