Updating a classic car with modern components is a growth industry.
However, the combination of a renowned motorsport team and a classic Volvo takes the ‘restomod’ concept to a magnificent new level.
Cyan Racing’s special creation adds title-winning engineering to the beautiful P1800. It makes for a truly super Swede.
The company behind the Volvo P1800 Cyan was founded in 1996 as Flash Engineering. Its first racing carwas a Volvo 850 built to Super Tourer specification, entered into the Swedish Touring Car Championship.
In 2005, the company became Polestar Racing. But then the road-going Polestar Engineering brand was bought by Volvo in 2015, so the motorsport outfit continued separately as Cyan Racing.
The team won the 2017 World Touring Car Championship Manufacturer’s title with the Volvo S60.
Last year, the Cyan Racing-built Lynk & Co 03 won the Teams’ Championship of the World Touring Car Cup. Lynk & Co is one of the brands owned by Volvo’s parent company, Geely.
Styled by Pelle Petterson under the watch of Italian design house Frua, the P1800 is arguably the most attractive car to wear the Volvo badge.
An appearance in The Saint TV series, starring Roger Moore, propelled it to stardom in the 1960s. It also proved to be reliable, with the late Irv Gordon driving more than three million miles in his 1966 P1800 S.
Intended as a grand tourer rather than a sports car, the P1800’s performance was warm rather than scorching. The later P1800E offered the highest output, with 130hp
Beneath the bonnet here is a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine taken from the Volvo S60 touring car. With 420hp and 336lb ft of torque, it utterly transforms the P1800.
Power is sent to the rear wheels through a five-speed manual dog-leg gearbox, along with a torque-biasing limited-slip differential.
Making the new engine more effective is bodywork made from carbon fibre. It helps reduce the kerb weight of the P1800 Cyan to 920kg.
Other changes by Cyan have included new aluminium suspension uprights, along with two-way adjustable dampers.
A new steering system has been installed, with upgraded performance brakes hiding behind 18-inch wheels. Pirelli P Zero 235/40 front tyres, with 265/35 items at the rear, deliver far more grip than the original P1800 ever had.
Race-inspired alterations are also found in the cabin. Cyan has installed lightweight bucket seats with full racing harnesses. A custom titanium roll cage is clad in leather, with digital gauges also fitted.
Producing the P1800 has taken Cyan Racing thousands of hours, with time spent on design and bespoke engineering.
Despite all the effort, however, the upgraded P1800 is not destined to become a production model.
The company admits it has only built the car to celebrate its motorsport heritage with Volvo. Still, what a way to celebrate.
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