Nowadays car manufacturers have made us believe that the shooting brake body style is a sleeker looking five-door wagon, but truth is, the term originally designated three-door wagons.
Three-door shooting brake vehicles are rare nowadays, but in the 1970s Volvo had such a model in its lineup: the P1800ES Sport Wagon. A rarer and more practical version of the iconic P1800 coupe, the P1800ES Sport Wagon was launched towards the end of the P1800’s life cycle, in 1971.
Recently a pristine 1973 example has been sold at an auction at the Greenwich Concours d´Elegance in Connecticut, USA.
With just 13,000 miles (20,921 kilometers) on the odometer, the beautiful automobile fetched a record sum of $92,400 (€68,235) at the Bonhams auction, although its presale estimate was $30,000 to $40,000. The car was sold to an unknown overseas bidder. “As far as we know, this is a new world record for a classic Volvo”, a representative for Bonhams said.
The rare P1800ES has spent its entire life in Keene, New Hampshire, where it has been used very little by its three owners. The first owner kept the car for 27 years. The red paintwork is completely original, as is the black leather upholstery and the factory-fitted air conditioning system.
“The car was nicely presented, well preserved and totally original. It was key for a high price like this, a restorer would struggle to match the build quality of the factory in Gothenburg,” said Eric Minoff, specialist at Bonhams’ Motor Cars department.
By Dan Mihalascu
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