Vehicle Description
1973 Volvo 1800E Coupe
The brand name Volvo was originally registered as a trademark in
May 1911 with the intention to be used for a new series of SKF ball
bearings. It means "I roll" in Latin, conjugated from "volvere".
The idea was short-lived, and SKF decided to simply use its
initials as the trademark for all its bearing products.
For consignment, a car not seen every day, but when we do we are
happy we did! A former sunny California 1972 1800E in its original
colors, having a plethora of receipts for recent work performed as
well as invoices from way back, and the lack of rust in the key
areas, (body mounts behind front tires, around headlights, and
under door panels). This all comes together to make this car
definitely worth a look. It's not a svelte Swedish blonde, however
it is a Volvo sports car...and this is Classic Auto Mall after
all!
Exterior
A sporty example donning our Hallowed Halls has been bathed in
crisp California White and it is showing nicely with only a few
minor inclusions and imperfections in the paint. The chrome is
excellent, all nice and shiny throughout. Looking over the exterior
shape carefully, we can see the two cars coming together with the
front end being the sedan styling. This starts as single headlights
mounted to each fender, an oval grille, (shades of earlier
Ferraris), in front of a vertically ribbed blacked out air space
inside. Two thick bezeled round signal lights are below the
headlights and a clean curved bumper adds to theFerrari mystique
going on up front. Down the sides, a single driver's door mirror is
on and the beltline trimming shows nicely with a black rubber
insert showing off the polished stainless. OEM Volvo glass creates
the greenhouse for the passengers and is highlighted all around by
clean trimmings. Past the B pillar the other car, the fastback
style takes over and becomes distinctly sporty with a low sweeping
roofline that melts down into the small trunk lid. Stainless trim
highlights the mini fins atop the rear quarter panels that float
atop of chrome bezel surrounded oval tail lights. 15-inch drilled
Volvo wheels with polished trim rings and chromed lugs are seen on
all 4 corners wrapped in deeply treaded Michelin blackwall
rubber.
Interior
Decidedly Swedish with well padded khaki tuck and roll vinyl for
the door panels, black padded armrests and black sills. The handles
are shiny, and an accordion style map pocket resides in the lower
front, all in near showroom condition. Inside the pattern continues
with tuck and roll inserts in the heavily padded cloth seat
inserts, khaki piping in lieu of the stitching, and clean smooth
khaki vinyl on the sides of these high back integrated headrest
chairs. The second row is a bench, but more like a 2 plus 2 bench
and is probably more comfy for kids and cargo than it would be for
adults, but it works, and has a black padded armrest for the
occupants. Racing toward the dash and between the front bucket
seats is a black plastic consolette with a wood applique insert,
storage compartment, and the shift actuator. Plush light brown
carpeting is covering all floors and is protected by tan carpeted
mats. An original dash setup is there and all working inside of a
faux wood facing and is made up of a padded black vinyl dash top
and padded lower black band with some more wood applique being the
background for the dash front. Within this applique band that
stretches across the dash are more round gauges, a clock, and the
factory AM/FM stereo. We note the addition of an under dash AC unit
to help keep you cool while you look kewl driving. The headliner
hanging above is tight, white and alright but does have some slight
soiling.
Drivetrain
Under the hood a clean well presenting 2.0 liter, 1986cc to be
exact, 4-cylinder engine with new engine mounts. Bosch EFI is in
charge of air and fuel delivery and helps this 4 popper make a
respectable 118hp. A Borg Warner T35 3-speed automatic is bolted to
the back and all this beauty drives a 3.90 geared rear axle. Nicely
detailed with no corrosion seen throughout, just red and black
paint and a light patina on the aluminum bits and pieces.
Undercarriage
Within the lightly patinaed black rust free surfaces of the
undercarriage is seen independent coil springs upfront, and on
back, a rigid axle with trailing arms, panhard rod and coil springs
and new axle limit straps. We also note new upper control arms and
a new steering box for the power steering. Power disc brakes are
all around for the ease of stopping and a single exhaust system
snakes its way rearward and handles the removal of spent fossils
efficiently and effectively.
Drive-Ability
We definitely got excited about this model as Volvo gave up on it
after this model year as it was an older chassis and the new USA
regs were killing them on expenses. That said, they produced a true
winner with great performance, snappy acceleration, wonderful
handling, and quick bias free braking on the panic stop.
So, we have a sporty low slung grocery getter, kid hauler, and
fairly rare example of this Ferrari-esque Volvo 1800E. A sports car
from the Swedes that are more known for reliability and safety over
performance and styling, now gracing our Hallowed Halls and will be
a surefire standout in your collection.
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 850 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display. This vehicle is located in our
showroom in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, conveniently located just
1-hour west of Philadelphia on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The
website is www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888)
227-0914. Please contact us anytime for more information or to come
see the vehicle in person.
