Spoiler alert: the Volvo P1800 Cyan Racing is a wonderful thing. Cyan Racing, the Swedish racing team that is Volvo's official race partner, has taken an old Volvo P1800 coupe and turned it into something brilliant.
There's not much original P1800 left. Cyan takes a few bits of the structure and rebuilds an entire car around it, including a 2.0-lire 414bhp turbocharged engine, double-wishbone suspension all around and plenty of carbon fibre.
The result is a car that costs nearly £400,000 and weighs just 990kg. Cyan doesn't quote 0-60mph numbers of a top speed, but given the P1800 Cyan has no driver aids and a manual gearbox, we reckon it'll hit 60mph in under 5.0seconds and go on to 170mph.
Watch on to see what Matt Prior thinks of this fabulously-constructed restomod.
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The 414bhp Volvo P1800: Driving Cyan's race-bred resto-mod
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I did think the same. Those nodded mgv8s are ace if a little small.. BTW a tenth that's still 40k! I didn't get the Cyan either because I can't afford it or because it sounds like a bag of nails in a washing machine.
Once again I'd point Autocar's journalists in the direction of MGB's, our own homegrown sports car that have been "Restomodded" since the year dot, and respond brilliantly to the treatment. A base MGB is very cheap and very plentiful in the UK, parts are available from numerous sources on next day delivery. Everything is "sortable" and there is a good knowledge base on what to do and what not to do, and price ranges to suit most pockets, from the magnificent Frontline cars to the homebuilds like mine that cherry pick parts from numerous sources . My own car started as a rubber bumper factory V8, but now sports chrome bumpers, a big capacity Rover motor, custom built for my project, a modern five speed gear box, wishbone suspension on every corner, vented four piston brakes at the front and disks at the rear, modern headlights, the list goes on . The cost, which is rising because I keep "improving" the car, is less than a tenth of the Cyan Volvo, and I reckon it provides much of the same thrills in terms of driving experience, with an infinetly nicer engine sound. I've now done a few days on track with the car, and it's very rewarding and a great way to further develop the suspension, and braking set-ups, at Goodwood the speedo indicates an effortless 135mph on the Lavant Straight. The excellent Center Gravity set up company are helping me further develop the Hoyle independent suspension kit to incorporate greatly increased suspension travel controlled by Ohlins dampers, which should step the dymanics on yet another stage. The great thing with the restomod route is you can make the car just what you want, and no two cars need to be the same. Never another new Dealer supplied sports car for me !