Cyan Peels Back Its Racing Edge With Another Beautiful Volvo P1800 Restomod
See how the Swedish outfitter turns what was once a high-performance, racing-inspired mod into something much more comfortable.
Andrew BeckfordWriterManufacturerPhotographerMar 29, 2024
Volvo P1800 Cyan GT customer build 4
It’s hard to argue the appeal of a good restomod build. They can be the perfect combination of classic style and modern performance amalgamated into a unique driving experience that can’t easily be had in any other vehicle. The Volvo P1800 Cyan GT may just be the epitome of that concept. Not unlike Singer, Cyan’s P1800s are made to order, and it can take anywhere from 12 to 15 months to complete a build. Recently, the company pulled the curtain back on a customer’s Volvo P1800 Cyan GT build and shared many of the juicy details.
Things started with a donor car which was stripped down to its bare chassis so that Cyan’s engineers could reinforce it with “high strength” steel and prep it for an updated independent suspension. After getting anti-corrosion coating the chassis was fit with a new carbon fiber body. From there it was sprayed with a deep red hue and its interior was clad in sand colored upholstery.
Under the hood is a custom built 350 horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged engine mated to a five-speed Holinger transmission. All the old factory wiring is completely replaced with a modern loom with a bespoke CAN-bus based PDM controlled system made by Cyan.
Volvo P1800 Cyan GT customer build 3
The taillights, hood latch, handbrake switch and chassis floor are the only original P1800 parts that remain when the build is done. All the switch gear inside looks original but are replicas produced by Cyan. This particular customer, it’s said, optioned for even more sound deadening material, likely for longer, more comfortable rides.
Cyan didn’t disclose who the customer is or how much this particular commission costs, but the P1800 we tested was approximately $700,000. We apologize if we just ruined your dream of owning one. If it helps we’re just satisfied knowing cars like this still exist. You can also check out another customer commission, more of a GT cruiser, which was painted green with gold accents here.
Andrew Beckford
Andrew Beckford’s passion for cars started as a middle schooler when his friend Richie explained how an internal combustion engine works. He was bitten by the bug and the rest, as they say, is history. He dug deep into the tuner scene and eventually wrote for Turbo Magazine, Import Tuner, Super Street. He covered car shows, feature builds, and reviewed racing games for those magazines in addition to covering motorsports including Formula Drift, Indy Car, and F1 for his personal blog. Eventually Beckford joined MotorTrend to cover the daily automotive news beat. Besides being a gearhead, Beckford has been a gamer since the ’80s and is a huge fan of the arcade racing games of the ’90s like Daytona USA, SEGA Rally, and Ridge Racer. Beckford’s a movie buff as well, especially comic book films from DC and Marvel. When car culture crosses over with gaming and entertainment, rest assured Beckford is aware of it. In addition to serving as a consultant on a “triple A” racing titles, he’s reviewed major racing games such as Forza Motorsport, Need for Speed, Gran Turismo, F1, and more. He’s also interviewed blockbuster directors including Steven Caple Jr. (Transformers: Rise of the Beasts) and Neill Blomkamp (Gran Turismo). His biggest profile to date was with Robert Downey Jr. on his love affair with cars and his show Downey’s Dream Cars on MAX. Beckford’s profile of Downey Jr. was the first print cover story written by an African American in MotorTrend’s history. Along with KJ Jones, Andrew Beckford also heads up MotorTrend’s celebration of Black History Month by spotlighting diverse voices in the automotive industry and motorsports. Beckford’s first car was a 1982 Nissan Stanza affectionately named “Stanley” by his late mother.