Sweden’s Cyan Racing, which debuted its hardcore Volvo P1800 restomod in 2020 as a near race-ready retro rocket, has just released a softer GT edition.
The multiple World Touring Car-winning outfit created quite a stir when it took perhaps the prettiest Volvo of all time and turned it into one of the most incredible driver’s cars we’ve ever come across. “Sacrilegious to some…sensational to drive,” as Ben Barry remarked in his review.
Outwardly the new car is the same, with its subtly- revised carbon fiber bodywork smoothing off the original Ghia lines, rethinking the trademark rear fins and tweaking the glasshouse. The updates, designed to make the P1800 more useable day-to-day and better suited to longer journeys, are under the skin and in the cabin.
The double wishbone suspension is now tuned for country roads and highways instead of being focused on apex-hunting on a circuit, while new seats are designed to be more comfortable over extended drives. There’s more sound insulation and a revised roll cage which increases body rigidity.
Power still comes from a World Touring Car-derived two-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine, with options from 345-414 bhp. The Holinger five-speed gearbox is retained and, despite the tweaks to add extra refinement, the car still weighs in at under a tonne.
Starting with a donor car Cyan Racing takes around 15 months to build its remarkable restomod. this £375,000 Volvo won’t be for everyone, but a slightly softer version might just widen the appeal.
