Irv Gordon put 3 MILLION miles on his Volvo P1800, setting a Guinness World Record for the most driven non-commercial vehicle. In this exclusive first drive, Magnus Walker becomes the first person outside of Volvo to drive the car since Irv's passing in 2018 and goes on a very special ride with Irv's friend and mechanic Nino Gambino.
Hi my friend Irv !
I am sure your saw this, this drive is surely keeping the flame of your fame memory.
Your car is simply not only a record mileage 1800 it is the unique Irv's Gordon 1800S and we see you each time we see this car.
This is the new Volvo P1800 Cyan - a carbon bodied restomod using a 420hp touring car engine connected to a five speed manual gearbox with race car suspension and brakes! The P1800 Cyan weighs just 990kg and has no ABS or traction control for that old-school pure driving experience! Here is an in depth review and first road test drive by Mr JWW.
Cyan Racing and the Volvo P1800 Cyan, an interpretation of the iconic Volvo.
There is only one word used to describe how you feel when you drive it : you feel cool, highly cool!
Engine Aspiration: Turbocharged Size: 2000cc Number of cylinders: 4 Cylinder alignment: Inline Valves per cylinder: 4 Bore x stroke: 82x93.2 mm Compression ratio: 10.2:1 Maximum HP/kW: 420 hp/308 kW @ 7000 rpm Maximum torque: 455 Nm @ 6000 rpm Maximum boost: 2.7 bar Maximum RPM: 7700 rpm Fuel system: Direct injection Turbo: Borg Warner EFR, ceramic ball bearings, gamma-ti turbine wheel Exhaust: Dual tube stainless steel, twin catalytic converters
Transmission Drive wheels: RWD Gearbox type: Manual synchromesh helical cut dog leg Number of gears: 5 Clutch: 200 mm, organic disc Prop shaft: Carbon fibre Final drive: LSD with customizable ratio
Dimensions Wheelbase: 2446 mm Length: 4203 mm Width: 1748 mm Height: 1220 mm Track front: 1466 mm Track rear: 1489 mm Fuel tank capacity: 57 litres
Suspension and body Front: Double wishbone, adjustable camber, caster, toe and bumpsteer Rear: Double wishbone, adjustable camber and toe Dampers: Adjustable compression and rebound front and rear Anti-roll bars: Tubular anti-roll bars front and rear, adjustable rear stiffness Steering rack: Rack and pinion with adjustable ratio High-strength steel and carbon fibre body Roll cage made in titanium
Brakes Front: 4-piston caliper, 362x32 mm disc Rear: 4-piston caliper, 330x25.4 mm disc
Wheels Front tyre size: Pirelli P Zero 245/40-R18 Rear tyre size: Pirelli P Zero 265/35-R18 Front rim size: 8.5”x18” Rear rim size: 9.5”x18” Centerlock wheels
This is the new Volvo P1800 Cyan, a modern high-performance
interpretation of the classic coupe, or a very impressive restomod if
you prefer, from the same guys that won three times the World Touring
Car Championship.
Cyan Racing, the official racing arm of Geely Group, is responsible for the design and engineering of this gorgeous machine
which is based on the original Volvo P1800 and will enter limited
production later this year. That’s right, the Volvo P1800 Cyan is not
another special one-off creation.
One can note that contrary to most restomod, here the general original design from Pelle is kept! showing how valuable it is!
side note: latest know significant mod of this kind is the Roos Aston Martin 2.5L mod hereunder (built from a stock car w only design change being the hood due to the motor size)
This car was spotted outside of Volvo Hällered car test track in Sweden and nobody is sure what to make of it.
"I pass the Volvo test circuit outside of Gothenburg when going to work and I often see various Volvo prototypes on the roads.
But a while ago I saw something out of the ordinary and I just had to turn the car around and get some photos of it!!
They
were not too happy when I got close at the gas station.... At first I
wasn't sure what to make out of it, but it sure does look like a modern
P1800? Restomod?
