The Volvo P1800 was without questions one of the most beautiful cars produced by Volvo during its history. The coupe, marketed from 1961 to 1972, was even a star on the small screen. For those old enough to remember Simon Templar, you know exactly what we're referring to.
An iconic model, no doubt about it.
That's one reason it was chosen by Cyan Racing for a thoroughly modern revisitation. Within the industry, the term used for such a reborn classic is a "restomod" car. And great news for fans here, it’s now confirmed the new, modern P1800, which has already been presented, will be offered in North America. Price? about $700,000 USD.
And what is Cyan Racing? It's actually the engineering firm formerly known as Polestar that was bought by Volvo to be turned into an all-electric brand.
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The Cyan P1800 retains the original design of the model, but is otherwise decidedly modern, featuring for example carbon-fibre body panels that make it more lightweight than even a Mazda MX-5. Under the hood sits a 2.0Lr turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, good for 420 hp thanks to the work of the tuners. The suspension has been completely redesigned and its architecture is not identical to the original, modern concepts of safety and performance taking precedence, of course.
However, the driving experience will have a little retro feel to it. Expect a manual transmission, and don't look for driving aids like ABS brakes or stability control.
That's what happens when a race shop is in the business of developing a car; priority is on the driving experience, hands down. In fact, there are only a few components of the new P1800 carried over from the original car; these include the hood opening system, hand brake and windshield wipers. The rest has been redesigned and redone.
The car was originally advertised at $500,000 USD, but that has been revised to $700,000. At that price, buyers will naturally expect to be able to customize their ride to meet their preferences and whether they intend to use it on-road only or at the track as well.
Cyan's Volvo P1800 will be showcased at The Quail event, held during Monterey Auto Week in late August.
