1972 Volvo p1800

1972 Volvo 1800 Description

Most records since new! 4-Speed manual with overdrive! Correct and original Cypress Green over Brown! 3-owner car since new!

The Volvo P1800 concept was first penned in 1957 after the demise of their first sports car attempt, the P1900. After selling only 68 cars, Volvo wanted something that was going to capture their target audience and broaden their appeal in the market, all the while eliminating their handsome but rather boring stigma of making Swedish economy cars. The car was engineered by Helmer Petterson (responsible for the venerable PV444) and design was handled by his son, Pelle, himself part of the Italian Pietro Frua design firm, which had just recently been acquired by Ghia. When Helmer drove the first prototype to Karmann’s headquarters, he was turned away because Volkswagen, Karmann’s biggest customer, threatened to pull the plug on their relationship if they helped build a car that could potentially compete with any of theirs. Disgruntled but optimistic, Helmer managed to leak the design into one of Volvo’s press releases which garnered international attention to the breathtaking design. After being seen in the flesh for the first time at the Brussels Motor Show in January 1960, Volvo managed to secure a contract with Jensen Motors to build 10,000 P1800s. Production extended from 1961 to 1973, with some 47,492 units ultimately being built.

We are very excited to present this 1972 Volvo P1800E Coupe! Finished in its original shade of 110 – Cypress Green over 351-811 – Gold Metallic / Light Brown interior, this Volvo presents itself just how it left the factory in 1972! The car is powered by its original 2.0L Inline 4 cylinder with Bosch D-Jetronic fuel injection making around 130 horsepower. The car is further fitted with a Laycock overdrive unit and 4.30:1 rear end, essentially giving this car a 5th gear. The car is further fitted with 4-wheel power disc brakes, Air Conditioning, Volvo side mirror, rear defroster, leather-wrapped steering wheel, Sony Am/FM/Cassette radio, and of course, full seat belts front and rear. The car is currently riding on a stylish set of painted steel wheels with trim rings wrapped in Continental ContiTouringContact 195/60R15 tires.

What really separates this car from others is the extensive and very comprehensive documentation on the car since new. Per the original invoice, the car was ordered by Mr. Ronald T. Welf in Reston, Virginia on April 5th, 1972. In addition to a $350 deposit, the balance was paid on this date and the car was scheduled to be a European Delivery car. Following his European escapades in May and June, the car was finally loaded aboard theSS Atlantic Spanin Gothenburg on 6/26/1972. The car arrived stateside two weeks later on July 10, 1972 in Baltimore and was promptly driven home. The car was used sparingly throughout the first few years of ownershipand by 1975 was based in California. The car had amassed 194,586 miles andhad moved to Montara, California by 190. The car was serviced religiously at Bo Jonsson’s in San Mateo before being sold and transferred to new ownership after 30 years to the next owner in Oregon. This owner documented the purchase of all parts pertaining to suspension, interior, motor, weather stripping and other miscellaneous cosmetic, mechanical and functional pieces that were relevant to keeping the car in tip-top shape. The car was sold in mid-2012 to the previous owner in Maryland, where it has furthermore been lovingly maintained and driven sparingly on sunny days. Among the recent maintenance items replaced are the fuel pump, rear upper and lower trailing arm bushings, rear shocks, front and rear U-joints, upper and lower control arm bushings, front shocks, tie-rod ends, sway bar bushings and end links. All of the parts were ordered from iPd, the Volvo maintenance and performance specialist.

This three-owner car proudly shows 260,914 miles on its odometer. If you think this is a lot, you may take ten minutes out of your day to google Irv Gordon and his world-record 3,000,000 mile P1800. The car comes fully serviced and in fantastic shape. While fuel injection systems were very primitive in the 1970s, this car fires right up on the first key turn, just like a new car. The transmission shifts through all gears without any hiccups and the overdrive engagement is seamless. All gauges and features are fully functional and the car is quite fun to drive. Even more so, the sexy and curvaceous body is said to be 100% original, and while not perfect, shows very well with shiny paint and brand new chrome (as of October 2014). The seats have been recently recovered and are void of all rips, tears or even frayed upholstery. All glass remains OEM Volvo. To complement the driving experience, several upgrades have been performed including the addition of custom faced gauges in cream white with green LED back lighting, K&N high-performance air filter and oil breather, new under hood insulation, new center muffler and more! The car will come with its original owner’s manual and cover, as well as multiple Volvo supplement manuals and aftermarket workshop manuals. A December ’14 compression test yielded the following psi results in cylinders 1-4: 135-135-130-130.

We are looking to find someone that can provide this car with a similar style of loving ownership. This car represents arguably one of Sweden’s most attractive automobiles and certainly one that will impress fellow Volvo enthusiasts and even more so those that don’t know its Scandinavian heritage. We would be more than happy to answer any additional questions you may have on this marvelous P1800; please don’t hesitate to ask! Thanks for looking!