Pretty, two-door Volvos are a bit like friendly Parisian waiters: they do exist, somewhere in the ether, but you're far more likely to encounter one that's blunt. Take the 240 Turbo, which was blunter than a breezeblock, although that didn't stop it being a surprisingly successful competitor on track. And then there's the 262C, which was built by Bertone. Yet, sadly, Volvo left the styling to Jan Wilsgaard, who'd seen the Lincoln Continental Mk4 that Henry Ford II brought along to the Volvo factory. Most people with functioning eyes could see that the Lincoln was hideous, but not Wilsgaard. He decided to emulate its hideousness by giving the 200 a roof chop and a coat of vinyl. Now, the Volvo P1900 convertible wasn't blunt. But it was made of plastic and looked like something Noddy would drive, so it wasn't any better.
There have been some success stories, though. Take the 780. This was styled by Bertone, as can be seen by the fact that it's a piece of '80s retro chic. Not a single panel was carried over from the 760 and it reminds me of a bigger Maserati Ghibli from the '90s. I like it very much. I quite like the Amazon, too. I mean, sure, it has more than a hint of Hindustan Ambassador in its curves, but also a certain something about it in two-door form. And I loved the 480, which, back in the day, I thought it was something Buck Rogers would use in the 25th century to pop to Tesco and pick up some Milk Tray for Wilma. I was young. I also had a thing for Wilma, but that's another story. Mind you, if you were young when The Saint was on, you'd probably go for the P1800 as the prettiest Volvo of all, and you'd have a point.
The P1800, of course, was made famous by Simon Templar, played by that other famous Roger. It looks like no other Volvo, before or since, with its rounded, Italian front end and finned rump. It was styled by another Swede, called Pelle Petterson, but he was guided by the dextrous hand of Pietro Frua, not Henry Ford II. At the time, Frua was associated with Ghia and, during his career, was responsible for some absolute stunners, like the 1955 Maserati A6G/54 Coupé.
The P1800 wasn't built by Ghia, though. It was almost built by Karmann in Germany, but they were busy building another pretty little two-door coupé for Volkswagen. And because the Volvo might have stolen sales from it, VW vetoed that deal. So in the end Volvo signed up Jensen, which, in the manner of so many British manufactures, stuffed it up. The first P1800 left Jensen's West Bromwich plant in 1960, but 6,000 cars later Volvo was done with the quality issues. They cancelled the contract and moved production to Sweden in 1963. You can tell those cars because they're referred to as the P1800 S, which stands for Sverige and means, well, Sweden, obviously.
But that's not what's being offered up here by Autostorico Ltd. This car was registered in 1971, which makes it a P1800 E. Just like any Mercedes with an 'E' after its model name, this stands for Einspritzung, or injection. This was the Bosch D-Jetronic type, which wasn't mechanical and unreliable like the Triumph TR6's Lucas system. It was electronic and, in conjunction with the many other changes the P1800 E brought in, it relinquished 132hp. That was enough to see you to 0-62mph in a very credible, for the time, 9.5 seconds. What attracted me to it is the perfectly-of-its-time Safari Yellow paint, which goes splendidly with that black interior. And inside there's the P1800's classically huge steering wheel, the long, angled gear lever, and enough dials to satisfy the average sports car connoisseur.
According to the advert it's only covered 69,415 miles, and its current owner inherited the car in 2013 from her aunt, Barbara Morris, who, it says, was 'an avid Volvo enthusiast and club member.' It does have the look of a passionate club member's car, doesn't it? The paintwork, interior and even the engine bay are all very clean for a car that's swept past its half-century. At the same time, it doesn't appear to be overly restored and prissy. Apparently, Barbara did own a concours-winning P1800 S and P1800 ES, plus a rally-spec P1800 S that her and her sister competed in. I like the sound of Babs. And I also like her handsome - and very unblunt - Volvo. I hope you do, too.
SPECIFICATION | VOLVO P1800
Engine: 1,986cc, four-cyl
Transmission: 4-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 132@6,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 94@3,500rpm
MPG: N/A
CO2: N/A
Recorded mileage: 69,000
First registered: 1971
Price new: £2,000 (approx.)
Yours for: £34,950
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