Volvo P1800

P1800 ES - 2 owners - Excellent condition

The Volvo P1800 was introduced in 1957 with the X1 prototype. After the P1900, it was the second model with which Volvo hoped to penetrate the sports car market.
The definitive model, designed by Pelle Petterson, who worked for the Italian Carrozzeria Frua at the time, was presented to the public for the first time at the 1960 Brussels Motor Show.

The 2+2 coupé was equipped with a front-engine, 1.8L four-cylinder engine, with dual carburettors, producing 100 hp. It was a rear-wheel drive sports car that was considered pioneering at the time because of the standard front disc brakes.

The P1800 was assembled from 1961 onwards. Due to the huge popularity of the Volvo Amazon, Volvo was forced to outsource the production of the car’s shell to Pressed Steel in Scotland, with Jensen assembling the cars in England. Jensen ultimately ended up producing just +/- 6,000 cars, as Volvo decided to terminate the contract in 1963 due to quality issues. From then on, Volvo assembled the cars itself.

The production was moved to Volvo’s own plant in Gothenburg. From then on, the car’s name was changed to 1800S, with S standing for Sverige, dropping the P. The 1800S was born.
In 1968, the 1800 was improved with a 2-litre engine. In 1969, it was equipped with a D-jetronic fuel injection engine, producing 120 hp. From then on, it was known as the 1800 E (Electronic Injection). The interior was also adapted and the car was equipped with four-wheel disc brakes.

In 1971, Volvo introduced the shooting break, designated as 1800 ES, which remained in production until 1973.

The P1800 rose to prominence because of the hit TV series ‘The Saint’, in which the car was driven by the main character, played by Roger Moore.
Production stopped in 1971, with 39,414 units produced.


“Collection by Vermant” is pleased to be able to offer you this very unique and striking Volvo P1800 ES. Upon first impression, this ES has every tell of a US imported example. This is however not the case as this specific P1800 was delivered new in the Netherlands. There is however a story to how a US spec example never actually made it across the pond. It was actually ordered from new by a American citizen working and living in Brussels. His plan was to use the car in Belgium before taking it back with him to the US when he would eventually go back. Unfortunately, he had to return to the US before he could take delivery of the car. Since the car was still brand new it was sold through Volvo Nebim Den Haag to its first owner. The car was subsequently registered for the first time in October of 1972. The first owner really used the car as intended, but also maintained the car as intended by the manufacturer. The original service book was stamped every 5.000 miles and the car received a whopping 17 services over a time period of 7 years. Due to the high amount of services, the service book was completely full after this period and no more stamps could be added. This however didn’t mean that the car was not maintained anymore. After owning the car for 25 years, the first owner decided to sell the car to its second and last owner in 1997. He performed all the services himself as a true passionate and kept the car in very good condition. What makes this ES so unique are the original documents that were preserved by the first owner. The original service booklet, warranty card, purchase invoice and document folder are still present. They are not only extremely rare to come across, but are still in almost brand new condition.

Looking at the exterior of this P1800 ES, we can see the beautiful colour of Sun Yellow. This gives the car a very youthful appearance without being to flashy. Upon arriving with us it was decided repaint the car to remove some blemishes in the paint and make it shine like new again. The Sun Yellow is a quite rare colour on the P1800 with an estimated 1150 examples built in this colour. The ES model has the same classy lines in the front as the Coupé variants but was completely redesigned in the back. The roofline was stretched to provide more room for rear passengers and in the boot area of the car. The trunk lid was also a completely new and it was the first model to feature a full glass design. This was later also featured on the Volvo 480 and C30 models. The rear glass also provides the P1800 ES with a very spacious feel on the inside and gives the occupants and more importantly the driver a perfect 360 view of its surroundings.

The interior of this P1800 is still in excellent condition. The upholstery is in very original condition, which is very rare on a car this age and has a nice patina to it. Unlike most P1800’s, the dashboard of shit P1800 is in excellent condition without the feared cracking on the top. The P1800 ES featured a wood vinyl dash inlay and this gives the car a very contemporary look. To bring a bit of colour to the inside of the car, it was optioned with the brown carpet set. This works surprisingly well with the black interior but also with the yellow exterior colour of the car. The rear luggage area is als in excellent condition with no fading or staining on the carpets. Below the luggage area we can find the spare wheel well. This is in untouched condition and fitted with all the correct items such as the jack, handle and spare wheel including cover.

In the original service book we can see the following entries:

• 27/10/1972 - 3.100 mls - Niham Den Haag

• 28/12/1972 - 5.783 mls - Niham Den Haag

• 12/04/1973 - 12.179 mls - Niham Den Haag

• 14/08/1973 - 20.349 mls - Niham Den Haag

• 13/11/1973 - 24.055 mls - Niham Den Haag

• 05/03/1974 - 31.165 mls - Niham Den Haag

• 28/05/1974 - 35.577 mls - Volvo Den Haag

• 23/08/1974 - 41.860 mls - Volvo Den Haag

• 09/01/1975 - 48.472 mls - Volvo Den Haag

• 22/05/1975 - 55.560 mls - Volvo Den Haag

• 28/08/1975 - 59.254 mls - Volvo Den Haag

• 22/03/1976 - 66.970 mls - Volvo Den Haag

• 27/10/1976 - 72.538 mls - Volvo Den Haag

• 17/03/1977 - 78.198 mls - Volvo Den Haag

• 29/08/1978 - 83.611 mls - Volvo Den Haag

• 18/05/1979 - 86.485 mls - Volvo Den Haag

This P1800 ES will be delivered with the following items:

• Original and extremely rare service book

• Original document folder

• Dutch registration documents

• Original purchase document

• Original warranty card

This Volvo presents a unique opportunity to acquire a very well presented ES in one of the most beautiful colours and with a unique history. This P1800 runs, drives and looks the part and is ready for many more miles with a new enthusiastic owner.

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