It could have turned out completely differently. If we had pushed forward the design of Coggiola, an Italian automobile body manufacturer, for the successor to the P1800 in the early 1970s. But we gave priority to the “Snow White coffin”, certainly because the P1800 ES was an internal Volvo design by our designer Jan Wilsgaard, which gave our models a distinctive look over forty years and various model series.

Probably also because the only commercial success, i.e. the only Coggiola design that was ever mass-produced, was, of all things, a Saab (Saab Sonett III) . But you have to see it very clearly: Even if the Volvo P1800 ES has legendary status today as one of the few true shooting brakes, it was anything but a success back then and was discontinued after three years of construction. And as much as he is loved for his design today, he was laughed at back then.

Volvo 1800 ESC Viking Coggiola - 1971