Early in 1959, Volvo presented a new sports car, two years after a previous attempt with the Volvo Sport, with a body made of fibreglass-reinforced polyester. The new car was initially known as the Volvo Sport, but it later became known as the P1800.

This new sports car had Italian styling and production began in 1961. As Volvo did not have the capacity to build the car itself, production during the first years was contracted to a British company named Pressed Steel who made the bodies, while the final assembly took place at Jensen. The Volvo P1800 was based on the floorpan of the Volvo 121/122S, but had a shorter wheelbase. The car also had an entirely new 1.8-litre, 4-cylinder engine which developed 100 bhp. Over the years, the car was developed primarily by the introduction of new engine alternatives. In the autumn of 1968, a 2.0-litre engine with an output of 118 bhp was introduced, followed in 1969 by a fuel injected version with an even higher output.

Penny and Ernie bought this 1970 car in 2008 from a man called BOY hence the number plate 'BOY 80H'. The car had been resprayed by the previous owner, and it is believed to have been blue. This model was used in the TV series 'The Saint', and Roger Moore, who played Simon Templar in the series owned one when he lived in Cooden, and it is believe that his was green.

The Volvo P1800 was the second choice for filming as they initially wanted a Jaguar, but the company didn’t provide one. Volvo shipped the P1800 over and also supplied a second one to be cut in half for filming. This as you would expect, helped put this model on the map.