Throughout most of the past century, Volvo built cars that were solid and reliable, yet somewhat uninspired. That changed 50 years ago this year, when the first P1800 rolled off an assembly line. Though billed as a car with Swedish, British and Italian heritage, the head-turning two-door turned out to be more Scandinavian than anyone imagined.

The P1800 was Volvo’s second attempt at a sports car after the failure of the Corvette-inspired fiberglass P1900 roadster. That car was canceled after fewer than 70 vehicles were built because of poor build quality. Special consultant Helmer Petterson was put in charge of the project. His son, nicknamed Pelle, had just landed a job at Italian carrozzeria Pietro Frua, the company that the elder Petterson put in charge of the new car’s design.

According to Volvo, Helmer Petterson brought five designs to Volvo’s board: four approved by Frua and one by his son that Helmer Petterson sneaked in at the last minute.

The board unanimously embraced the design by Pelle Petterson, the 25-year-old Gothenburg native who later would become a famed boat designer and sailor. However, the subterfuge enraged Volvo president Gunnar Engellau (shown above) who swore the design would be attributed to Frua no matter what. Only in 2009 did the automaker confirm the younger Petterson penned the P1800.

During its 12-year production run, the car was briefly produced by Jensen in West Bromwich, England. But Volvo wasn’t satisfied with the build quality and, after building 6,000 in Britain, started assembling a new series — dubbed 1800S — in Sweden.

In 1962, Roger Moore’s character began driving a white P1800 on the television show The Saint. Moore liked the car so much he bought one for himself.

In 1966, Irv Gordon bought a red P1800 at a dealership on Long Island. He’s still got it, and has put 2.8 million miles on the odometer. That’s a world record.

A “shooting brake” debuted in 1972. The glass-backed station wagon coupe was christened the 1800ES. Its radical design was reprised for Volvo’s 480 and C30.

Production ended in 1973. The P1800 cost almost as much as a Jaguar E-Type and redesigning it to meet new U.S. safety regulations would have been prohibitively expensive.

Still, the sporty coupe remains a relevant design even now. Not only do the many remaining examples still attract attention, but elements of the car — such as a protruding grille and “tail-up” rear end — can be seen in modern Volvos, most notably the C30.

Photos: Volvo