Today we start with something new, old versus new. We start off with the duo Volvo P1800s and a Polestar 1. At Polestar, they don’t hide the fact that the P1800 was the model for the Polestar 1.

World premiere

We first met the Polestar brand during the Goodwood Fos in 2018. You can read our article about it and above you can see the picture of the then world premiere. A new car brand is always a very high profile one, but this was a lot of marketing. The link to Volvo was obvious and like it or not, I felt a kind of comparison with Toyota and Lexus.

Polestar has a clear mission, they want to put a sustainable car on the market with a minimalistic design.

Volvo P1800s

If we take a look at the P1800s, I am sure that at the time of its launch in 1961, this model attracted at least as much attention as the Polestar 1 does today.

We at Wheels-and-Things were lucky to be able to count on the cooperation of Renaat with his beautiful white 1968 P1800S with red leather interior.

Florida

Renaat’s P1800s have their roots in Florida, which has its advantages. As you probably know, Florida is the sunshine state. Apart from the fact that the car has seen almost no rain in its first 30 years, these P1800s also come with air conditioning. Especially in Europe, this was more the exception than the rule.

Volvo P1800 world premiere

The P1800 had its world premiere in 1960 at the Brussels Salon. In the beginning, the P1800 was built in Britain by Jensen. Due to persistent quality problems, the production moved back to Sweden in 1963 at the factories in Gothenburg and Lundbyverken.

Many variants, and Swedish robustness

No fewer than twelve versions of the P1800 were built between 1961 and 1973, with a total production number of 47484 units.

Guinness book of records

That the P1800 is a well-built car is proven by the American Irv Gordon who covered more than 5 million kilometres with his 1966 P1800. He reached the Guinness book of records at 3 million kilometres. When he bought the car, he wanted air conditioning but that option proved too expensive. He did buy an original radio for 10 dollars, which was quite a lot of money at the time. Irv has now left us and you can say that his Volvo has survived him.

Gently, gently, gently

Renaat takes it a little easier, his white Volvo P1800s have been in his possession since 2000. He is probably the fourth owner. In 53 years, that’s not too bad. When I asked him how many kilometres he had driven with it, he could not answer the question. The counter only goes up to 99999, so I don’t know how many times it has been around.

The engine is a B18, this engine was used by Volvo in the P1800 from its introduction until July 1968. With a displacement of 1780cc, the engine delivered a respectable 100bhp at 5000rpm. As the P1800s weighs only 1190kg, it is quite nippy according to Renaat.

2 to 3000 km per year

When I asked whether it is driven a lot, I was pleasantly surprised with 2 to 3000 km per year. Especially when you know that an old-timer is driven an average of 1,480 km per year. Renaat does not participate in rallies but he does make regular trips with it. It’s always nice to hear that there are still many people who enjoy their classic car. Especially now with all the LEZ issues, this is one of Renaat’s concerns. I don’t think it is his alone, by the way.

It is time to draw a uniform line here. Every old-timer lover will probably agree with me that the Brussels model is ok. From the age of 30, you are allowed back into the city, and that should be the case everywhere. Of course, Antwerp and Ghent would then immediately lose serious income. Although they claim in every communication that they are absolutely not interested in the money…

Unique locations

I had the Polestar in my possession for almost 4 days. It was also fantastic weather and we had managed to secure a number of special places through the grapevine. One of them was Fort Liefkenshoek, where we had a rendezvous with the Volvo P1800s.

We then drove the Polestar 1 to a metal processing company where we were able to take some drone shots.

The port of Antwerp was the next destination. Here we were able to take some really great shots with our infinite thanks to Sam.

Driving impression with the Polestar 1

I was lucky enough to drive some 500 km with the Polestar 1. That is enough to really feel how a car behaves in everyday conditions. Often, you can only handle a car for an hour and then it is difficult to pass judgement. This time is different :-).

