Classic Cars with History: Volvo Sport, 60 years since the Swedish brand's first sports car

The Volvo Sport or Volvo P1900, as the project was known internally, was one of the Swedish brand’s first incursions into building open-top roadsters with two seats.

It shared its engine with the PV 444 model. It was a revised and improved version of the 1.4-litre engine, with four twin carburettors, which produced 77 CV and reached a not inconsiderable 155 km/h.

It had a very eye-catching design. At the front it featured an air intake that looked like an aircraft turbine. That feature set it apart. It was not very long, and the rest of the bodywork created a set of rounded shapes, referencing the coupé designs of the time.

The research during the development of this model was exhaustive, but perhaps it was not carried out with the thoroughness the brand’s standards demanded. Several trips to the USA by Assar Gabrielsson, co-founder and managing director of Volvo, in which he sounded out the market on the other side of the Atlantic and contacted the company Glasspar, dedicated to building boat hulls and sports car bodies using fibreglass, bore fruit months later.

In 1953 Gabrielsson, interested in the manufacturing process using this material, commissioned them to design a body and moulds for him, and to train Volvo’s staff in designing and making fibreglass bodies.

The project moved quickly, and in early 1954 Glasspar delivered the first prototype that could be driven. It was not well received, as there were numerous complaints about a fragile chassis that cracked, doors that did not fit well, and a three-speed gearbox that was in no way worthy of a sports car. It was too limited for fast driving and had sluggish responses.

The official presentation took place at Torslanda airport, demonstrating that Volvo was serious about manufacturing and selling a sports car. Attendees at the event were told that the vehicle would go on sale in 1955 and that the first series would consist of 300 cars, all destined for export.

The first units were delivered in spring 1956. In addition to being delivered to other countries, Volvo also supplied some units within the Swedish market, changing the initial policy for this car, which was to be intended only for export. Several aspects of the vehicle were redesigned, but the gearbox remained a three-speed and not very sporty.

In the first year 44 units were built, and in 1957 another 23 came off the assembly line, but Gunnar Engellau, appointed managing director in 1956, decided to halt production after testing the car over a weekend. The reasons were that the car did not meet the brand’s quality standards and that the company was losing money on every unit it sold.

In total 67 cars were built of this model, although it was later shown that a numbering error on two chassis, both bearing the number 20, put the figure at 68 Volvo Sports built since launch. Many of these vehicles still exist, and the whereabouts of 50 of them are known.

Although Volvo failed in this attempt with the Sport or P1900, according to its internal code, the experience served the Swedish brand very well in later projects. It was the forerunner of the Volvo P1800, which was a great success for the brand and the second attempt at producing a sports car.

In fact, one of the Volvo P1800S entered the Guinness World Records. Its owner, Irv Gordon, has clocked 3 million miles, equivalent to 4,828,023 kilometres, with his inseparable car. A figure that surely will not stop there.

This feat is a real source of pride for Volvo, which sees a car more than 45 years old still running almost as it did on the first day, of course thanks to maintenance, servicing and repairs carried out correctly and on time.

Source | Volvo