Sunday, May 29, 2011

125 years Automobile: Volvo's most famous car turns 50

The most famous Volvo, P 1800, celebrates the anniversary year of the car a special birthday. He was 50 years ago to market. The legendary sports coupe is the most international of all it has built brand models: a Swedish sports car, designed by Pietro Frua in Italy, with press in Scotland body in England mounted (at least the first 6,000 copies), America's most important market, and first presented as a prototype at the Geneva Motor Show 1960 in Brussels.

Already in the 1930 Volvo chassis delivered to various body manufacturer who built it Coupé models for customers who wanted a particular individual vehicle. In the early 1950s produced some prototypes, the possible mass production have all been rejected by the board. The first prototype of the later P 1800 was developed in 1957 at Frua in Turin and was based mechanically on the Volvo P120 Amazon.

With him were at Volvo's ambitious plans to distinguish itself by offering a GT model in higher market segments. His world premiere of the Volvo P1800 prototype finally in 1960 at the Brussels Motor Show and wowed the audience at first. Through the use of components of the Amazon was the first of the 90 Volvo P 1800-B18B-hp engine, which contributed just as much success as the Italian-inspired design of the Swedish sports car.

The coupe was offered in Germany in the first year of its sale at a price of 17 500 D-Mark. For capacity reasons, the first 6,000 copies, with Jensen in the United Kingdom were made. In 1963 the production was moved to Lundby and the type name in Volvo P 1800 S (for Sweden), as amended.

Shortly thereafter, Volvo gave up the P and the production of body parts was now taking place in Sweden. Zweistzer gained enormous popularity of the television series "The Saint" (international title: "The Saint"), the leading actor Roger Moore drove a smart private crooks. The later James Bond actor drove a Volvo for many years in private P 1800th 1968 Volvo received in 1800 from the 2.0-liter engine of the type B20B 105 hp, 1970 came an electronic fuel injection (Bosch D-Jetronic) and disc brakes all around added.

Note: The name changed in Volvo 1800 E and the engine power climbed to 124 hp. From Volvo P 1800 were to end of production on 22 Juni 1972 39.414 units sold. produced by the even more famous sister model, the P 1800 ES ("Snow White's Coffin") were his gläserenen tailgate, 1971-1973 8077 copies.

The three-door presented itself as a sports car with twin rear where the rear seats could be folded forward, creating a flat loading area was created - a very unusual time for this solution. Two names are closely connected with the history of Volvo P 1800th Born in 1932 Pelle Petterson made together with his father, Helmer Petterson, who is also deemed "the father of humpback Volvo", the first prototypes.

Petterson had studied at the Pratt Institute in New York industrial design with an emphasis on automobile design. After returning from the U.S., he signed up with Frua in Italy and his proposal for a new Volvo GT model was finally chosen in Gothenburg favorites. Although the P 1800 in 2000 by a panel of experts to the 100 most important cars of the 20 Century was elected, should be the career of its designer to develop entirely different.

In addition to the Volvo from his pen was only a small NSU model that did not go into production. Instead, the Swede created mopeds, lawn mowers, watches, lighters, and yachts. Petterson was a passionate and successful sailors, including winning two Olympic medals and several world championships, and now he is more known for his yacht as his automotive designs.

The second name that is inextricably linked to the Volvo P 1800, Irv Gordon. The Americans spent more time behind the wheel of the model as anyone else in the world. To date, the 70-year-old, a former teacher from the State of New York, traveled more than 4.5 million miles with his red Volvo P 1800 - all with the first engine.

A Guinness world record for the ages. Gordon bought his Volvo P 1800 in 1966. Since then, the sports coupe has been completely overhauled only twice. In 2013, Gordon will reach the mark of three million miles (4.827 million kilometers). His tip for a long car life: "Follow the service manual, replace worn or defective parts - and let no one take with your other car." (Ampnet / jri)

No comments:

Post a Comment