P1800 Pelle & Irv in Techno Classica Essen 2011

The 23rd TechnoClassica in Essen turned out to be a bigger success than ever, not least for Volvo Cars Heritage. During four days, 178.300 visitors admired thousands and thousands of classic vehicles in the worlwide biggest Classic Car show. The VCH stand with its 50th anniversary celebration of the production of the Volvo P1800 was a success with people discussing and asking for autographs designer Pelle Petterson and million-miler Irv Gordon.

Claes Rydholm head of Volvo Cars heritage made again this year a tremendous effect by organizing with his team a great stand including a desk looking very much like one of 1961 where Pelle Petterson and may be Helmer Petterson and Gunnar Engellau may have discussed the release of the P1800 first delivered to the public in 1961. VCH won again this year (after one in 2010 for Carioca) an award.

letter from Helmer Petterson to Frua sitting on the desk

The stand featured the X1 frua prototype but also beautiful production cars of each generation of 1800.

I was really interested by the plaster models of the P1800 that were on display and found back after several epic stories that Claes depicted to me (off the records).

It was a great opportunity again for discussion, have diner with, take pictures, with our favorite figures Pelle & Irv. A great time also was the page by page reading together with Pelle of the new reference book for the P1800 put together under lead of  Kenneth Collander with support of VCH and others : "P1800 from Idea to prototype to production". I truly URGE any enthusiast to order the book (and I do not say that because I am in the list of contributors) by following instructions here http://www.volvop1800club.se/club_image/new_book.pdf
you will discover an incredible amount of NEW documents, text, interview and information provided for some by Pelle himself !

the new P1800 reference book! order it !

Pelle & Claes

Irv is always happy to discuss!

A well deserved Award for the VCH Stand!

P1800 Jensen Factory HQ building still standing in 2011

One amazing thing is the fact that the very first office building of the Jensen Factory in Carters Green, West Bromwich B70 9QL, Shaftesbury street 4 (behind the Shaftesbury Casino at the corner of High Street and Shaftesbury ) is still standing in 2011!  (and looks like secure since a modern building construction plan accepted in 2006 has been delayed and the building currently renovated) You can still see the building from google map / street view or Bing hereafter:

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Bing aerial view

 

A brand new set of pics taken yesterday (c) by Steve who had the kindness to go on site for us all, check his full set here, and the good news is that the place looks like protected from the 2006 builders plan because the owners are currently having some renovation done (inside pics to follow on Steve's set)

Looks like the Jensen brothers could push that door anytime, isn't it !

This building is in fact the W. J Smith & Son Factory where the name was changed during the establishment of Jensen Motors Ltd.

Here is a picture of the original W.J Smith & Son Factory in the 1930s, the Jensen brothers ran the company under theyre name after the death of Smith

Carters Green Parade in the 30's Guest's motors visible as well as the sign of WJ Smith in the center far back

A view of 2011 of the same location shows the brick building on the right still standing since the 30s

1936 name change to Jensen Motors Ltd (source JOC)

This is the location of the Jensen Factory until 1956 before the move to Kelvin Way where the P1800 was produced (2 miles away) This is also the office where was hosted the small Swedish "control" team that had to manage 3 years the expected quality standards of the first made Volvo P1800 before the production was finally moved to Sweden, the project was called project "Ares" at Jensen.

Carters Green Jensen office where the Volvo team was located,
Volvo Amazon of staff parked on left (c)Ake Bjorksund

Town Planning

One can see on the town planning website the 2006 plans and authorization to replace it by a modern housing complex

Original (then future) Jensen Factory plans of John Street 541 factory in yellow the Office buiding, at the lower left the factory (source JOC)

Same view from Shaftesbury street in 2011 and 1950

The building in 2011

The building in the 50's

 Jensen Office Carters Green - The Jensen Brothers in front of the building in the 60's

Richard Jensen

Alan Jensen

Richard Calver the Jensen historian also states that the factory in Carters Green (behind the still standing building and having entry on John st) was demolished many years ago, probably in the late 1960s or early 1970s, that the factory was bombed in 1940 and essentially all of the records were destroyed, so it's not easy to come to grips with that period, and that the Jensen site in Kelvin Way was huge and was broken up in the late 70s to form a multitude of units (look at pictures below) with the exception of the Kelvin Way Service Department which remained in the hands of JP&S and operated as such until the early 1990s. It has since been gutted, in 1997 becoming a Metal Enclosures factory and changed several times since them...

