Volvo 1800: The Complete Story

When I bought this Crowood AutoClassics book I knew quite a lot about the Volvo 1800 and virtually nothing about the author of the book, David Styles. After reading it I know now a lot more about the car and its curious history and became a huge fan of the writer.The book is about one of the more mythical cars of the sixties and seventies, the Volvo 1800, the Saints car. When I was a kid I waited anxiously for the weekly episode of the rerun of the series and the car driven by its hero was the object of many schoolyard conversations and dreams. Over here in Portugal these cars were exceedingly rare and I used to walk quite a long way just to glimpse a dark red example I knew of.The book starts by telling the story of the creation and development of Volvo and of the more influential characters behind the firm. A highly researched and complete view of the pre-war years and the appearance and development of the post war Volvos (PV444, PV544 and the Amazon) is depicted in a magnificent bunch of chapters.Then we get a chapter each for design and prototypes, the early production troubles, conquest of its place in the market, the new variant (1800ES), a chapter about the main competitors and another about the press reception over the years. The book closes with a chapter that is to me superfluous (about the Volvo 480ES and C70) and with another (that to me is masterfully written) on buying and owning the car.But the real surprise of this book to me was its writer. I was well aware that David G. Styles was an awarded author. But this book was a true revelation. It is written in a colloquial, fast paced and witty style that putted repeatedly a smile on my face. The book is faultlessly researched, very well structured and is in my view a nugget of concentrated knowledge. I'm really impressed.

Fabulous book about the iconic Volvo P1800. Great pictures and a comprehensive history of the company and the car

It is the only book you can buy on this subject. (Non technical) so you will have to do with this one. I would prefer some nicer pictures, but the overall price is ok. Since it is the only book I can recommend it to people that want to get to know the P1800 a little better.

Went down well as a gift

Great for the 1800 owner.

That was the perfect gift, my husband loved it! I would definitely recommend it for the ones with the passion for classic Volvo.

Excellent book, Excellent price, Excellent service - Thanks

This is a useful starter work explaining the background of the company and how the P1800 came about.Perhaps of less interest is what cars came after the 1800 bringing the story up to date. In my view this was not relevant but heyho.....