Volvo P1800 'Jensen' by Editions Atlas

The number sixty-six in the Volvo Collection by Editions Atlas is the Volvo P1800 Jensen from 1964. This 1:43 diecast model reflects the first generation of the P1800 which was which had been manufactured by Jensen Motors in Great Britain for Volvo.
What could I possible tell you about this iconic Volvo? I'm pretty sure most of you will immediately recognize this car. So this time I won't annoy you with any comments and you can switch immediately to the photos below which depict the hand-painted and hand-built pre-production model!

Source & copyright : Editions Atlas SA, Switzerland


VOLVO Collection :

1. 1945   Volvo PV444
2. 1957   Volvo Amazon 4-door
3. 1964   Volvo P1800
4. 1953   Volvo PV455 Duett
5. 1950   Volvo PV60
6. 1971   Volvo 144 Overdrive
7. 1969   Volvo 164
8. 1971   Volvo P1800ES
9. 1956   Volvo P1900
10. 1978   Volvo 262C Bertone
11. 1965   Volvo Amazon 2-door
12. 1970   Volvo 145 Automatic Estate
13. 1938   Volvo PV52
14. 1965   Volvo PV544
15. 1979   Volvo 343
16. 1985   Volvo 480 ES
17. 1984   Volvo 740 Turbo
18. 1938   Volvo PV800 Taxi
19. 1978   Volvo 242 GT
20. 1939   Volvo PV56
21. 1962   Volvo Amazon break
22. 1936   Volvo PV36 Carioca
23. 1953   Volvo PV455 Duett 'Volvo Service'
24. 1988   Volvo 780 Bertone
25. 1988   Volvo 440
26. 1927   Volvo ÖV4 Jakob
27. 1973   Volvo 142
28. 1992   Volvo 240 Polar
29. 1971   Volvo 145 Express
30. 1975   Volvo 66 GL
31. 1992   Volvo 440 Politie (NL)
32. 1971   Volvo P1800 ES 'Prince Carl Gustaf'
33. 2001   Volvo V40 phase ll
34. 1988   Volvo 480 Turbo USA
35. 1978   Volvo 244 DL 'Blue Star'
    

• 36.   1994   Volvo 960 GLE
• 37.   1978   Volvo 264 TE
• 38.   1965   Volvo Amazon Polis (S)
• 39.   1966   Volvo P1800 S Volvoville
• 40.   1971   Volvo 145 Express Taxi
• 41.   1992   Volvo ECC
• 42.   1976   Volvo 343 Politie (NL)
• 43.   1995   Volvo 855 T5R
• 44.   1999   Volvo S80
• 45.   1990   Volvo 480 Turbo convertible
• 46.   1982   Volvo 265 GLE
• 47.   1967   Volvo Amazon 123 GT
• 48.   1988   Volvo 360 GLE
• 49.   1988   Volvo 240 SE estate Polis (S)
• 50.   1968   Volvo P210 Duett 'Tele' (S)
• 51.   1974   Volvo 142 RAC Rally
• 52.   1997   Volvo C70 convertible
• 53.   1976   Volvo 66
• 54.   1981   Volvo 264 TE Landaulet
• 55.   1933   Volvo PV654
• 56.   1984   Volvo 264 Ambulance
• 57.   1927   Volvo PV4
• 58.   1988   Volvo 760 GLE estate
• 59.   1956   Volvo TP21
• 60.   1935   Volvo Venus Bilo
• 61.   1987   Volvo 760 GLE
• 62.   1978   Volvo 244 GTX
• 63.   1937   Volvo PV51 convertible
• 64.   1974   Volvo 145 USA
  
• 65.   1937   Volvo PV36 Polis
  
• 66.   1964   Volvo P1800 by Jensen
  
• 67.   ....
  
• 68.   ....
• 69.   ....
• 70.   ....

Quote from a press release by Volvo:

History of the Volvo P1800

Planned in Sweden, designed in Italy, unveiled at the car show in Brussels, built in Britain and a huge success in the United States, the Volvo P1800 is Volvo's most internationally renowned model.

In 2011, this remarkable people's favorite turned 50. It was in 1961 the P1800 entered production and it reached showrooms after four years of careful planning and development; remained in production until 1973. From a sales perspective, the P1800 played a modest role for the company, but from an image viewpoint, it played a far bigger role than any previous Volvo model. Few, if any, subsequent models have matched it image-wise.

Design coupe
The Volvo P1800 was created to attract the attention of passersby to Volvo's display windows and to increase what today is known as "floor traffic" so showroom visitors left in a new Volvo.

Volvo produced a sports car back in the early 1950s - the open two-seater plastic-bodied Volvo Sport, which was built from 1955 to 1957 with a total production run of just 67 cars. "Not a bad car, but a bad Volvo" was the way Volvo President Gunnar Engellau put it when he retired the model. However, he did recognize the importance of having a prestigious and exciting model to boost overall sales, and Volvo dealers were desperate for just such a car.

