Ramblings at Random
By Dean Sprague
I know, I promised my wife that I wouldn’t buy any more toys especially old ones that need TLC or even worse. You see it’s not my fault really. A gentleman called me to do some work on his 1964 Volvo P1800S so he could sell it. Since I drove a 1972 Volvo P1800 ES thru my first Graduate School in the 1980’s the discussion thru reflective degeneration continued until before I knew it I wanted another one. Actually, I have always wanted an early P1800 coupe but frankly they are very hard to find in decent condition. Since the tin worm loves them (prone to rust) finding one with a good body is everything because the bodies are expensive to repair. He was the 2nd owner of the car and it was housed indoors all its life. The floor pans, underpinning and sills were perfect so I bought it. I should point out where I see potential Bev (my wife) only sees expense. She softened a bit when she heard it had a working air-conditioning system and a nice stereo but when she saw the ‘cavernous’ back seat and realized it would accommodate our Grandchildren for those Sunday ice cream trips I was home free.
You may ask yourself so what is British about a Swedish Volvo anyway? Actually Press Steel Company constructed the body in their Linwood, Scotland plant. The Smiths Company provided the instruments, all the hydraulics’ are made by Girling, Lucas Electrics provided all the wiring and lighting, SU provided the carburetors, Laycock de Normanville the over-drive and so on. Actually, from 1961 to 1963 Jenson Motors of West Bromwich, England even assembled the cars and on the ID plate was stamped Made in England. The only thing that wasn’t from the UK was the drivetrain. They came from the Volvo 122/Amazon sedan except for the Spicer rear axle and Delco shocks from the US. The generator, starter and steering gear were from Germany. In case you didn’t know Jenson Motors in West Bromwich in addition to building their own cars also constructed the Austin Healey 100/4 thru the 3000 for BMC and the Sunbeam Tiger for Rootes Group. Actually the P1800 is considered one of the first “world ” cars. Today almost all cars are constructed in this way using parts from all over the world. So is the P1800 British enough to wear a Union Jack on the front bumper? You decide, but mine does.
One thing that astonishes me about the 50-year-old car is the drive train has never been removed or apart and it still doesn’t leak or burn any oil. If it were British it would be sitting in a puddle of oil waiting for lots of serious attention. Yes, I know it has oil I checked; so this further validates that the drive train is definitely not British.
My titled 1964 car was actually constructed in August 1963 and was one of the very first cars assembled in Gothenburg, Sweden that is why it is called an 1800 “S” for constructed in Sweden but it was still built using the same British parts. It even has the P1800 Jenson plant ID numbering. In fact mine is so early it still retained the original “cow horn” front bumpers from the Jenson cars era instead of the single straight across one of the later cars. I always loved the look of the early cars.
The P1800 was primarily intended to compete in the US and UK markets against the MG, Triumph, Sunbeam, Fiat 124, Alfa Romero 1750 GT and the Porsche 356 (later 912) etc. even though they were not considered a pure rough and ready sports car like these competitors. They were Grand Touring cars with a capacity for 2 adults and 2 children or occasionally 3 adults (optimistic thinking) offering superior weather protection and comfort. They even optioned air-conditioning and overdrive (for sustained high-speed motoring). The P1800 was considered a cut above with its Ferrari like styling and high safety standards (even seat belts were standard).
The car really became popular when it appeared in the TV series “The Saint” staring the future 007 Roger Moore. Jaguar was asked to provide an XKE for the series but declined to meet the time lines required. When Volvo was asked they quickly delivered their P1800S. Sales for car skyrocketed and the rest as they say is history. Roger Moore was so impressed with the car he personally owned one and drove it for several years all over the UK. Of course, Volvo etched the “Saint” logo line art into his rear quarter windows.
As always, my car needs more attention than I originally estimated. The brakes are completely shot (not just minor repair), the exhaust leaked (I fixed it), the tires were too large (I changed them), the engine is skipping (a tune-up I hope), the interior needs work, the body has a few blemishes which will be repaired and repainted (but probably should be completely refinished) and some of the chrome needs to be re-plated (I missed that). The car came with a box of new parts so I am sure there is even more to do but when was the last time you saw one on the road? They only made 39,414 coupes and 8078 ES sport wagons worldwide and not that many have survived. I personally have always liked the clean lines of the coupe better even though my ES was also a great car. I guess it’s a subjective thing.
Once I get her sorted I think she will make a great club touring car. Now that I am in the lower half of my 60’s I am more than happy to surrender some “rough and ready” sport car experiences for cool air, comfortable seats, a more relaxed driving position, wipers that work and hoods (roofs) that don’t leak. Besides, isn’t it just the coolest looking car? It has to be British, right?
