For Fan Car Friday this week we bring you Joe and his little sporty-looking ’69 Volvo P1800.  Fan Car Friday is a segment where we want to share with the world the automobiles that our fans have. We have absolutely no affiliation/relationship with the cars, the build or the owners. This post was made with written consent from the owner.

“I saw a P1800 for the first time when I was an adolescent kid riding my bicycle. I was totally infatuated with it parked on the street. At this time the car was featured on the TV series, “The Saint”. Fast forward 38 years later to 2001 and I see this petite gray-haired lady standing next to a P1800 with a for sale sign on it. I never forgot the feeling it gave me the first time I saw one. The setting was at a Volvo club meeting in Ranco Cordorva, CA. I struck up a conversation with her and found out that although not the original owner, she owned the car for over 28 years. At the time the car had over 350,000 miles on it. She presented a detailed service record including replacing the engine after 200,000 miles. After a test drive I was sold on the car and agreed to her asking price. It was in complete original condition (except the engine). A few days later when we consummated the deal, she mentioned that she was looking for someone who would take care of the car and not make modifications to it. Of course, I promised I would. Then she asked how was I going to get the car to Las Vega which is where I lived at the time. I told her I was going to drive it. At this, she bristled and immediately dropped the price by $500 if I would trailer it instead of driving it. It was obvious how attached she had become with the car. Unfortunately, for the next sixteen years, my work caused me to drag the car from Las Vegas to Colorado Springs to Houston to Arkansas and finally back to Las Vegas. I was having to store the car at each location not really driving it much. I retired while living in Arkansas and it was then I had the time and money to restore the car from it’s “barn-find” condition to fully restored. Ever since the restoration which was done in Arkansas, it has been a continuing work in progress. Most recently, I have sent the sun visors off to be rebuilt. I am a member of the Vintage Car Club here in Las Vegas and enjoy taking it to various car show functions.

I forgot to let you know that the P1800, although a two-seater, is not a sports car in the true sense. It does not have stellar handling or performance nor does it have much horsepower (only about 100). It is a touring car. It is low and difficult to get in and out of, but once in its very comfortable. With a four speed transmission with electric overdrive, it is a very nice highway cruiser.“

The Volvo P1800 is a 2+2, front-engine, rear-drive sports car manufactured and marketed by Volvo Cars between 1961 and 1973. Originally a coupe (1961–1972), it was altered into a shooting-brake for the duration of its production (1972-1973). Styling was by Pelle Petterson under the tutelage of Pietro Frua when Frua’s studio was a subsidiary of the prestigious Italian carrozzeria Ghia, and mechanicals derived from Volvo’s dependable Amazon/122 series.

Marketed as a stylish touring car rather than a sports car, the P1800 became widely known when driven by future James Bond actor Roger Moore in the hit television series The Saint which aired from 1962-1969.

In 1998, an 1800S was certified as the highest mileage private vehicle driven by the original owner in non-commercial service — having exceeded three million miles (over 4.8 million km) as of 2013.

The engine was the B18 (B for the Swedish word for gasoline: Bensin; 18 for 1800 cc displacement) with dual SU carburettors, producing 100 hp (75 kW). This variant (named B18B) had a higher compression ratio than the slightly less powerful twin-carb B18D used in the contemporary Amazon 122S, as well as a different camshaft. Some have suggested that the B18 was developed from the B36 V8 engine used in Volvo trucks, but differences between the engines cause others to dispute that origin. The B18 furnished the P1800 with a strong engine boasting five main crankshaft bearings. The B18 was matched with the new and more robust M40 manual gearbox through 1963. From 1963 to 1972 the M41 gearbox with electrically actuated Laycock de Normanville overdrive was a popular option. Two overdrive types were used, the D-Type through 1969, and the J-type through 1973. The J-type had a slightly shorter ratio of 0.797:1 as opposed to 0.756:1 for the D-type. The overdrive effectively gave the 1800 series a fifth gear, for improved fuel efficiency and decreased drivetrain wear. Cars without overdrive had a numerically lower-ratio differential, which had the interesting effect of giving them a somewhat higher top speed (just under 120 mph (193 km/h)) than the more popular overdrive models. This was because the non-overdrive cars could reach the engine’s redline in top gear, while the overdrive-equipped cars could not, giving them a top speed of roughly 110 mph (177 km/h).

As time progressed, Jensen had problems with quality control, so the contract was ended early after 6,000 cars had been built. In 1963 production was moved to Volvo’s Lundby Plant in Gothenburg and the car’s name was changed to 1800S (S standing for Sverige, or in English : Sweden). The engine was improved with an additional 8 hp (6 kW). In 1966 the four-cylinder engine was updated to 115 bhp (86 kW). Top speed was 175 km/h (109 mph). In 1969 the B18 engine was replaced with the 2-litre B20B variant of the B20 giving 118 bhp (88 kW), though it kept the designation 1800S.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volvo_P1800

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