Being the possessor of an aged and immensely lightweight street vehicle, I can affirm that the restomod proposition is a highly appealing one. The complication with vintage vehicles like a Volvo P1800 from the 1960s isn’t necessarily the dependability. While carburetors may be finicky, a properly refurbished and flawlessly tuned naturally aspirated motor can melodiously purr without guzzling oil or stranding you on the roadway. The concern lies with the framework and the overall assembly quality of the body. Leaf springs, sluggish shocks, diminutive brakes, rattles in the compartment, enigmatic electrical problems—you get the idea.
Conversely, if you desire the finest of both worlds and enlist a restomod constructed by a Swedish racing squad like Cyan, your dated Volvo could end up costing nearly half a million dollars. For that monetary outlay, one could also acquire the premier classic Alfa Romeo by Alfaholics; a fully revamped, GM-powered Jensen Interceptor by Jensen International Automotive; or conceivably even a pre-owned Singer 911. Nevertheless, tipping the scales at 2,182 pounds with 420 horsepower emanating from a cleverly turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder racing powerplant, the Volvo P1800 Cyan just might be the cream of the crop.
As Autocar‘s Matt Prior elaborates, once Cyan Racing was compelled to field more basic TCR vehicles in the touring car realm, its technicians discovered adequate idle capacity to infuse the classic P1800’s design by Pelle Petterson with the technology of their title-winnin…
