In the course of building a sports car, Volvo did not want to compromise its reputation for safety and quality. The body for the Volvo 1800 is of unitized construction. The body, the frame, the floor pan are all welded into one piece. The internal body structure of the car, as designed by Helmer Petterson, includes many elements which acting together make a very stiff car. The passenger compartment is surrounded by boxed pillars to enhance its strength. The roof of the coupe was designed to support the weight of a second car on top! It's virtually impossible to crush the passenger compartment of this car. Sports Car Graphic said "This is probably the safest high-performance car made anywhere in the world. And like all Volvos, it seems to have been hewn out of solid rock" in 1964. In 1966, they said, "You could walk away from most crashes (God forbid) in this car where another car might be rolled up in a ball."
The body styling of the Volvo 1800 has always been the subject of much debate. When introduced to the world in 1959, the automotive press were very smitten with its looks. The eggcrate grill and curves were very in vogue and Ferrari like. "Timeless simplicity will keep this car handsome years from now." (Canada Track and Traffic - 1961). "The P1800 is without a doubt one of the most attractive automobiles on the road" (Sports Car Graphic - 1961). Time was working against Volvo, however, and production didn't begin until 1961. By the time the car began to arrive in sufficient numbers, its styling was considered to be "outdated" (Motor Sport -1962). Volvo is now famous for changing models only slightly throughout their production runs. Volvo was proud of their ability to resist the 50's and 60's fads of changing body styling every year. The automotive press over the years grew tired of the 1800's styling. By the end of the run, the very magazines that called the car a "steal" in 1961, referred to the car as "heavy, ugly, cramped, noisy, and overpriced." (Road and Track - 1972). However, many of these same articles admit that the car still made heads turn anywhere they drove it. Road and Track in 1971 admitted to being rather jaded when it came to evaluating the car's styling. "It has personal looks that a surprising number of people still find attractive."
It is funny to read different articles about the car written ten years apart. In 1961, the car is applauded for how quiet it rides at top speed, and in 1971 the car is unbearably noisy. The comfortable driving position in 1961 is cramped in 1972. Little problems overlooked in 1962 are major sources of complaint in 1972, such as visibility, ventilation, instrument layout, etc... It is comical to view this phenomenon of changing tastes from 20 years hindsight.
The car magazines might have disliked the 1800's styling towards the end of its production run, but they could never fault the car's construction. Those of us who own Volvo 1800's now are quite happy with the styling and are exceptionally thankful that the cars were "hewn out of solid rock."
"You can buy a faster car and you can buy a more expensive car, but it is hard to see how for the investment involved you can buy a better one." (Sports Car Graphic - 1963)
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