A Swedish Style Icon Turns 50

Throughout most of the past century, Volvo built cars that were solid and reliable, yet somewhat uninspired. That all changed 50 years ago this year, when the first P1800 rolled off an assembly line. Though billed as a car with Swedish, British and Italian heritage, the head-turning two door turned out to be more Scandinavian than anyone imagined.

The P1800 was Volvo?s second attempt at a sports car after the failure of the Corvette-inspired fiberglass P1900 roadster. Due to poor build quality, that car was cancelled after fewer than 70 vehicles were built. Special consultant Helmer Petterson was put in charge of the project. His son, nicknamed Pelle, had just landed a job at Italian carrozzeria Pietro Frua, the company that the elder Petterson put in charge of the new car?s design.

According to Volvo, Helmer Petterson brought five vehicle designs to Volvo?s board: four approved by Frua, and one done by his son that Helmer Petterson snuck in at the last minute. The vote was unanimous for the work of Pelle Petterson, the 25 year old Gothenburg native who later would become a famed boat designer and sailor. However, the subterfuge enraged Volvo president Gunnar Engellau (shown above) who vowed that the design would be attributed to Frua no matter what. Only in 2009 did the automaker confirm the younger Petterson was responsible for the P1800?s exterior.

During its 12 year production run, the car was briefly produced by Jensen in West Bromwich, England. After 6,000 cars were produced, Volvo wasn?t satisfied with build quality and began assembling a new series of cars ? labeled 1800S ? in Sweden. In 1962, Roger Moore?s character began driving a white P1800 on the television show The Saint. Moore liked the car so much he bought one for himself.

In 1966, Irv Gordon bought a red P1800 at a dealership on Long Island. Now still in Gordon?s ownership, the car has 2.8 million miles on the odometer and holds a world record for a vehicle with the highest-mileage.

A ?shooting brake? debuted in 1972. The glass-backed station wagon coupe was christened the 1800ES and its radical design was reprised for Volvo?s 480 and C30.

Production ended in 1973 in response to a lack of competitiveness. The car sold for almost as much as a contemporary Jaguar E-Type and redesigning it to meet upcoming US safety regulations would have been prohibitively expensive. Still, the sporty coupe remains a relevant design to this day. Not only do the many remaining examples still attract attention, but elements of the car ? such as a a protruding grille and ?tail-up? rear end ? can be seen in modern Volvos, most notably the C30.

Photos: Volvo

Source: http://www.wired.com/autopia/2011/05/a-swedish-style-icon-turns-50/

phoebe prince harrahs celsius taj mahal is psn back online hearts watt