Volvo isn't really known for coupes, apart from one...
Pretty, two-door Volvos are a bit like friendly Parisian waiters: they do exist, somewhere in the ether, but you're far more likely to encounter one that's blunt. Take the 240 Turbo, which was blunter than a breezeblock, although that didn't stop it being a surprisingly successful competitor on track. And then there's the 262C, which was built by Bertone.
There have been some success stories, though. Take the 780. This was styled by Bertone, as can be seen by the fact that it's a piece of '80s retro chic. Not a single panel was carried over from the 760 and it reminds me of a bigger Maserati Ghibli from the '90s. I like it very much. I quite like the Amazon, too. I mean, sure, it has more than a hint of Hindustan Ambassador in its curves, but also a certain something about it in two-door form.
The P1800, of course, was made famous by Simon Templar, played by that other famous Roger. It looks like no other Volvo, before or since, with its rounded, Italian front end and finned rump. It was styled by another Swede, called Pelle Petterson, but he was guided by the dextrous hand of Pietro Frua, not Henry Ford II. At the time, Frua was associated with Ghia and, during his career, was responsible for some absolute stunners, like the 1955 Maserati A6G/54 Coupé.
The P1800 wasn't built by Ghia, though. It was almost built by Karmann in Germany, but they were busy building another pretty little two-door coupé for Volkswagen. And because the Volvo might have stolen sales from it, VW vetoed that deal. So in the end Volvo signed up Jensen, which, in the manner of so many British manufactures, stuffed it up. The first P1800 left Jensen's West Bromwich plant in 1960, but 6,000 cars later Volvo was done with the quality issues.
According to the advert it's only covered 69,415 miles, and its current owner inherited the car in 2013 from her aunt, Barbara Morris, who, it says, was 'an avid Volvo enthusiast and club member.' It does have the look of a passionate club member's car, doesn't it? The paintwork, interior and even the engine bay are all very clean for a car that's swept past its half-century. At the same time, it doesn't appear to be overly restored and prissy.
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