Brings 1960 to carbon fibre 2020
Cyan, formerly Polestar, is Geely race team
Cyan Racing, the ones who ran Volvo’s touring car teams and now handle the same for Volvo parent Geely, have restored a Volvo P1800. Making an iconic sports car new, blue, and carbon to celebrate the history of the team and the automaker in fine fashion.
The original Volvo P1800 was revealed back in 1960, and while the car looked futuristic at the time (imagine this shape in the days before the Jag E-Type), it wouldn’t recognise itself in Cyan Racing form.
They could have gone EV, especially considering Polestar’s latest iteration, but they wanted to keep it gas. A 2.0L turbo-four based on the one that won the World Touring Car Championships in an S60 back in 2017. 420 hp and 336 lb-ft with a redline at 7,700 rpm.
A bespoke five-speed box was picked to maintain classic mechanical feel but offer the precision (and torque handling) of a modern unit.
The original live axle in the rear has been replaced by Cyan’s own design complete with limited-slip rear. Front and rear are fully adjustable with aluminum bits and two-way adjustable dampers. The car as shown is set for excitement over outright speed, but, like they said, it’s adjustable like a racecar for more speed.
Bodywork is largely new, made from a mix of steel and carbon fibre, with the chassis reinforced and a titanium roll cage fitted. Brakes and tires are suitably upgraded, but the complete car tips the scales at just 990 kg.
Cyan points out that this one wasn’t done with help from Volvo, so what’s really the point?
Contemporaries of the car, like the Jag and 911, have lived on and seen much more modern iterations. “That left us with inspiration to create what could have been if we as a race team had been there during the sixties, racing the P1800, and got to design a road version of our race car,” said company boss Christian Dahl. They’ve done the same with a pair of Volvos when Cyan was still Polestar, and they did it with a Lynk & Co last year. Now it’s the classic’s turn.
Think of it like the improved E-Types by Eagle or the factory continuation Astons. Cyan will build you one and will let you spec the car the way you’d like. Prices on asking.
