Description
Volvo P1800S | 1964
Highlights:
– 1,780 cc four-cylinder petrol engine, four-speed manual transmission
– Engine and gearbox dismantled and rebuilt in 2023 by a specialist, with invoices on file
– Body and paintwork carried out between 2014 and 2017 to a documented value of 24,589 euros
– Leather interior and carpets remade in red leather by a master saddler
– Fourteen years in the same family, originally registered in Ireland
The seller offers for sale this 1964 Volvo P1800S, powered by a 1,780 cc four-cylinder engine, paired with a four-speed manual transmission with overdrive. It is finished in dark grey over a red leather interior, and the chrome is complete, including the more elaborate and scarcer overriders. The car has been in the same family for fourteen years and was originally registered in Ireland. It was bought from a specialist as an unfinished restoration, and the seller reports that extensive body and paint work was then carried out by Hartmann & Traunecker in Waltrop between 2014 and 2017, to a total value of 24,589 euros, with receipts available for close to all of it.
The seller further reports that the leather interior and the carpets were remade in red leather by a master saddler some years ago, with the red floor mats replaced at the same time, and that he was less satisfied with the work the restoration firm had done on the engine and gearbox. Both units were therefore dismantled, repaired and rebuilt in 2023 by ETS in Essen, with the crankshaft ground by Micke in Bochum. Invoices for that work and for all the parts are present, as is a photographic record. He states that the car has been driven in dry weather only, if at all, and that it is kept in a garage.
The seller lists the following known faults. The overdrive cannot be engaged electrically and the cause has not been established. The instruments sometimes give incorrect readings. In heavy rain some moisture enters at the rear window. The carburettors need overhauling at regular intervals. The spring for the boot lid stay is missing. There is a crack in the dashboard, which is visible in the photographs. The seller also notes three flaws in the paint inside the boot, in the form of cracking and insufficient coverage.
The P1800 is the car that put Volvo somewhere it had never been before. Drawn by Pelle Petterson while working at Frua and built in Britain for the first two years, it moved to Gothenburg in 1963, at which point the S was added to the name. Under the bonnet sits the B18, an over-engineered four-cylinder with five main bearings and twin SU carburettors, good for 108 hp and famous for running more or less indefinitely. That reputation is not marketing: a New York owner covered more than three million miles in his, which still stands as the record for a private car. Add a shape that has aged as gracefully as anything from the period, and a run on television as Simon Templar’s car in The Saint, and the appeal of an early Swedish-built example is not hard to explain.
Condition of the bodywork & paint
4 — Very Good. Clean with minimal wear; might need minor replacements for small missing or broken parts.
Condition of the interior
4 — Very Good. Clean with minimal wear; might need minor replacements for small missing or broken parts.
Technical condition
4 — Very Good. Mechanically solid, with potential for minor servicing.
Overall condition
4 — Very Good. Displays only minimal wear and can hit the road any time.
This item is sold on an as-is basis. The condition of this item is the opinion of the seller and may differ from your own opinion. Photos and descriptions of the listing are for information purposes only.
