Lot 242 - 1968 Volvo P1800S

• Recently repainted
• Stunning example

In December 1957, the first handbuilt P1800 prototype was driven to the headquarters of Karmann. Volvo had hoped that Karmann would be able to take on the tooling and building of the P1800 and they were ready to build it which meant that the first cars could hit the market as early as December 1958. But in February, Karmann's most important customer, Volkswagen, forbade Karmann to take on the job as they feared that the P1800 would compete with the sales of their own cars and threatened to cancel all their contracts if they took it on. This setback almost caused the project to be abandoned and it looked doomed until a press release surfaced with a photo of the car, putting Volvo in a position where they had to acknowledge its existence. These events influenced the company to renew its efforts with the car and it was presented to the public for the first time at the Brussels Motor Show in January 1960. Volvo turned to Jensen Motors, whose production lines were under-utilised and they agreed a contract for 10,000 cars.

This elegant example has recently been repainted and presents in dark green with a superb new beige interior, including dashboard, carpets and upholstery. Accompanying this retro classic is a large history file containing many receipts and invoices and old MoT test certificates. This model was of course made famous by the 1960s series ‘The Saint’, starring Sir Roger Moore. Interestingly, Jaguar was first offered the opportunity to provide an E-Type for the TV series but declined. Volvo accepted and offered a P1800, leading to increased sales. This stunning Volvo is offered to auction with a V5C registration document and, although exempt by age, an MoT test certificate valid until February 2022 without advisories. These cars still turn heads today, displaying that wonderful styling and poise so typical of that era.