A car you can rely on to keep its value

IFYOU’RE INTHE MARKET FOR INVESTMENT VEHICLES, HERE’S AN UNUSUAL CHOICE

AFTER years of declining sales, Volvo is on a massive upswing.

It has just opened a new plant in South

Carolina, US, completing a global trifecta of having manufacturing bases in China, Europe and North America. By the end of the year, the company will have introduced nine new models since 2012, replacing its entire product line-up from the time when it was owned by Ford.

Profits reached a record $1.76 billion (R23bn) last year.

Then again, Volvo, now owned by China’s Geely Holding Group, has stood the test of time for nearly 100 years. It’s bound to have ups and downs.

There’s a reason the company has maintained its sterling, if staid, reputation since it first debuted the OV4 in 1927: safety and reliable Swedish design have always been paramount.

Three-point seatbelts, anti-lock brakes, and side airbags all added weight, reduced efficiency and were patented by Volvo.

Volvo introduced the 1800ES station wagon-type in 1972 as the final instalment of the famous P1800 line. You may remember its predecessor, the P1800 coupe, which was made famous in The Saint, the TV show Roger Moore starred in before he became James Bond. Volvo marketed that little two-door as a stylish touring car for jet-set types.

The 1800ES is not that car. It was made just as the P1800 was being phased out, and it’s far weirder looking. What’s more, it has none of the hype that vintage Porsches, old BMWS and, to a lesser extent, classic Alfa Romeos, do.

I call it a “station wagon-type” because, while the 1800ES does have an elongated body and topopening rear hatch, it has only two real doors. The seats are in a 2+2 configuration, which means you can squeeze in four adults – and that’s pushing it in the back.

Finally, it comes with a frameless, all-glass tailgate that looks more like the back of a hearse than the end of a nice family hauler. Volvo made fewer than 8 100 of them, selling them for just two years in Europe and North America and discontinuing them after 1973.

In Britain, the stereotype of the Volvo as a teacher’s car was so strong that some referred to the 1800ES as a car for “boffers”, which apparently wasn’t complimentary.

As you might expect, driving the 1800ES will not take your breath away. It was designed for safe, suburban family transport. In those days, that translated into vague steering, soft brakes and heavy handling that can be felt at every turn.

Cost

You can find running, drivable examples for a fraction of the price of similarly cool-looking cars from the same era. They’re listed on Hemmings for as little as $6 950 or as much as $45 000 in top, “sport wagon” form. Totally restored versions can fetch $85 000, though that is stretching it. Plenty of decent-driving ones can be had in the $10 000$30 000 range.

Most are four-speed manual variants, though there are some rare automatic options. An even-rarer find is one with air-conditioning, though they exist.

According to Hagerty, which compiles sales data and investment records for rare and collectible cars, buying and maintaining an 1800ES probably won’t make you a millionaire if you sell it some day, but the car will hold its value and then some.

Parts support for the 1800s remains solid, with a good selection of specialists across the nation available to take competent care of owners.

One note: While the engines are “nearly unburstable”, according to Hagerty, the bodies tend to rust. It is usually more cost-effective and gratifying to pay a premium for a pristine example than to buy a project with plans to restore it.

If you want to find one of your own, search lots on Bring a Trailer, Hemmings.com and Ebay – and follow car auctions. – Hannah Elliott, Bloomberg