Motor Matters
The publisher of Road & Track magazine put this classic car, a 1965 Volvo, up for bid in 1995.

1965 P1800S Volvo proves to be a wonderful touring car

Vern Parker

Originally published Saturday, April 13, 2002

Volvo's recent success at styling attractive cars is not just a 21st century phenomenon. Over 35 years ago, Volvo created the P1800 sporty car, which remains appealing to this day.

A pearl white P1800S was built in May 1965, using body structures and panels produced by Press Steel Ltd. of Linwood, Scotland. The parts were assembled by Volvo in Lundby, Sweden.

With dual S.U. carburetors feeding fuel to the 108-horsepower overhead valve engine, the sleek Volvo was shipped off to the United States with three optional extras: an outside mirror, reclining seats and a dealer-installed FrigiKing underdash air conditioner. The base price was $3,920.

The original owner lived in Palos Verde Estates, Calif., and he kept the Volvo 25 years.

When the car had 77,869 miles recorded on the odometer, it was acquired by William Jeanes, the former publisher of Road & Track magazine. He had intended to move the 14-foot, 5-inch-long car to Michigan but reality never matched fantasy.

The 2,670-pound Volvo spent the next five years under cover in Torrance, Calif., where it was well maintained.

Loyal readers of Road & Track magazine may remember the December 1994 issue in which the admittedly disorganized publisher wrote about his organizational shortcomings.

The publisher also publicly acknowledged that as good as his intentions were, it appeared unlikely that he was ever going to get the Volvo moved from California to Michigan.

Jeanes then solicited interested readers to send him bids for the car, first setting a $4,000 floor. The proceeds were to go to his alma mater.

Like a lot of readers, Scott Miller, a Procter & Gamble executive in Cincinnati, took Jeanes' solicitation seriously and on a whim mailed his bid for the car.

"It was a blind date," Miller says.

He had no expectation that his would be the winning bid.

A week and a half later a letter arrived from Jeanes congratulating him on submitting the successful bid on the Volvo. Jeanes trucked the car to Detroit where it received fresh fluids, as well as a new battery. It also underwent a safety check.

Miller flew to Detroit in March 1995 to take possession of his prize at the Road & Track office. He still had not seen his car. The odometer had registered 78,077 miles.

The 6-foot, 4-inch-tall new owner found the sleek Volvo cockpit surprisingly spacious.

Once Miller was settled comfortably behind the two-spoke steering wheel, he fired up the four-cylinder engine and began the 250-mile trip to Cincinnati, utilizing the four-speed manual transmission enhanced with an electric overdrive.

"It ran smoothly and quietly all day," Miller reports with a proud notes. "At 65 miles per hour, the engine turns 3,200 rpm."

A set of Pirelli P3 165R15 tires on wheels with eight cooling slots support the car on its 96 1/2-inch wheelbase.

Miller corrected an oversight by the original owner in 1997 when he installed an aftermarket stereo system. He left in place on the dashboard the original radio plate.

"The car has a very flowing design," Miller observes, "It's clearly Italian."

Chrome spears start at the headlights and stretch back to just aft the door before sharply turning up to flow along the tops of the abbreviated fins on the rear fenders.

Each rear fender features a windsplit to accommodate the horizontal taillight. Miller reports fuel consumption of 25 mph, giving the car a cruising range of almost 300 miles with its 12-gallon tank.

The odometer on the little white Volvo now stands at 83,344 miles. The black vinyl interior and gray carpeting remain a pleasing contrast to the exterior color. "It's a wonderful touring car," Miller says of his blind date that turned out to be a keeper.

Vern Parker writes for Motor Matters news service.

The Olympian Copyright 2002

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