1973 Volvo P1800ES Shooting Brake

1973 Volvo P1800ES Shooting Brake

Easily one of the iconic vehicle designs of the 1970s, it came from one of the most unlikely sources. MotoeXotica Classic Cars is pleased to present this 1973 Volvo P1800ES Shooting Brakes. Nineteen seventy-three was the final model year for this two-door estate; only 8,077 copies were made in 1972 and 1973. This example was made in May 1973 in Sweden about a month before production ceased.

This largely original P1800ES come from a local friend of ours who purchased this car in California in 2001 and personally drove it back to St. Louis and has owned it ever since. For the past 17 years the Volvo has been serviced by Volvo specialist Paul Faust of Integrity Automotive and any questions on the mechanicals can be answered by his professional opinion and experience with this particular Volvo.

Finished in Glacier Blue Metallic (code 111), the car's paint and new trim are in overall excellent condition. Its bodywork is solid and straight, the engine bay is quite tidy, the cargo area has new carpeting, the battery appears new and the chrome, energy-absorbing bumpers are relatively new, though the front bumper does show a few minor blemishes. The windshield is new while the other panes are original and the daring, all-glass hatch features a rear defroster grid.

Under the forward-hinged hood is a 2.0L B20F four-cylinder engine with Bosch mechanical K-Jetronic fuel injection. This engine is buttoned to a seldom-seen M41 four-speed manual transmission with overdrive from Laycock Engineering. Driver convenience features include power four-wheel disc brakes and rare factory air-conditioning with a modern compressor that puts less stress on the motor.

This Swede wears Pirelli P4000 radials, size P185/60R15 at all four corners. Each tire is wrapped around factory alloy and vented wheels with chrome trim rings. The tires and wheels are all in very good order.

Inside, the interior is in overall very good order. The leather front bucket and rear bench seats are in great order overall and have been dyed aqua, but the driver's seat shows some minor blemishes. The carpet and mats are in similar condition, as is the white headliner. The black, three-spoke steering wheel looks great, as does the instrument panel with its full array of gauges, and the inner door panels. A black center console, a shift lever and an AM radio round out the interior. Keeping with the Volvo safety theme, the rounded control knobs on the dash became toggle switches.

The term shooting brake, which dates back to at least 1890s England, referred to a wagonette designed to transport guns, gun racks, ammunition and hunting spoils on shooting trips.

Volvo introduced its final P1800 variant, the 1800ES, in 1972 as a two-door station wagon with a frameless, all-glass tailgate. The final design was chosen after two prototypes had been built by Sergio Coggiola and Pietro Frua. Frua's prototype, Raketen ("the Rocket, "?), is located in the Volvo Museum. Both Italian prototypes were considered too futuristic, and instead in-house designer Jan Wilsgaard's proposal, the Beach Car, was accepted. The ES engine was downgraded to 125 horsepower by reducing the compression ratio with a thicker head gasket (engine variant B20F); although maximum power was slightly down the engine was less "peaky" and the car's on-the-road performance was actually improved.

The ES's rear backrest folded down to create a long flat loading area. As an alternative to the usual four-speed plus overdrive manual transmission, a Borg-Warner three-speed automatic was available in the 1800ES. With stricter American safety and emissions standards looming for 1974, Volvo did not see fit to spend the considerable amount that would be necessary to redesign the small-volume 1800 ES. The P1800ES inspired at least two descendants. First, the Volvo 480 was sold in Europe from 1986 to 1995 then from 2007 to 2013, Volvo sold the C30, both with an all-glass hatch lid.

In Sweden, the P1800ES was nicknamed Fiskbilen (The Fish Van); in Germany and Switzerland, it was nicknamed Schneewittchensarg (Snow White's Coffin), because of the all-glass rear hatch.

Documentation include a pair of genuine Volvo service manuals. Competition to this P1800ES in 1973 included AMC's Gremlin, Chevrolet's Vega Kammback wagon, Datsun's B110, Dodge's Colt, Ford's Pinto, Honda's Civic, Mercury's Bobcat and Pontiac's Astre Kammback Wagon.

Combined with its iconic styling, this Volvo is fun, reliable, unusual, economical and roomy, adjectives that are hard to find in a single classic vehicle. If you ever owned a P1800 coupe, you know what fun they are, so why not come by to check out this shooting brake? If you never knew Volvo ever let its vehicular hair down every once in a while, you're in for a real treat with this car! Stop by MotoeXotica Classic Cars today to check it out! We predict it won't be here long!

VIN: 1836354007240

This car is currently located at our facility in St. Louis, Missouri. Current mileage on the odometer shows 14,816 miles. It is sold as is, where is, on a clean and clear, mileage exempt title. GET OUT AND DRIVE!!!

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