TheEvolvProject
New member
- Joined
- Nov 28, 2018
- Location
- Idaho
Hey guys,
I've lurked for years as I started working on this project, learning a lot from everyone, and I've finally made enough progress on my own build that I'm now confident that it will be completed within the next year and wanted to share it with you. I've got a lot to show you including my own lessons learned. As with any project, we made some mistakes along the way that would intermittently set us back, but I'm very happy with the current results and look forward to continuing to work on this car. I'm going to share a lot more detail here than I have on my website, but if you simply want to jump to the current status of the build you can find it at www.evolvproject.com. If you do like the concept please like me @EvolvProject and follow me at #evolvproject on Twitter. I hope you enjoy it. -Mark
The Evolv Project:
I have been a Volvo enthusiast since I was a kid, when I grew up ridding around in my mom's 240D in the 70s. The first Volvo my wife and I owned was a 760 Bertone, a fantastic coupe, and we currently enjoy our 2013 XC60 with Polestar upgrade very much. I first got interested in this project when I was looking for something to hotrod back in 2012. I wanted it to be unique and fast. Like some of the builder's on this forum I was initially interested in potentially building a V8 converted 1800 with some Bo Zolland inspired body mods, but I had a strong interest in electric vehicles, even having toyed with a few moped conversions of my own, and my wife encouraged me to consider electric conversion of the 1800. About the same time in 2013, Volvo came out with the hybrid Concept Coupe but no info on how long before they would actually build it. Back then Polestar was still just their racing division, but I was then hooked on the idea of trying full electric myself with the 1800, and it pretty much spiraled out of control from there.
I didn't want to go the electric route unless I was confident that I could achieve aggressive performance goals that would be better than the V8 conversion but also reliable. I was going this route for performance not environmental protection. I wanted a Tesla roadster not a Prius. So I spent a lot of time researching what was currently possible (as of 2013) and spoke with a number groups converting cars and participating in electric drag racing. What I learned was that it was theoretically possible to build what I wanted, but it wouldn't be cheap. If I was going to go this route I had to be committed and it would only be worth it if it was a special car.
The Evolv Project started with my desire to ask the question, ?“What would the P1800 have evolved into had Volvo continued to refine its design and performance??” I imagined what it might look like if Volvo had commissioned period car customizers such as Ugo Zagato to subtly modify the design. I then updated the car to the most modern electric drive train available, in a manner similar to how Volvo itself is doing with the newly spun out Polestar division?’s Polestar One, and even Jaguar now offers with electric versions of classic E-types.
My donor car was a sad 1962 P1800 I bought for $1100 that was rusting away in a barn near Sandpoint, ID (its not in BFE, but it is close by).
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AnnQlmd4GLLEvSLEEjhVHhgzF3Cy
Currently the car looks like this and is in the process of having the high-voltage drive train installed. Over the next several threads I will try describe how we got from here to there.
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AnnQlmd4GLLEvTtWbsXla3SX3xWv
I've lurked for years as I started working on this project, learning a lot from everyone, and I've finally made enough progress on my own build that I'm now confident that it will be completed within the next year and wanted to share it with you. I've got a lot to show you including my own lessons learned. As with any project, we made some mistakes along the way that would intermittently set us back, but I'm very happy with the current results and look forward to continuing to work on this car. I'm going to share a lot more detail here than I have on my website, but if you simply want to jump to the current status of the build you can find it at www.evolvproject.com. If you do like the concept please like me @EvolvProject and follow me at #evolvproject on Twitter. I hope you enjoy it. -Mark
The Evolv Project:
I have been a Volvo enthusiast since I was a kid, when I grew up ridding around in my mom's 240D in the 70s. The first Volvo my wife and I owned was a 760 Bertone, a fantastic coupe, and we currently enjoy our 2013 XC60 with Polestar upgrade very much. I first got interested in this project when I was looking for something to hotrod back in 2012. I wanted it to be unique and fast. Like some of the builder's on this forum I was initially interested in potentially building a V8 converted 1800 with some Bo Zolland inspired body mods, but I had a strong interest in electric vehicles, even having toyed with a few moped conversions of my own, and my wife encouraged me to consider electric conversion of the 1800. About the same time in 2013, Volvo came out with the hybrid Concept Coupe but no info on how long before they would actually build it. Back then Polestar was still just their racing division, but I was then hooked on the idea of trying full electric myself with the 1800, and it pretty much spiraled out of control from there.
I didn't want to go the electric route unless I was confident that I could achieve aggressive performance goals that would be better than the V8 conversion but also reliable. I was going this route for performance not environmental protection. I wanted a Tesla roadster not a Prius. So I spent a lot of time researching what was currently possible (as of 2013) and spoke with a number groups converting cars and participating in electric drag racing. What I learned was that it was theoretically possible to build what I wanted, but it wouldn't be cheap. If I was going to go this route I had to be committed and it would only be worth it if it was a special car.
The Evolv Project started with my desire to ask the question, ?“What would the P1800 have evolved into had Volvo continued to refine its design and performance??” I imagined what it might look like if Volvo had commissioned period car customizers such as Ugo Zagato to subtly modify the design. I then updated the car to the most modern electric drive train available, in a manner similar to how Volvo itself is doing with the newly spun out Polestar division?’s Polestar One, and even Jaguar now offers with electric versions of classic E-types.
My donor car was a sad 1962 P1800 I bought for $1100 that was rusting away in a barn near Sandpoint, ID (its not in BFE, but it is close by).
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AnnQlmd4GLLEvSLEEjhVHhgzF3Cy
Currently the car looks like this and is in the process of having the high-voltage drive train installed. Over the next several threads I will try describe how we got from here to there.
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AnnQlmd4GLLEvTtWbsXla3SX3xWv
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