Mystery Volvo P1800 Prototype Spied: One-Off EV In The Works?

The Volvo P1800 turns 60 next year. One of the company's most iconic coupes doesn't have a spiritual successor today but that doesn't mean it's completely forgotten. In fact, there could be a big surprise currently in the works to celebrate the sports car's anniversary.

We got an email from our spy photographers earlier this morning with the photos you'll see in the gallery above attached. We were exactly as surprised as you are - this is indeed a test prototype based on the P1800 and it fuels our imagination. What is Volvo working on?

Well, first, this could be a test car that's not related to the automaker at all. But if we assume it's indeed something Volvo is involved in, our best guess is an all-electric restomod to mark the original P1800's 60th anniversary.

Volvo's involvement in the potential project is more than just an assumption. A quick investigation reveals the prototype is registered as a red P1800 and is owned by Mattias Evensson, who currently works as head of engine development at Cyan Racing. The firm is the official motorsport partner to Geely, which currently owns Volvo and Polestar. See the connection?

It's also worth mentioning that the car was previously owned by Jonas Christian Dahl, who took the sole ownership of Polestar back in 2004 before joining Volvo a few years ago. He is currently CEO of Cyan Racing.

And now, about the prototype. It does look a lot like the original car but we also see it has wider fenders, wheel arches, wheels, and tires. Also, even more importantly, there are no exhaust pipes visible at the back, plus - obviously - it is covered in a camouflage that's very similar to what Volvo and Polestar use for their future products.

With all said, we can't confirm anything at the moment. We could be looking at an all-electric one-off to mark the P1800 birthday next year but this could also be just a test mule for future powertrains of the Swedish manufacturer, or Cyan Racing.