Daily Pick: 1966 Volvo 1800S

this Daily Selection It’s a 1966 Volvo 1800S, listed on ClassicCars.com by a dealer in Pennsylvania.

Before I talk myself into buying this car, buy it.

As some of you may know, I used to own a 1966 Volvo 1800S. Mine was white with a black leather interior and Minilite style alloy wheels. I even restored it. I also took my 1800S on two cross-country trips, once from California and once back to California for Monterey Car Week, where I sold it to a guy down the street and turned it in to them the Monday after a week of festivities. I should never have sold it.

My love for the Volvo 1800S is closely tied to the British TV show The Saint. I loved the show as a teenager and this car was as much a part of the show as Sir Roger Moore. Every week, his character, Simon Templer, would go on spy-like adventures, usually behind the wheel of a Volvo with an attractive woman in the passenger seat. His life seemed fantastic and I associated this car with his lifestyle. Years later, I was privileged to have the opportunity to interview Sir Roger about this car for the Volvo 1800 Series Buyer’s Guide I wrote for the magazine.

If that wasn’t enough, I was moved by Volvo’s advertising at the time. One ad began, “What’s it like to own a $10,000 car? Experience it for just $3995.” The cars at the top of the ad included some of the most important GT cars of the 1960s, cars I thought I could never afford. It made the Volvo 1800 seem affordable to my 14-year-old self.

Today’s featured 1966 Volvo 1800S isn’t a competition car by any means, but it’s a perfectly good driver’s car that the owner can enjoy and update as he goes along. You shouldn’t even think about restoring it. Just fix the problems you come across and enjoy driving it.

Yes, you purists, I know the car is painted in metallic silver, it was originally light blue, but the silver looks great and kind of links this Volvo to another famous car, the Aston Martin DB5. Yes, I also noticed a little bit of rust on the body, but the legs under the car look great, and I personally can live with a little bit of rocker rust until I decide to repair the rockers.

The interior has what looks like black vinyl for the front seats (yes, I know they’re supposed to be leather.) You can buy the correct leather front seat kit from Don at P1800.com for less than $1,000, so I’ll use the current seats until I feel like replacing them.

I like this car and its advertising because it is honest. The dealer who sells this car shows you everything and describes it very well. They say this 1966 1800S has been owned by the same family since 1973. It was rebuilt in 2013 by the mechanics at Doherty Automotive in West Chester, a well-known foreign car shop in the area, especially Swedish and German cars.

The dealer said the paint was in good condition but noted some paint repairs were needed. They added that overall the paint was very good with only minor blemishes limited to some bubbles on the lower panels.

The interior is reported to have some wear, the front seats have incorrect vinyl (as mentioned above) and the rear seats also have wear. The door cards with the embossed Volvo logo are correct and appear to be in good condition.

Under the hood is what they call a driving quality original 1,778cc Volvo B-18 inline four-cylinder engine powered by two SU carburetors and backed by a four-speed manual transmission with overdrive to send power to the rear wheels and 4.56 gears. Power disc brakes are located up front and power drums are located in the rear. Receipts will be included with the car to show the work that went into updating the carburetors, wiring, hoses, gaskets, wheel cylinders, ignition switch, shocks, etc.

The underbody of this car is described as being in driver-quality condition, with some surface rust, some flaking rust in one floorpan crease, and patchy oil on the gas tank, but the underbody is generally dry. Independent coil springs make up the front suspension, while trailing arms, coil springs, and Panhard rods make up the rear suspension. The single exhaust is connected to the factory muffler and ends in dual exhaust fashion at the rear.

As I said above, this is a car to drive and enjoy. From my personal experience, I guarantee that coming to your local car show in a 19th Century will spark a lot of conversation and you’ll make some new friends too.

On your way home, you can pretend to be Simon Templar and embark on your next intrigue-filled adventure.

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