The first-generation 1961 Volvo P1800. (All photos courtesy of Volvo)
Wouldn’t there be interesting dinner conversation with past Volvo designer Pelle Petterson? He is credited with the exterior styling of the 1961 Volvo P1800. Among his other professional credits is yacht designer.
I’d like to ask how excited was the design team about this car?
Was there an awareness that its stance and style would help define the company?
Or was it merely the worldwide influence the car received as co-star with British actor Roger Moore in the “The Saint” television series
“ST 1”
The Saint character was always portrayed by Roger Moore as Simon Templar. He drove a pearl white 1967 P1800 coupe and the car had a personalized license plate of “ST 1.”
A studio photo of Roger Moore with the P1800 used in the TV series.
The mystery spy thriller aired from 1962 to 1969 in the U.K. “The Saint” had its network prime-time debut in the U.S., with new color episodes, in 1966 on NBC. Prior to that, the 1962-65 black-and-white episodes aired in the U.S. in syndication. (Timeline corrected by auto expert and “Saint” fan Mike Haggerty.)
The Volvo P1800 had a production run from 1961-1973, according to its page in Wikipedia. It debuted as a 2+2 rear-drive touring coupe. The P1800 also was offered in a three-door shooting-brake (or “estate”) body style from 1972-1973.
A 1973 Volvo P1800 shooting brake.
It was sportier to look at than to drive. The 2,500-pound P1800 debuted with a 100-horsepower 1800cc (1.8-liter) four-cylinder engine and four-speed manual transmission. The powertrain would be updated for more performance through its production run. The engine was replaced with a 118-hp, 2.0-liter in 1969.
Moore is the first registered owner of the now-famous 1800S. The London registration plates, NUV 648E, were issued on Jan. 20, 1967.
Moore later sold the car to actor Martin Benson, who played Mr. Solo in the James Bond film “Goldfinger” (1964). Several owners followed and in the early-2000s the car was restored to near-original condition. Volvo bought the car a few years later.
An 1800S owned by Irv Gordon (1940–2018) made history. The car was certified in 1998 as the highest mileage private vehicle driven by the original owner in non-commercial service. Gordon racked up more than 3.25 million miles.
Volvoville Convertible?
Volvo never produced a convertible version of the 1800, but you might see one at an enthusiast’s car show. The most notable purveyor of convertible P1800s was the Volvoville USA dealership in Amityville, N.Y.
The Volvoville convertible.
Volvoville sold around 30 convertible P1800 models between 1964 and 1969, according to the Wiki report. The list price for a 1800S was $3,695 and the convertible cost $1,000 more.
Volvo HQ in Gothenburg was not amused over the name or the convertible so it ended the retrofitting with a compromise. Volvoville would get to keep the name but would stop making convertibles.