Design proposals were ordered from Italy, where Volvo consultant Helmer Petterson - who was deeply involved in the planning of the new car - helped his son Pelle secure a job at Pietro Frua thanks to Pelle's degree in industrial design from the Pratt Institute in New York.

When the time came to unveil the four proposals to Volvo's board in 1957, Helmer snuck in his son Pelle's fifth design - and that was the one that everyone picked. Engellau, in particular, liked it since he had definitive views about wanting an Italian-designed car. That is precisely what he got, but it was penned by a 25-year-old native of Göteborg who would later make his mark as a boat designer and win Olympic medals in yacht racing.

Eventually, the truth behind the winning design proposal emerged. The choleric Engellau felt he had been hoodwinked and promised that Pelle would never be acknowledged as the car's designer. And, indeed, many years went by before Pelle Petterson received due credit for designing one of the world's most attractive sports coupes.
The new sports car had a fixed roof, a steel body, a lot of the mechanical components lifted straight from the Amazon and the newly developed B18 engine in its 100 hp sports version when it eventually arrived in the showrooms.

Three prototypes were built by Frua in Turin in 1957-1958 on Amazon underpinnings. These cars were used for a variety of purposes, including templates for the production of press tools, in a range of tests, at shows, for press work, advertising photo-shoots and much more. All three have survived and are still on the road today.

Production overseas
At this time, Volvo found itself in an expansion phase, and the company realized from the outset that it did not have sufficient in-house capacity to manufacture the new model - not for pressing of body panels, nor for painting or assembly, not even on a small scale. The hunt for a suitable manufacturing partner got under way, and was led by Helmer Petterson. After much deliberation, Volvo decided to use two British companies to build the car: Pressed Steel would build the bodies and Jensen Motors would paint and assemble the cars. Production got under way but this arrangement had its challenges. Constant problems with personnel, working methods, quality, suppliers and logistics - along with an unwillingness to deal with these issues - meant that Volvo transferred production home to Sweden as soon as it was possible.

In the spring of 1963 - after 6,000 Jensen-built cars - production of the 1800 started up in Volvo's Lundby factory. But it was not until 1969 that body pressings were transferred from Pressed Steel in Scotland to Volvo's press shop in Olofström. The move home also coincided with a name change for the P1800. First it was badged the P1800 S, later in 1963 it was known simply as the 1800 S - S standing for Sweden.

No radical changes were made to the successful exterior lines during the coupe's long life. Only details such as the grille, trim moldings, wheels and colors differentiate the various model years. From a technical viewpoint, the 1800 shadowed the development of Volvo's other models and was continuously upgraded. Disc brakes all around, more powerful engines and electronic fuel injection were the most noticeable changes.

Cult car for The Saint
In 1971, however, a new body variant was presented - the 1800 ES - a sporting hatchback with an extended roofline and a rear estate car featuring a large glass tailgate - a GT and estate car combined. The ES was designed in Göteborg and attracted considerable attention, but it also divided opinion into two camps. Nonetheless, it has achieved cult status along with its sister coupe and many have survived to this day.
Volvo's 1800 models are highly sought-after by enthusiasts, and there are several clubs dedicated to the model. For many years, the models were relatively inexpensive to buy, although in recent years their prices have started to rise on the classic-car market. Renovating an 1800 is neither easy nor cheap. Many parts are no longer available, particularly for the Jensen-built cars. But owners who take the trouble can expect many miles behind the wheel of an exceptionally pleasant, agile and robust car whose value to Volvo in terms of image can never be fully quantified.

Just ask Roger Moore, who was fortunate enough to drive a P1800 in his role as debonair crime-fighter Simon Templar, a sort of modern-day Robin Hood, in the British TV drama series based on Leslie Charteris' "The Saint." The TV production company was looking for an attractive sports car that would suit a gentleman of independent means, and after being turned down by Jaguar, they approached Volvo to request the P1800. Volvo was quick to oblige. It was a brilliant PR move for the new Volvo model and the car became etched firmly in the minds of everyone at the time. To this day, the P1800 is still often referred to as The Saint's car.

Timeless 52-year-old
The Volvo P1800, this alert 52-year-old, was never intended to be a mass-produced car. It was and still is a niche product - the top of the range model. At the same time, the P1800 was priced to be within the reach of ordinary people who wanted a car that looked like a Ferrari but cost and functioned like a Volvo: pleasant, reliable and economical. The P1800 appealed to people even before it arrived in showrooms in 1961, and its design has stood the test of time: classic and sporty in a well-balanced way.

Congratulations to Gunnar Engellau and Helmer Petterson who pushed for Volvo to build the car, to Pelle Petterson who designed it, to Volvo who kept the model going in good times and bad over a period of 12 years, and to all those people who today own and value an 1800 - a truly living piece of Volvo history.

Volvo Cars Heritage
www.volvocars.com/heritage

Source: media.volvocars.com/us/en-us/media/pressreleases/49435


Quote from wikipedia:

[....]