A wolf in sheepskin

I feel that is the best description for this machine. Everyone who saw the car agreed that it has beautiful lines. But apart from that, the Polestar 1 does not really stand out. However, the figures suggest otherwise. 609bhp and 1000Nm of torque, what do you say? You read that right, these figures put us in a select club. A BMW M8, an Audi RS6, a Ferrari Portofino M and, of course, a whole series of supercars. But does this Polestar 1 actually fit into this list? The answer is twofold.

Hybrid

Yes, the Polestar 1 is a hybrid. Most people I spoke to assumed that the Polestar 1 is a fully electric car. And horsepower and electric cars apparently go very well together. Just look at the sprints that they pull at Tesla. This is often to the shame of the most prominent sports car manufacturers.

However, there is (fortunately) still a real engine in here. This four-cylinder two-litre produces 309 hp thanks to a turbo and a supercharger. This power is transmitted to the tarmac via the front wheels. Each rear wheel has an electric motor with 116 hp. In the gearbox we find another electric motor (actually a starter/generator) of 68 hp. This motor makes up for the loss of tractive power during gear change.

Disciplined power development

When you add all these horsepower together, you end up with 609 hp and 1000 nm of torque. The car drives comfortably and invites to cruise. The good sitting position and sound insulation further enhance this feeling of peace and serenity. Until you floor the right pedal, then all hell breaks loose. Hardly any wheel spin and a more than decent push in the back make you feel that they have their act together at Polestar. Even the faster corners felt very precise. You do not have the feeling that you are driving a car of almost 2.4 tonnes.

What Renaat has to say

When we asked Renaat why he bought a Volvo P1800, he told us all about it.

I bought my first second-hand Volvo when I was eighteen, it was a 144. After a bad accident and a reasonably unscathed recovery, I decided to buy another 144. I had become a real Volvo lover because of the safety which was and still is very important with Volvo.

When I lived in Germany for work, I bought my only new car ever. A Volvo 244, it was an American version.

I have always found a P1800 one of the most beautiful Volvo’s ever. Getting older makes it easier to put the rational aside and let the heart do the talking.

After having dreamed of a P1800 for a long time, I did not hesitate when an unexpected offer crossed my path. An old lady had recently lost her husband and decided to live in a small flat. There was no room for the P1800. When she offered me the car, I jumped at the chance.

I used to work on the car from time to time, but due to circumstances this has been put on hold.

I mainly drive the car myself but my daughter regularly insists on taking it for a spin. So I suspect that my P1800 will eventually stay in the family.

Selling my P1800 to buy something else is not really an option. The car is my full satisfaction and looking at it this way, it hasn’t been such a bad investment. As you know, I bought the car in 2000. I paid 6200 euros for it then. Quite quickly, ECA put in a completely new interior because it had probably had its best time due to the hot weather in Florida. I paid 2000 euros for this. So the car cost me a total of 8200 euros. If you know that a comparable car today costs easily 40000 euros, this does give me a good feeling.

Our conclusion

A report on a P1800s versus a Polestar 1 demands a conclusion we think. Both cars’ world premiere is no less than 58 years apart. You know that our blog mainly focuses on classic cars. On the other hand we are pretty sure that almost every classic car owner uses a recent car. The P1800 still has great lines after 58 years and can easily handle the daily traffic. But do you want to use this car on a daily basis, for example to drive to work or to go shopping? We don’t think so, and that’s where the Polestar 1 comes into the picture. The Polestar 1 is an ultramodern car that is very pleasant to drive and is also ecological.

So our conclusion is that it would be ideal if you had both in your garage. The Polestar for the rational (with still a touch of fun) and the P1800 for the heart ;-).

We enjoyed this combi weekend and hope you enjoyed it too, because there will be comparisons between old and new.

There will be a more detailed report on Polestar 1 soon.
Link to Polestar website

This report would not have been possible without the willing cooperation and help of the following people, whom I would like to thank sincerely.
Renaat Maes(owner P1800s)
Lieven de Keulenaer(Volvo garage Beveren)
Municipality of Beveren
Laure Vandeghinste (press officer Polestar)
Sam Mertens

Report: Patrick Verheeken
Photos: Patrick & Loïc Verheeken