The original office in Kelvin Way has unfortunately been dismantled

Today the former Jensen Service building on Kelvin Way can be seen next to the Kelvin Way Trading Estate.

 

Google maps link of Kelvin Way former Jensen site

bing aerial view



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Jensen Service building in the 80's

Comparing with the 60s' all the other buildings have been changed in the aera

The Jensen Club UK is celebrating this year the 75years commemoration with a medal figuring the Jensen Office.

JOC Celeb medal (c) JOC

Irv on TV: Can My Car Live Forever?

Irv on History Channel/Nova January 26, 2011 "Can My Car Live Forever?"

Irv said:
I will be on a PBS station that carries NOVA…here in NY it will be channel 13 and channel 47 (History Channel) on my cable system. The broadcast is at 8:00PM…but you will have to check for NOVA on your system. The date is Jan 26.
I hope it won’t be anything embarrassing! LOL
Irv

This was really a great interview for the tribute of the P1800 and about the whole concept of taking care of it, thanks again Irv. The Nova crew rode around Long Island with Irv and his Volvo in 2010 for an interview about his car's amazing longevity. Meanwhile, the program description from PBS.org explains that "Neil deGrasse Tyson, Astrophysicist and cosmic fashion icon takes a lighthearted look at whether the tricks that have kept a 1966 Volvo running for 2.7 million miles can also help the human body go the extra mile."
This show is also a great occasion to see Irv's favorite garage and mechanics, including Richie Vermont 35 years service, and the legendary Duane Matejka (Duane is probably the winningest Volvo racer in the USA, as five-time Champion of the Volvo Historic Series) ...

Read more on Dan's blog

Watch the video here 

 

Wheeler Dealers Episode w Volvo P1800

Wheeler Dealers Season 7 Episode 9 Volvo P1800- aired Nov 2nd 2010
A glorious piece of 60s styling, the P1800 is the most surprising Volvo you will ever encounter. Mike snaps up a rust free example. But underneath the gorgeous looks there are a number of mechanical issues Edd needs to sort. He’ll have his work cut out to keep costs down on this one.

Watch This TV Show

Irv turn 70 - heading to 3Mln

World's Highest Mileage Car 2010 - Volvo P1800

Record-breaking automotive pioneer Irv Gordon turns 70 today. And to celebrate, the driver of the highest mileage vehicle on the road, a 1966 Volvo P1800, he aims to reach the unmatchable record of 3 millions miles sometime in the next three years!

 

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Project changling P1800

Project Changling P1800 / Toyota Supra by Pro-Touring by Robert Jackson of CLASSIC AUTO GLASS INNOVATIONS

Robert Jackson started a wonderful project, he explains:
The plans to achieve a similar build to the Vox Volvo Rendition by Bo Zollands , but with a 2JZ Twin Turbo/5-speed Toyota Supra running gear. The 2JZ 6Cyl motor is considerably larger in size than the original Volvo 4cyl/4 speed set up, so there will be alot of fab work to document.

...We will be doing as many of the Body Mods that are possible and reasonable to achieve the overall Vox Volvo Rendition. I am hoping to achieve about 90 percent of the rendition look, but proportionally some of it may not be quite achievable using the original car for a platform. I am not planning on extending the front end, so that may throw things off a bit proportionally...

...
The body mods we are going to perform to achieve the look of the Bo Zollands Vox Volvo design.
Removing the drip rails
Removing the vent window,
Modifyting the top for the reshaped quarter glass
Tilted Headlamps (Mercedes)
Hood Scoop
Moulding the grill shell into the body and bringing the top of the shelll out a bit
Flushing the turn signal lamps
Building an air dam
Recessing the tail lamps
Hopefully raising the wheel wells (if that doesnt get into a hole can of worms),
Removing the chrome trim
Lowering the rear fins
Manufacturing the bumpers (Already have a set of 63 Corvette bumpers for the rear to modify, see the resemblence below)
And of course, FLUSH MOUNT GLASS I thought about making the Complete top glass as in the picture, but for possible sales of our kit, it wouldnt be very easy to install. So, we are going to do just the rear glass by itself.
...

2009 Vox P1800 Concept car

Swedish-born designer named Mattias Vocks, is working on a new creation; a modern day P1800 coupe.
I proposed Mattias a possible presentation during my Viking Classic Auto Show 2010 next to the P958-X1 and with Irv & Pelle but he said the project would not be finished at that time (we were lucky enough to be able to display his 2008 Volvo hot rod Jakob still!).