The New Saint Has Arrived

Volvo brings sexy back!  Stockholm (16th September 2013) - Volvo has debuted the new Concept Coupe at the Frankfurt motor show later this month. The elegant new design with its 21 inch wheels and low slung roof, which is very reminiscent of a Grand Tourer, is said to be inspired by contemporary Scandinavian lifestyle influences but immediate comparisons have been made to the iconic Volvo sportscar of the 1960s, the Volvo P1800. In fact, Thomas Ingenlath, Volvo Senior VP of Design, said, “It is a car designer’s duty to reflect and incorporate design signatures that are vital parts of the company’s heritage. The P1800 is renowned for its beautiful form and detailing.” Volvo say that the Concept Coupe has a plug-in hybrid power train that combines both turbo and superchargers mated to a 2.0 litre petrol engine with an electric motor on the rear axle to give a combined output of about 395bhp and more that 440lb ft of torque.

Volvo is known to be planning a new generation of cars, all of which will be based on the Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) which is a modular platform that adapts easily to vehicles of different sizes and types. Thomas Ingenlath said, “The new architecture enables us to create the great proportions that are important to achieve a premium look”. The first Volvo to use the new structure will be the XC90 SUV which will go on sale next year. The Volvo P1800 was made famous in the 1960s when it became featured in the classic TV show called The Saint, which aired between 1962 and 1969 starring Roger Moore as the character Simon Templar. However, another Volvo P1800 has become the stuff of legends, originally purchased in 1966 by Irv Gordon, who is now a retired school teacher from Long Island USA. His P1800 is certified by the Guinness Book of Records as having the highest mileage by a singer owner of a non-commercial vehicle in the world. Gordon has spent a lot of the past 47 years behind the wheel of his much loved coupe; in fact, to break the record he had to average over 63,000 miles per year.