It’s probably safe to say that Volvo broke the mould when they created the P1800. After all, they have always had a hard won reputation for safety, and arguably even a little dullness when compared to other great European marques. As you would come to expect from Volvo, the car was very reliable, a quality we take for granted these days. In fact, the P1800 holds the world record for the most miles ever driven – 3,000,000 no less and counting! Thanks in no small part to the rugged 2-litre 4-cyinder Volvo engine and equally tough transmission.

But the P1800 is a whole lot more. That oversized grille at the front, the long bonnet, smooth, sculpted wings, and low slung, aerodynamic body shape all come together to give the car a wonderful sporty demeanour. What a beauty!

It’s easy to mistake it as a late post-war design, but this was a car that was conceived as a prototype in 1957 and first released for sale into the motor trade in 1961. This was Volvo’s response to the booming European and American markets that were celebrating the end of post WWII austerity and sporty 2-seaters and their larger 4-seater Grand Tourers were at the vanguard of this automotive revolution. 

That's not to say that the P1800 hadn't got plenty of worthy competitors - the awesome Jaguar e-type associated with 1960s Brit-Cool and the effortlessly pretty BMW 507, so beloved by Elvis, to name just two. 

But the Volvo had a broad fan base too, thanks to a clever piece of product placement when it became the car of choice for new The Saint TV show. Little did anyone know that the quirky British spy-thriller series would go on to become a global franchise in over 200 countries! And to think it might never have happened this way. The Saint’s creators initially approached Jaguar for an E-type, but they were rebuffed by the company’s chairman and owner Sir Jack Lyons. Oh, how he must have regretted that decision.

Before long the P1800 became synonymous with The Saint’s leading man, Roger Moore, whose effortless, suave charisma were the perfect match for the smooth lines of his glorious P1800. The duo made the perfect combination and style and substance.

With so many huge media franchises today – Disney, Marvel, Bond – its easy to forget the impact that The Saint made when it burst onto the small screen on 4th October 1962. The mystery-thriller books written by Leslie Charteris had always been popular since being first published in the 1920s and were a sought after asset by TV producers. Even Roger Moore made personal advances to the publishers to secure the television rights.  So, when Roger Moore was invited to play the leading character, Simon Templar, he jumped at the opportunity.

With hindsight to guide us, it’s all too easy to say that Moore’s Templar was a simply a dress rehearsal for his later transition to James Bond. But that is to underestimate The Saint as a hugely successful franchise of its own – at the time many would have considered it to have equal, if not superior billing Fleming’s flamboyant, silver screen counterpart. By the mid-1960s The Saint was attracting huge global audiences, and with a total of 120 episodes shot, only the Avengers has superseded it in British broadcasting history.

No wonder Corgi Toys considered it quite a coup to secure the rights to manufacture a diecast toy of The Saint’s car. It was their first ever venture into licensing television show assets and it’s fair to say it marked a ground shift for the British toy brand and immediately set them apart from their competitors. Just like The Saint driving his stylish Volvo P1800: 

Corgi Toys had just arrived!

Re-issued for the FIRST TIME EVER we are now able to offer you the Corgi Toys The "Saint's" Car Volvo P.1800 that was renowned for being Corgi’s first licensed product, this popular model was created to tie in with the ‘Saint’ TV show featuring future James Bond, Roger Moore. The P.1800 model had been first issued by Corgi in 1961, as number 228. Originally available in either red, beige or salmon pink, it was deleted in 1965 to make way for this new version.

With white paintwork to match the car seen on TV, a detailed red interior, jewelled headlights, the iconic ‘Saint’ logo on the bonnet and a miniature Simon Templar at the wheel – the character Roger Moore played in the show – it was an instant success. Nearly 1,160,000 were sold before it was deleted from the range in 1970. Later versions differed with a red ‘Saint’ bonnet sticker.