Vehicle Description
1973 Volvo P1800ES Station Wagon
The story of the creation of the Volvo P1800 begins back in 1953
when Volvo co-founder and Vice President Assar Gabrielsson visited
the USA and while there, he had the opportunity to visit GM and see
the new Chevrolet Corvette production line at Flint, Michigan.
While in the US Gabrielson also observed that European sports cars
such as those from Britain, Italy and Germany were becoming
popular, especially with celebrities. When their version of the
sports car was driven by Roger Moore in the TV series The Saint,
sales picked up.
For consignment, a 1973 Volvo P1800ES station wagon showing 4,839
miles which are not actual as our consignor states a rebuilt
speedometer replaced the original. This car has optional air
conditioning and the desirable and rare optional roof rack.
Exterior
Resprayed in original Sonne Yellow sometime after 2017, this wagon
takes the slope backed and finned tail of the coupe and stretches
it like elastic to create a shooting brake with cargo space in
back, accessed by a large, glass hatch. This hatch design inspired
Volvo's 2006 C30 compact car. In profile, the wagon seems to sweep
back as the pillars on the narrow windows and door gaps lean
rearward just as the back creates a flat plain leaning forward. The
nose is long and extended even further by the wide bumper that
pushes out from the body and before you question its look, remember
this is Volvo we're talking about, the leader in automotive safety!
A similar chrome bumper lives out back and the Swedes put twin
exhaust pipes to the right, flowing gracefully from further center.
Remnants of the coupe's fins can be seen in the body trim that
circles down to meet the tri-colored tail lights and becomes the
door handle at the other end. 15-inch wheels look right and those
in the know will be saying "nice rack!" when they eye the roof rack
with re-chromed brackets. Imperfections include a taped area that
should have been yellow, some bubbling in several areas down low,
some Bondo work low, and some paint run.
Interior
Sporty, black vinyl door cards greet those entering the car with
pleated map pockets adding some storage. Reupholstered and robust
black vinyl bucket seats reside in the front, nicely tufted with
horizontal stitching and they are high backed likely for safety as
much as style. The rear seats are a bit more modest but equally
clean. A 3 spoke steering wheel leads to a woodgrain dash housing a
variety of gauges you'd expect from a sports wagon, and a lot of
toggles and knobs as one would expect in 1973. There's an AM/FM
radio that favors the passenger side which also includes a grab
handle to help stabilize your guest while traversing the
Scandinavian mountains, while your grip is the stout shifter that
rises from the center hump with everything except the seats showing
just a touch of patina. Tan carpets provide nice coverage and
continue to the storage area which is voluminous, and a white
stitched headliner lightens the roof above our head.
Drivetrain
A spotless valve cover highlights a driver quality motor in the
bay, and it's a fuel injected 2.0 liter 4 cylinder rated at 112
horsepower. A Borg Warner 3-speed automatic transmission is married
to it and sends power to the rear axle with 3.91 gears. Always
thinking ahead, Volvo equipped the car with power disc brakes front
and rear.
Undercarriage
Decently clean underneath with areas of typical surface rust and a
lack of errant fluids. The single exhaust flows through a stock
style muffler and is released to the atmosphere via twin chrome
snaking tips. Suspension is made up of coil springs in front and an
interesting rigid axle with trailing arms, a panhard bar, and coil
springs in the rear.
Drive-Ability
The nicely padded bucket seat provides a comfortable perch as we
turn the key and let the injectors do their thing. The car rolls
smoothly on 195/60R15 tires and visibility, despite turret-like
windows, is quite good, especially out back where you have a movie
screen sized glass hatch. Acceleration is adequate and tracking is
very nice and this wagon is actually fun to drive! It also helps
that all functions work as they should on this yellow sports wagon!
While Classic Auto Mall represents that these functions were
working at the time of our test drive, we cannot guarantee these
functions will be working at the time of your purchase.
From 1971 to 1973, only 8,077 P1800ES's were produced and in Sweden
they were nicknamed "Fish Van" not because of the catfish like gape
in the front, rather for the fishtank like rear hatch which has to
be the coolest feature of the car, (although the door handle body
trim is a contender!). P1800's sell like hotcakes at Classic Auto
Mall and the wagon version leaves at an even brisker pace, so cast
your line for this one and try to hook it, because others are
already dialing the phone!
Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and
collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate
controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (that's more than 8
acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic
and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the
I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit
www.classicautomall.com or call us at (888) 227-0914. Contact us
anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.
There is no guarantee of mileage. A $299 Dealer Administrative fee
is not included in the advertised price.
With so many great cars, you know we have a lot to talk about, and
we do that each week on the Classic Auto Mall Podcast with host
Stewart Howden. Stewart discusses new inventory as well as trends
in consignments and car prices, while interviewing celebrities and
automotive professionals about amazing cars and their history. Tune
in each week to the Classic Auto Mall Podcast wherever you enjoy
listening. You can also watch on YouTube!
