Brief background to the Volvo 1800

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Source: Volvo Car Corporation.

1800 1961 - 1973

Early in 1959, Volvo presented a new sports car, two years after the previous attempt with the Volvo Sport, which had a body made of fibreglass-reinforced polyester.

The new car became known as the P1800, with later designations being P1800S/1800S and 1800E. This new sports car had Italian styling and production began in 1961.

As Volvo did not have the capacity to build the car itself, production during the first years was contracted to England. A company called Pressed Steel made the bodies, while final assembly took place at Jensen. Assembly of the P-1800 S was then transferred to Göteborg and Lundbyverken 1963. Body production too was transferred to Sweden and Olofströmsverken. This was in connection with the 1800 E in 1969. The Volvo P1800 was based on the floor pan of the Volvo 121/122S, but it had a shorter wheel base. The car also had an entirely new 1.8-litre, 4-cylinder engine, which initially developed 100 bhp, later 108, 115 and 120 bhp.

Over the years, the car was developed primarily by the introduction of new engine alternatives. In the autumn of 1968, a 2.0-litre engine with an output of 118 bhp was introduced. It was followed in 1969 by a version with fuel injection and an even higher output.

Model: P1800 / 1800
Variants: P 1800 S
1800 S
1800 E
Produced: 1961 - 1972
Volume: 39414
Body: Coupé 2+2 seater
Engine: 4-cylinder, in-line, overhead valves, 1,778 cc, 84.14 x 80 mm, 100 bhp at 5,500 rpm, increased in 1968 to 108 bhp at 5,800 rpm. A 2.0-litre, 1,986 cc ( 88.9 x 80 mm), carburettor version appeared in 1968, followed by a fuel-injection version in 1969, 120 bhp.
Transmission: 4-speed manual or 4-speed manual with overdrive or a 3-speed automatic, all with a floor-mounted gear lever.
Brakes: Hydraulic, discs at front and drums at rear, later models had discs for all wheels.
Dimensions: Overall length 440 cm,wheelbase 245 cm.
Misc: This Volvo model became very famous as a result of its role in the films about "The Saint" in which the hero Simon Templar (Roger Moore) drove the car.

The 1800ES had a newly designed rear end compared with the previous versions of the 1800. The roofline had been extended and the car had a profile that was more reminiscent of an estate. The 1800ES had increased luggage capacity to provide extra space for golfing or hunting equipment, for example.

Under the surface, the technology in the 1800ES was the same as that in the other 1800 models.

The new version was produced for two model years, 1972 and 1973. In 1972, both versions were produced simultaneously, but only the 1800ES was produced in 1973.

When the last cars were built in 1973 and production was wound up, this was due to the increasingly rigorous safety requirements in the USA, in particular, which would quite simply have been too expensive to comply with.

Model: 1800ES
Variants
Produced: 1971 - 1973
Volume: 8078
Body: 2+2 seater coupé
Engine: 4-cylinder, in-line, overhead valves, 1,986 cc, 88.9 x 80 mm, 124135 bhp.
Transmission: Electrical overdrive, 4-speed manual with floor-mounted gear lever. 3-speed automatic with gear lever on steering column.
Brakes: Hydraulic, disc brakes on all four wheels.
Dimensions: Overall length 438 cm, wheelbase 245 cm.
In the autumn of 1971, a new version of Volvo's famous 1800 model was presented. The new version was called the 1800ES.

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Volvo P1800 statistics in detail:

Chassis	Model Year	Model Name	Production ID	Chassis From	Numbers Built	Engine	Gerarbox
Volvo 1800	1961	Volvo P1800	A	1	6000	B18B	M40,M41
Volvo 1800	1962	Volvo P1800	A	-	-	B18B	M40,M41
Volvo 1800	1963	Volvo P1800	A	-	-	B18B	M40,M41
Volvo 1800	1963	Volvo 1800S	B	6001	2000	B18B	M40,M41
Volvo 1800	1964	Volvo 1800S	D	8001	4500	B18B	M41
Volvo 1800	1965	Volvo 1800S	E	12500	4000	B18B	M41
Volvo 1800	1966	Volvo 1800S	F	16500	4500	B18B	M41
Volvo 1800	1967	Volvo 1800S	M	21000	4500	B18B	M41
Volvo 1800	1968	Volvo 1800S	P	25500	2800	B18B	M41
Volvo 1800	1969	Volvo 1800S	S	28300	1693	B20B	M41
Volvo 1800	1970	Volvo 1800E	T	30001	2799	B20E	M41,M410
Volvo 1800	1971	Volvo 1800E	U	32800	4750	B20E	M41,BW35
Volvo 1800	1972	Volvo 1800E	W	37550	1865	B20E,B20F	M41,BW35
Volvo 1800ES	1972	Volvo 1800ES	W	1	3070	B20E,B20F	M41,BW35
Volvo 1800ES	1973	Volvo 1800ES	Y	3070	5007	B20E,B20F	M41,BW35

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