Road-friendlier new Volvo P1800 Cyan GT revealed

Swedish motorsport firm Cyan Racing has pulled the drapes off a new GT version of its Volvo P1800 Cyan that’s claimed to blend its hearty performance with a more comfort-orientated driving experience.

First revealed back in 2020, the Volvo P1800 Cyan is a track-bred makeover of the original 1960s Volvo P1800, but the new GT version is said to evolve the retromod’s focus from delivering pure track-day thrills to being more enjoyable for fast cross-country dashes and long-distance driving.

Cyan Racing, which was once Volvo’s official motorsport arm and production vehicle tuner, says that to broaden its appeal the P1800 Cyan GT gets fully-adjustable suspension featuring more of a road bias.

Under the bonnet, the raspy 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine is carried over and still produces between 257kW-309kW (depending on customer preference), but has been retuned for better driveability.

Despite its more luxurious bent, the GT still employs the P1800 Cyan’s high-strength steel chassis and carbon-fibre body, which maximise strength while keeping weight below 1000kg.

The frenetic 2.0-litre turbo engine still spins to 8000rpm and is combined with a five-speed dog-leg Hollinger manual transmission.

But the softer-edged take on the Swedish retromod gets a unique metallic green paint colour, a revised leather and fabric interior, a pair of new and more comfortable touring seats and increased levels of sound insulation.

Other revisions include a redesigned titanium roll cage that is said to improve comfort while also improving rigidity.

Whether you choose the standard P1800 Cyan or the new GT version, all of the company’s retromods are based on the original Volvo P1800.

It takes fabricators, engineers, designers and mechanics at Cyan Racing’s Gothenburg HQ an incredible 12 to 15 months to strip, rebuild, modify and produce each finished product.

Showing off the first example made for a US customer, Cyan Racing says it will only produce a limited run of Volvo P1800 Cyan GTs but has not disclosed how much each car will be priced.

However, you can expect a healthy premium over the $700,000 it charges for the standard P1800 Cyan coupe.

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