The Volvo 1800 was safe, solid, and sporty, but also overweight, rather cramped, visually dated, and not all that fast. Of course, it was never intended as an all-out sports car, but it was the Swedish automaker’s image-leader and, as such, quite in need of updating by 1970. Thus, the Volvo 1800ES was born.

Volvo toyed repeatedly with plans for restyling the 1800 during the Sixties, but could never justify a completely new body. Finally, in 1967, it came up with a clever solution that would not only give the car a new lease on life but answer complaints about lack of people and package space: a restyled roof that would turn the coupe into a sporty station wagon.