In Italy, Per "Pelle" Petterson designed the P1800 while working for Frua. After a number of test drives, Helmar Pettersson drives a prototype to Karmann in Osnabrück, where he leads negotiations with the management with the aim of producing the car there. However, he is being overtaken by developments in the automotive industry. When there were advanced plans to produce the P1800 - production would start in August 1958 - Karmann was taken over by Volkswagen and this group naturally did not want to produce a competitor's sports coupe. The P1800 production at Karmann will therefore not continue. After failed negotiations with NSU, the group crosses the Channel and first talks with Bristol, but this is rejected by the high quality standards. Ultimately, things work out for Jensen.

Partly due to the lagging production numbers, Volvo decided in 1963 to move assembly to the old Lundby factory in Hisingen. Now the "S" appears on the rear of the car, this stands for "Sverige" and not for "Sport" as many people think.

In April 1960, Frua's "styling car", the P958X3, was presented at the New York motorcycle show. Production finally started on May 7, 1961, and lasted until June 27, 1973. Then the last 1800ES will roll off the production line, bringing the total to 47,485 P1800 sports cars produced.

This P1800 in the original color black (no. 19) is from 1967 and was imported into the Netherlands in 2018. The interior is made of leather, in the original red color (no. 307-500) with the Volvo logo. The dashboard has Smith clocks in miles/hour and rpm.