SNOW JOB

The Uncommon Dream: A Volvo P1800

For most people, the car of choice usually turned out to be a Ford, a Chevy, or a Mopar. That was mainly because they were the Big Three manufacturers at the time, and if you were smitten with the hoopla of the muscle car, it was only natural to carry the flame all these years.

However, there were certainly other makes and less-popular models that could stir the hearts of youthful enthusiasm, and such was the case for Bill Snow. As he was growing up, he fell in love with a Volvo down the street. Now, not many of us would think of a Volvo as that dream you would carry through the years, because when most of us think of a Volvo, we envision a safe family car. If it was an old Volvo that happened to capture your attention, it might have been that classic rounded two-door sedan that resembled a scaled-down postwar Ford. Snow, however, always liked the rare body style of a completely different Volvo—the P1800, which was Volvo’s entry into the sports car market. No doubt it had European styling, with its low, swept-back roofline and long, swoopy front fenders. It was also a low-production vehicle, and not many made it to the United States.

The Birth of the Volvo P1800

In the late ’50s, the powers that be at Volvo in Sweden needed to inspire sluggish sales here in the states, and they had seen what the Corvette had done for Chevrolet, and how the Thunderbird even provided a lift for Ford. Their engineers and marketing people decided a similar vehicle could do the same for Volvo, so a sports car was born. Their first design of a fiberglass convertible was actually produced in California by Glasspar, the boat people. The chassis came from Volvo, with assembly taking place in the states. But Volvo executives were disappointed when the car fell short of Volvo’s quality standards, so production ceased with only 70 P1900s built.

The Frua Design and Production Challenges

Volvo still felt a sports car would be good for the U.S. market, so it turned to Italian design company Frua for a totally new concept. Frua was an affiliate of the famed Ghia Company, but Ghia was prohibited from participating due to an agreement with Volkswagen. Frua submitted a design that was enthusiastically received at Volvo. Executives first wanted the new P1800 to be manufactured by Karmann in West Germany. Again, a prior agreement with Volkswagen prevented this from happening, so P1800 production was awarded to Jensen in England, after a directive from Volvo Executive Vice President G. Andersson declared, “You must take into consideration that we must build the car in a country where I can play golf!”

The Move to Sweden and the P1800S

The first P1800 rolled off the assembly line in May 1961. After two years of production in England, Volvo again felt the quality fell short of its standards, so the company moved production to its own facility in Sweden and added the suffix S, denoting that the car was made in Sweden. The P1800S continued production through 1973, with only minor trim changes and upgrades to the drivetrain and interiors. The coupe body remained the same throughout production, and a wagon was added to the line in 1971. Only 39,414 coupes were built during the 12 years of production. Snow’s ’69 coupe is one of 1,693 made that year.

Bill Snow’s Hot Rod Vision

As the years passed, Snow continued to foster the desire to own one of the Volvo sports cars. He had opened his own shop, Snow’s Hot Rod Shop in Aurora, Ontario, Canada, and built several cars for both himself and many customers. He happened upon a nice ’69 Volvo P1800 one day, and after inspecting the car, he decided it would be the perfect car to fulfill the dream of his youth. Because of his background in hot rodding, he immediately decided he could improve upon the original, but Snow loved the basic looks of the car and only wanted more performance. He also thought he could smooth out some of the car’s rough edges.

Enhancing the Volvo P1800’s Performance

The P1800 was a unibody design that did not have a full frame. Snow first removed the front and rear suspension assemblies. He reinforced the frame connectors to the body and went through the front suspension, replacing any worn parts. He then modified the spindles and springs for a lower stance. The control arms were reinforced to handle the heavier V-8 engine and the increased load that would be placed upon all the components. Snow then narrowed a ’69 Ford 9-inch rear while installing disc brakes and coil springs. The stock four-cylinder had only 118 hp, which was quickly cast aside in favor of a Chevy 350 ZZ4 crate engine.

Engine Upgrades and Customizations

The new engine topped the dyno at 420 hp, a considerable improvement over the in-line-four it replaced. He added a Holley fuel injection with Bosch injectors, along with a hot cam, roller rockers, and MSD ignition. Snow built his own headers and exhaust system before having them coated by HPC. To dress up the engine, he smoothed and painted the valve covers and then topped it with a custom air cleaner made from a ’55 T-Bird hood scoop. Cooling came from a Be Cool aluminum radiator. An ’89 Camaro TS transmission received a B&M shifter along with a Centerforce clutch.

Body Modifications and Custom Paint

As mentioned, Snow liked the body design but envisioned a few modifications he thought would improve its looks. Snow and Mike Campbell performed all the body modifications at Snow’s Hot Rod Shop. First, they frenched the headlights and turn signals. Out back, the taillights received the same treatment. The rear panel was modified to receive a sunken license plate, and then they molded the original chrome trim ring into the grille opening and made a custom insert. The front bumpers were filled to flow with the fenders, both front and rear. The hood received a scoop from a ’55 T-Bird. A new firewall was fabricated, along with inner front fenders to provide room for the bigger engine. They also tubbed the rear fender wells an additional 7 inches per side to make room for the big rear tires and wheels.

Final Touches: Paint and Interior Work

Mike Steinsland smoothed out all the bodywork at Mike’s Customs & Classics in Pappy Sound, Ontario, Canada, and once the body was ready, Steinsland applied PPG Mercedes Silver paint over all the components. He then carefully laid out and sprayed a set of pearl-blue flames over the front sheetmetal. The trim around the windows and rear fenders is stock. Snow mounted Yokohama tires over a set of Budnik 17×10-inch rear and 16×7.5-inch front wheels.

Inside, Snow filled and smoothed the dash to receive a set of Auto Meter gauges. He then mounted a tilt column along with a Flaming River steering wheel. The custom remote controls for the Clarion stereo were mounted into the custom console that was painted to match the exterior of the car. Snow then delivered the car to Tack Upholstery in Toronto. The upholstery shop covered the custom seats and interior panels with red leather. They also added matching red suede inserts in the door panels and seats, along with a small flame embossed into the door panels.

Reactions to the Custom Volvo P1800

One of the first things out of most people’s mouths when viewing the car for the first time is, “What is it?” Snow just smiles and offers them all the details. While most people have never even heard of the car before, much less seen one, the results are usually the same: the car fits right in with the rest of the super rods, as people enjoy and appreciate not only the outcome but also the sleek proportions of the small, lightweight body. Snow enjoys fooling people as they admire the little Volvo because many think it’s a cute little car that’s big on the cool factor, until he opens the hood or fires up the engine, and then they realize he’s pulled a “Snow Job” on them.