The Cyan Racing has unveiled the Volvo P1800 Cyan, an interpretation of the iconic Volvo sports car from the sixties. The car is engineered by the team behind the first world title-winning Volvo race car and the Volvo C30 Polestar Concept Prototype. Here are the top 5 things you need to know about the new Volvo P1800 Cyan.
1. Based on original Volvo P1800
The original Volvo P1800 was unveiled back in 1960, a year before the Jaguar E-Type, two years before the Ferrari 250 GTO and three years before the Porsche 911. The Volvo P1800 was based on the floor pan of the Volvo 121/122S, but it had a shorter wheel base. The car also had an entirely new 1.8-litre, 4-cylinder engine, which initially developed 100 bhp, later 108, 115 and 120 bhp.
Over the years, the car was developed primarily by the introduction of new engine alternatives. In the autumn of 1968, a 2.0-litre engine with an output of 118 bhp was introduced. It was followed in 1969 by a version with fuel injection and an even higher output.
2. Delivers genuine driving pleasure
To deliver the analog driving experience of the sixties, the Volvo P1800 Cyan doesn’t have any driver aids like Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), stability control or brake booster.
3. New Powertrain
The Volvo P1800 Cyan is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine is based on the same engine as used in the world title-winning Volvo S60 TC1 race car, producing 420 horsepower at 7700 rpm and 455Nm of torque of peak torque at 6000 rpm.
Although the engine is turbocharged, it is developed to deliver a linear power and torque curve with the characteristics of a normally aspirated engine. The engine character is designed to deliver a driving experience as in the sixties but with increased performance and precision.
4. New bespoke Holinger gearbox
The Volvo P1800 Cyan is mated to a five-speed bespoke Holinger gearbox has been selected to carry the mechanical feeling of the original Volvo P1800, but with greater gear change precision and capability of handling the increased torque.
The original Volvo P1800 live rear axle is replaced with a Cyan-designed independent rear suspension. A key part to the engaging rear-wheel drive experience is the torque-biasing limited slip differential. The differential is mounted in a Holinger housing with unique gears in order to combine capable performance on a circuit with civilised behaviour for road use.
5. Driver focussed chassis
The fully adjustable front and rear suspension of Volvo P1800 Cyan features bespoke lightweight components, including aluminium uprights, double wishbones and two-way adjustable dampers with Cyan hydraulics. The carbon fibre-reinforced chassis is connected to the road with 18-inch forged rims with Pirelli P Zero 235/40 tyres at the front and 265/35 at the rear. The car is controlled by 4-piston calipers with 362x32mm steel discs with genuine feeling as no brake booster or ABS is there to interfere.