It seems it got the new white “polestar engineered” badge on the grille
"
It could be anything including a cover car for another brand.
Firstly, it apparently has wider fenders, in order to accommodate
bigger wheels and tires. Then there is the complete absence of exhaust
pipes poking out the back - it was suggested that this P1800 might be
some sort of factory restomod and EV conversion.
The Swedish car registration info system says it's a 11/03/1964 Volvo 18335 VD Red owned by a person in Kullavik outside of Gothenburg (car registration details translated)
Interesting is the fact that its previous owner was apparently Jonas
Christian Dahl, who owned Polestar back in 2004 and now is the man behind Cyan Racing.
This could mean this is, in fact, a Polestar project, not something
that Volvo is doing. Regardless, the P1800’s 60th anniversary is coming
up next year and this project could be Volvo’s way of celebrating the
iconic two-door.
The trend of automakers glorifying iconic classics by making them electric is actually more common than you might think. Aston Martin is doing it, as are Jaguar and Volkswagen, so all of the above seems quite plausible in this context.
This is with such great sadness that we learned that our friend and guide Irv Gordon passed away while travelling in China Nov 16th while he was telling his daughter "I am having the time of my life"
Words are missing to describe how much he meant for so many of us.
We are missing a worldwide figure and a friend.
I will forever remember the 2 years of preparation with Irv of the Viking Classic Autoshow in France in 2010 where he helped us manage to bring him together with Pelle Petterson the designer of the P1800, this started a friendship for several passions we share together the first one being the P1800 and the second the classic cars, as most do not know that not only Irv was driving his 1800S but also enjoyed miles on other cars too, including several classic cars.
Rest in peace my Friend! Thank you for all the good times, you driving my 1800S, chats, jokes, smile on your face and on the phone all these years, and most important for having set forever among all the flame of the P1800.
Thank you
You've made me feel right at home Thanks. Irv Gordon (driving my 1800S in France 2010)
Irv last picture sent to his daughter "I am having the time of my life!"
Designer of the P1800 Pelle Petterson pays tribute to Sir Roger Moore
who passed away one year ago, 23 May 2017. For the first time, he drives
the 1967 1800 S that Sir Roger was the registered owner of and was
featured in TV series "The Saint".
Nice review yesterday by Hemmings of our (first...) book about the
living icon, the Volvo P1800. Worth telling the rest of this fascinating
story isn't it...
Pointblank: If you own a Volvo P1800 or are a longstanding admirer of this fascinating sports car, then you must own this book. Without question, this is the definitive P1800 book — no other books on the P1800 can compare.
Laid out in a landscape format of 9 x 11¾ inches in size, this hardcover
book, which totals 280 pages of a quality coated stock, was published
in Stockholm, Sweden, in 2011. Written by two serious Volvo P1800
enthusiasts, Kenneth Collander and Mats Eriksson, their goal was a
simple one: “This book is dedicated to all those people who in one way
or the other were engaged in the creation and development of the Volvo
P1800 and all the enthusiasts around the world who take good care of
these cars, their heritage and history.”
With the foreword written by the man who penned the P1800’s shape, Pelle
Petterson, the book is divided into 11 distinct chapters, each focusing
on one particular aspect of the P1800’s design and development. There
are numerous photographs, mostly black-and-white images, showing the
creation of the Volvo Sport prototype, as well as many fascinating
photos taken at Carrozzeria Frua of the construction of the first P1800
prototype.
Throughout the book there are endless details about the P1800’s
construction, insight as to how and why it was designed and built the
way it was, and all sorts of noteworthy information and minute details
about the parts and trim pieces used in its construction. And the many
side stories about specific P1800s and their owners, as well as the many
world markets where the P1800 was sold, adds greatly to the P1800s’ —
and this book’s — appeal. It’s a captivating and highly enjoyable read,
but be prepared for a tough search in finding a copy as they are very
hard to come by, although the effort is certainly worth it.
