More signs of a “new” Volvo 1800
I've been pretty jealous lately of owners of vintage VW Bugs, Cooper Minis, Ford Mustangs and Thunderbirds who once again have their cars in the public spotlight now that their parent companies have re-introduced the brands. Hell, even the Dodge Charger is making a comeback.
Meanwhile, I've also been browsing around the newly redesigned Volvo Heritage Web site, and on a whim, I decided to check out Volvo's Concept Lab, just to see if there was any word on the familiar-looking vehicle unveiled at the 2004 New York Auto Show. And lo and behold! The first thing to catch my eye was the sleek, silver concept car in the second-from-the-right column. The face is familiar, and the copy makes me beam:
Sports coupe aka Retractable Roadster
Inspired by the Volvo p1800, this is a small, retractable-hard-top roadster that doesn't shout cool, but whispers it. It's all style, Volvo style, conceived with a zero-emission drivetrain and dual-hybrid battery pack. One pack is power dense for short-range commuting. The other is an energy dense metal pack for long-range use.
I for one hope this car makes it onto the market. I've noticed Volvo has featured the vintage 1800 in a couple of online ads for its new V50 model, and it almost seems as if they're testing the waters of public opinion to see whether the 1800's time has indeed come again.
Say it's so, Volvo!
For those who can't run Flash (required on the Volvo site), here's the teaser I'm talking about:
