The 1973 Volvo 1800ES. The Volvo 1800 family started with the P1800 coupe in 1961. It existed as a coupe (the P1800, the 1800S, and then the 1800E) in various incarnations through 1972. In ’72, they added the 1800ES, a “shooting brake” or two-door wagon. In 1973, only the 1800ES was produced, and that was the last of the line for the model. A bit over 8,000 examples of the ES were manufactured.
The 1800ES has a 2 liter 4-cylinder engine with Bosch D-Jetronic electronic fuel injection, backed up by a 4-speed manual transmission with electric overdrive. It has four-way disc brakes, and rather svelte looks, if I do say so myself.
Buying It
I loved the ES since I saw one when I was a kid. I started looking for a toy, a second car, after we moved to Greensboro. We looked at a couple of different things, including a coupe that needed way too much work. I finally spotted the classified ad for this one, and went after it.
The car was in Cary, and, in true Dave fashion, I paid asking price and got ripped off. I was so excited driving the car home (with the one person who’s ever ridden in the back seat crammed in there sideways… sorry, Sean.), but then I noticed it was down on power and not running quite right. Got it home, and in the following weeks, I got over my fear of even touching the thing, and I tore in to discover that the cam in the B20F had a rounded exhaust lobe on cylinder 2.
So, the cam was bad, and the exhaust manifold was cracked. I ended up replacing the cam, installing a header, steel timing gears, and I got it going again. The car has been on and off my daily driver, interspersed with periods of languishing while waiting for me to make repairs. It’s had the head off twice, it’s had the transmission out, it’s gone through a couple exhaust systems, and it’s had plenty of electrical issues. I’m a shitty owner, and I should probably just sell the damned thing to someone who will treat it as it deserves. But here it sits.
Fixing It
This poor thing has had more reason for repair than makes any logical sense. From alternators falling apart to the fan clutch seizing, sending the fan through the radiator. It’s been stranded, hit, caught fire, and yet it keeps on going. Or it did, until the wiring issue cropped up that I have yet to address. Man, I suck.
Oh, and fun fact… the failed throwout bearing was the only part I’ve found marked “Made in the USA.”
Some Random Shots
It’s very photogenic. Here’s a huge-ass gallery for you.
More Info
There’s a ton of info out there about these cars, but here are a few goodies. This is the car that Simon Templar drove in The Saint, and that Irv Gordon put over 3 million miles on. They’re fantastic vehicles.
- Irv Gordon’s 1800S at Volvo
- The Saint’s 1800
- Volvo 1800 Global Register (mine’s in there!)
- Driving Irv’s 1800S (YouTube)
- A Look at the 1800ES