What kind of car in tv show Rubicon?

General Discussion
1

On the new TV show, Rubicon, there is a scene with a car belonging to an asassinated character, David, in a parking lot. Unfortunately I can’t find a picture to post and don’t know how to get one off my Tivo. Has anyone seen this and do you know what it is? It’s driving me crazy!!!

2

Per a discussion on imdb.com, it’s a Volvo P1800.

3

Thank you, thank you, thank you!! My husband is so very, very tired of me speculating every time we see it on a recap.

4

honeymom, you are probably not old enough to have enjoyed the British TV series “The Saint” with Roger Moore. He drove a white P1800 Volvo, a very sexy car at the time.

Many Brits were upset, at the time, that the BBC did not pick a"proper" British car for him.

5

Good show! (get it?)

6

You can see why this show had a loyal following by both male and female viewers. Simlar to the original set of “The Avengers” with Patrick McNee driving a vintage Bently.

7

More specifically, it was the P1800ES, the estate wagon version of the Vignale-designed Volvo. I always wanted one. Saw one sitting in a farmyard next to a golfcourse I played every week, but never had the courage to jump the fence and ask the owner about it. I also missed out on an Aston-Martin DB5 that way. It was bought finally by a member of my Triumph club, and he pieced its history back to the wife of David Brown, founder of Aston.

8

Doc

While the running gear of the P1800 was Swedish all the way, the bodies of those cars were actually manufactured in the UK, so that UK connection may have been factored into the decision to use this car in The Saint series.

Just a bit of trivia for you!

9

Thanks VDC; years ago I worked for the Swedish company, Alpha Laval, that built all the regular Volvo bodies until the early sixties, when Volvo set up their own manufacturing.

10

I preferred Patrick McGoohan’s Lotus 7. I enjoyed the show, but I’d have watched just to see him drive that 7 break-neck down that lonely highway.

11

Doc

I thought that I vaguely recalled a connection with Jensen Motors, and Wikipedia gave me the following information:

In January 1960 Volvo turned to Jensen Motors whose production lines were under capacity, and they agreed to a contract of 10,000 cars. The Linwood, Scotland, body plant of manufacturer Pressed Steel was in turn contracted by Jensen to create the unibody shell, which then shipped via rail to be assembled at Jensen in West Bromwich, England. In September 1960, the first production P1800 (for the 1961 model year) left Jensen for an eager public.

So, it was a UK car, at least in terms of construction of the body and final assembly of the vehicle.

12

Now you’re talking! That picture made my day.

Thanks, jt.

13

Thanks; the P1800 was an oddball car for Volvo, with very low production rate. It made sense, I guess, to farm out the body for th P1800. Jensen waa a low volume specialty car producer.

Volvo at that time was still learning how to make bodies for mass production.

The British public probably did not know where the car was made.

14

I have seen people go to the expense of adding stroker cranks to these Volvos.