Could this Volvo P1800 set a new auction record?
This extremely beautiful and fully renovated P1800 from 1969 will be auctioned next Thursday. Perhaps a record price for the classic Volvo P1800 model?
- The car is in excellent shape. It was renovated 13 years ago before being finished in 2016. Everything has been renovated or replaced with new parts. According to Michael Luft, responsible for Bilweb Auctions, the only mechanical part that has not been disassembled is the rear axle, which has been painted, measured and checked.
- A detailed, well-renovated car in excellent condition, as well as a little rare but lovely and period-appropriate colour for the model, Volvo 99 Mediterranean blue. We have evaluated the car at SEK 420 000-470,000, which might break our P1800 record at Bilweb Auctions.
The car has a motley history, having served as a smuggling vehicle carrying dollar banknotes and Cuban cigars to and from the old East Germany. Remains from the voyage were discovered during the previous owner's renovation of the car. Then he discovered a Havana cigar in its metal container stowed under the carpet in the left side sill, as well as a few dollars rolled up behind the instrument panel. He indicated that the cigar was dry, and that the cigar case is included with the car.
Facts about the model
Helmer Pettersson, Volvo's design manager, was Pelle Petterson's father. Pelle worked for the Italian design firm Frua in the late 1950s. His sketches were chosen by Volvo when they recruited Frua to design a beautiful GT car to replace the Volvo Sport (P1900). The P1800 was first shown to the public in January 1960 at the Brussels Motor Show and was produced as a coupe until 1972. The P1800 ES was then built for another 1.5 years as a sporty shooting brake model.
The bodies were pressed in England and built by Jensen's factory under license from Volvo in the early years. Production was relocated to Gothenburg in 1964, and the cars were given a S in the model classification (P1800S). In total, around 30,000 P1800, P1800S, P1800E, and P1800 ES automobiles were produced.
To the auction:
https://bilwebauctions.se/en/sensommarauktion-2021/volvo-1800s-b20-3260
