Brewer’s labour of love

When I was a lad, most boys had a big poster on their bedroom wall. Star Wars, Daisy Duke and a red Ferrari Testa­rossa were the most popular choices.

But I was different. I had a picture of super-smooth sleuth Simon Templar, aka The Saint, alongside his white sports car. Back then, I didn’t even know what it was – I just knew I loved its classic lines. They looked so... British.

When I eventually got into the car trade and found out that the Saint’s ride was actually a Volvo, and styled in Sweden, I didn’t care. I was hooked! Since then, while making a living from talking about cars, I’ve found out why the P1800 appealed to me. It was originally built in West Bromwich, West Midlands, by sports car firm Jensen, before production shifted to Sweden. Something else has happened since those days, too: I’ve managed to bag my very own P1800! However, I didn’t really find the car – it found me. My neighbour had bought himself a new Mitsubishi L200 and asked me for a lift to the local dealer to collect it.

Once there, he disappeared to do the paperwork, leaving me to wander around the garage. That’s when I first clapped eyes on the Volvo. Sat on a ramp with no wheels, it was in a sorry state – but I just had to have it.

The dealer had taken the P1800 in part-exchange and wanted rid of it, but he understood the value of this classic and set about trying to secure an inflated price. However, he hadn’t reckoned on the bargaining power of my wife Michelle, who phoned up to make sure that we didn’t pay a penny more than needed.

We used the car last spring, and it was a pleasure to cruise around in. But no matter how much I enjoyed it, I couldn’t shake my concerns about how much work it was going to take to make the Volvo a beauty again.

Luckily, my TV work means I get to meet all manner of people, and I was fortunate enough to be doing an after-dinner speech for the country’s top bodyshop repairers. So I grasped the opportunity to sneak in the fact I had a classic car in need of restoration! Cheeky, I know, but that night I ended up with several business cards, all with a promise of help attached.

I chose RJ Coachworks in Barking, Essex. Even though it’s miles from my home in the Midlands, the firm’s boss Manjit Verdi is a classic car nut. He agreed with me that the P1800 only required a stripdown and a repaint – but how wrong we both were!

Once the work started, he discovered the Volvo had rotten sub-frames and rusty bodywork. It was a miracle I’d managed to even use the thing, and once we’d lifted the carpets we found that I had bought a Flintstones car! The floor had all but perished.

At this point, I wanted Manjit and his gang to give up, but I was hosting the Live Arena at the Classic Car Show at Birmingham’s NEC in November – and had promised to take the finished Volvo with me. So we worked around the clock to get the Volvo ready in only four weeks. The remains of the old floor were cut out and new steel was welded in. From the waist down, the two-door has virtually been replaced.

Changing the colour was a difficult undertaking, too – out with the red and in with very Saint-like white. We had no choice but to strip out the car completely. The headlining, seats and dash all had to be removed, and as we pulled them out, I began to worry it would never go back together again! Then it was a case of filling in the dents and scratches before a thorough rub down. Manjit told me that preparation is the key, so I left his team to hours of sanding using fine-grade paper.

The next time I was due to see the car, it was going to be a completely different colour – and after being so close to the project for so long, I could barely wait to check it out. Come the day, I was up before the lark ready to see my Volvo – but the RJ Coachworks crew kept me at bay, explaining that it still wasn’t ready. In truth, they were pulling my leg a bit, and didn’t want me to see the results until the car had been completely reassembled.

You know the bit in TV’s Changing Rooms, when Carol Smillie covers the homeowners’ eyes before they check out their remodelled home? Well, later that week, that was me, stood there like a trembling idiot waiting to see my fully restored P1800 for the first time. And words can’t describe my excitement over the finished product.

At the Classic Car Show, I was like a proud father showing off his first-born, as hundreds of visitors came to look at my pride and joy. An incredible 75,000 people made it to this year’s event, and it felt as if they all had a peek at my Volvo. Since getting it home I’ve added a set of Minilite alloys, so the car now looks just like the one on my bedroom wall all those years ago!

Thanks to: RJ Coachworks (020 8595 1155, www.rjcoachworks.co.uk)

Extra Info

Starting from scratch
It was love at first sight for Mike and his P1800. But its tatty red paintwork hid some unpleasant secrets. Dents and serious rust demanded plenty of attention before car could be resprayed.

Smiles better
With its smart looks outside and in, P1800 has brought a boyish grin to our man’s face – despite the amount of rusty old metalwork he was forced to shift while returning it to its former glory.