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Volvo’s Cyan Racing shows off reimagined P1800 classic

The classic Volvo P1800 sports car has been completely revamped, and fitted with a 308kW turbo engine derived from a race car.


The Cyan Racing Team has unveiled a modern interpretation of the classic 1960’s Volvo P1800 sports car.

The company, which has been Volvo’s factory racing team since 1996 and was formerly known as Polestar, reinforced an original 1964 P1800 chassis, widened the track, modified the body, replaced the live axle and brakes, and introduced a powertrain pulled from the 2017 world championship-winning Volvo S60 TC1 race car.

To keep the driving experience pure, the restomod (a term used for restoration and modification of classic cars) doesn't have any electronic driver aids such as stability control, ABS or brake boosting.

The new car weighs just 990kg, thanks largely to its carbon fibre body and driveshaft. The original iteration of the vehicle was almost 200kg heavier.

It is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 308kW and 455Nm. For comparison, the original P1800 offered a humble 72kW/140Nm from its 1.8-litre powertrain.

The new engine is paired with a Holinger dog-leg five-speed manual gearbox.

According to project manager and head of engineering Mattias Evenson, the end result “delivers on the Cyan engineering philosophy in terms of predictability and intuitive driver control, yet keeping the light-weight, analogue driving experience of the sixties.”

“Our objective has been to keep that undisturbed sensation whilst refining it with the best technology of today.”

No official acceleration figures have been released, however it is safe to assume the car is substantially quicker than the 1960’s model from which it is derived. When first released, the P1800 could accelerate from zero to 100km/h in around 12 seconds, and had a top speed of 172km/h.

Referring to recent speculation of the P1800 being made into an electric concept after it was spotted testing, Cyan CEO Christian Dahl said: "Obviously we could have built an electric Volvo P1800 filled with all the latest technology, comfort and luxury. But that was not what we wanted".

"Amid this paradigm shift we decided to slow down time and freeze a part of it in our own time capsule. To take the best from the golden sixties and combine it with our capabilities of today, keeping a pure yet refined driving experience," Mr Dahl said.

The original Volvo P1800 was unveiled in 1960, and was popularised by James Bond actor Roger Moore who drove it in the hit British television series The Saint between 1962 and 1969.

It is also notable as the car New Yorker Irv Gordon drove 5.1 million km between 1966 and 2018, breaking the world record for the highest mileage privately owned vehicle.

Cyan has stated that it will build a limited run of the new P1800 if consumer demand is strong enough, however no pricing figures have been released at this time.


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William Davis

William Davis has written for Drive since July 2020, covering news and current affairs in the automotive industry. He has maintained a primary focus on industry trends, autonomous technology, electric vehicle regulations, and local environmental policy. As the newest addition to the Drive team, William was brought onboard for his attention to detail, writing skills, and strong work ethic. Despite writing for a diverse range of outlets – including the Australian Financial Review, Robb Report, and Property Observer – since completing his media degree at Macquarie University, William has always had a passion for cars.

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