Volvo P1800 ES

Volvo 1800 ES

The feature that earned it the nickname “Snow White's Coffin”: the glass stern

The Volvo P1800 ES is a shooting brake from the Swedish car manufacturer Volvo . It was produced from summer 1971 to autumn 1973. Due to its shape and its frameless glass tailgate, it was nicknamed "Snow White's Coffin" in Germany , which was invented by an author of the specialist magazine auto, motor und sport .

history

Study of the P1800 ES

In order to modify the P1800 sports coupé , which had only changed slightly since autumn 1961 and which became known, among other things, from the television series Simon Templar (The Saint) starring Roger Moore as detective Simon Templar , Volvo commissioned Jan Wilsgaard to design a new one Rear end. The unusual requirement was to easily accommodate golf equipment there in order to do justice to the American market in particular. The unofficial reason for the development of a sports suit was the early 1970 introduced sports car tax increase in the United States. This made it possible to offer a much cheaper option to drive an exclusive sports car.

In August 1971 the 1800 ES, the official model name, was presented to the public. Characterized by the then original roof construction with the combi-like roof dome, it was similar to the Reliant Scimitar GTE, which was built in England from 1968 , but which has a body made of GRP . What made the 1800 ES so special was above all glass: Large side windows under the elongated roof ensured better visibility. The style feature and nickname of the ES is the tailgate made entirely of glass. Specialist journalists tried to use correct names like Sportkombi or Estate Sportswagon ; In the vernacular, however, the more memorable nickname Snow White's Coffin has remained. The term coffin was valued differently, the use ranged from affectionate to derogatory.

Since new safety regulations came into force in the USA for 1974, which included large bumpers at a certain height, Volvo decided to discontinue production of the 1800 ES at the end of the 1973 model year. The changes necessary to comply with the regulations would have been too extensive. After this decision was published, the demand for the 1800 ES increased - especially in the USA - so that the last model year was also the one with the largest number of units sold.

8077 units of the Volvo 1800 ES were built up to November 1973.

swell

• Automobil Revue , catalog numbers 1971, 1973 (technical data and prices)

Web links

Commons : Volvo P1800 ES  - Collection of pictures

• More pictures from the Belgian club for Volvo 1800ES (Flemish / French)