History

The project was originally started in 1957 because Volvo wanted a sports car to compete in the US & European markets, despite the fact that their previous attempt, the P1900, had failed to take off with only 68 cars sold. The man behind the project was an engineering consultant to Volvo, Helmer Petterson, who in the 1940s was responsible for the Volvo PV444. The design work was done by Helmer's son Pelle Petterson, who worked at Pietro Frua at that time. Volvo insisted it was an Italian design by Frua and only officially recognized that Pelle Petterson designed it in 2009. The Italian Carrozzeria Pietro Frua design firm (then a recently acquired subsidiary of Ghia) built the first three prototypes between September 1957 and early 1958, later designated by Volvo in September 1958: P958-X1, P958-X2 and P958-X3 (P:Project, 9:September, 58:Year 1958 = P958, X: eXperimental.).

In December 1957 Helmer Petterson drove X1, (the first hand-built P1800 prototype) to Osnabrück, West Germany, headquarters of Karmann. Petterson hoped that Karmann would be able to take on the tooling and building of the P1800. Karmann's engineers had already been preparing working drawings from the wooden styling buck at Frua. Petterson and Volvo chief engineer Thor Berthelius met there, tested the car and discussed the construction with Karmann. They were ready to build it and this meant that the first cars could hit the market as early as December 1958. But in February, Karmann's most important customer, Volkswagen VAG, forbade Karmann to take on the job. They feared that the P1800 would compete with the sales of their own cars, and threatened to cancel all their contracts with Karmann if they took on this car. This setback almost caused the project to be abandoned.

Other German firms, NSU, Drautz and Hanomag, were contacted but none was chosen because Volvo did not believe they met Volvo's manufacturing quality-control standards.

It began to appear that Volvo might never produce the P1800. This motivated Helmer Petterson to obtain financial backing from two financial firms with the intention of buying the components directly from Volvo and marketing the car himself. At this point Volvo had made no mention of the P1800 and the factory would not comment. Then 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: the car was presented to the public for the first time at the Brussels Motor Show in January 1960 and Volvo turned to Jensen Motors, whose production lines were under-utilised, and they agreed a contract for 10,000 cars.The Linwood, Scotland, body plant of manufacturer Pressed Steel was in turn sub-contracted by Jensen to create the unibody shells, which were then taken by rail to be assembled at Jensen in West Bromwich, England. In September 1960, the first production P1800 (for the 1961 model year) left Jensen for an eager public.

P1800

The engine was the B18 (B for the Swedish word for gasoline: Bensin; 18 for 1800 cc displacement) with dual SU carburettors, producing 100 hp (75 kW). This variant (named B18B) had a higher compression ratio than the slightly less powerful twin-carb B18D used in the contemporary Amazon 122S, as well as a different camshaft. The 'new' B18 was actually developed from the existing B36 V8 engine used in Volvo trucks at the time. This cut production costs, as well as furnishing the P1800 with a strong engine boasting five main crankshaft bearings. The B18 was matched with the new and more robust M40 manual gearbox through 1963. From 1963 to 1972 the M41 gearbox with electrically actuated overdrive was a popular option. Two overdrive types were used, the D-Type through 1969, and the J-type through 1973. The J-type had a slightly shorter ratio of 0.797:1 as opposed to 0.756:1 for the D-type. The overdrive effectively gave the 1800 series a fifth gear, for improved fuel efficiency and decreased drivetrain wear. Cars without overdrive had a numerically lower-ratio differential, which had the interesting effect of giving them a somewhat higher top speed (just under 120 mph (193 km/h)) than the more popular overdrive models. This was because the non-overdrive cars could reach the engine's redline in top gear, while the overdrive-equipped cars could not, giving them a top speed of roughly 110 mph (177 km/h).

1800S

1965 Volvo 1800SAs time progressed, Jensen had problems with quality control, so the contract was ended early after 6,000 cars had been built. In 1963 production was moved to Volvo's Lundby Plant in Gothenburg and the car's name was changed to 1800S (S standing for Sverige, or in English : Sweden). The engine was improved with an additional 8 hp (6 kW). In 1966 the four-cylinder engine was updated to 115 PS (85 kW). Top speed was 175 km/h (109 mph). In 1969 the B18 engine was replaced with the 2-litre B20B variant of the B20 giving 118 bhp (89 kW), though it kept the designation 1800S.

1800E

For 1970 numerous changes came with the fuel-injected 1800E, which had the B20E engine with Bosch D-Jetronic fuel injection and a revised camshaft, and produced 130 bhp (97 kW) without sacrificing fuel economy. Top speed was around 190 km/h (118 mph) and acceleration from 0–100 km/h (0–62.1 mph) took 9.5 seconds. In addition, the 1970 model was the first 1800 with four-wheel disc brakes; until then the 1800 series had front discs and rear drums.
[...]

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volvo_P1800