One famous owner: The world’s most expensive Volvos

Classic Volvos have a cult following all over the world, especially the iconic P1800, which currently holds the record for most miles (3.2 million) ever travelled by one owner – the late, great Irv Gordon, who once joked he’d sell the car back to Volvo for a dollar a mile.
They still fetch good prices: In 2014, Bonhams sold a 1973 Volvo P1800ES Sport Wagon for US$92,400 (AU$129,000 at current exchange rates). According to a spokesperson for the auctioneers, “As far as we know, this is a new world record for a classic Volvo”.
But records are made to be broken – and by who better than a man who sold millions of them?
Bowie’s Bertone
In early 2018, a 1981 Volvo 262C Bertone sold for 212,800 Swiss francs at auction, or $363,000 Australian dollars at current exchange rates. As well as its low milage, sleek good looks and luxury interior, the fact that it had once been owned by David Bowie was probably a factor in the price.
While Bowie’s 1977 album Low includes the song ‘Always Crashing in the Same Car’, the artist appears to have been a little more careful with his Volvo. A note from the auctioneers (here, see p91-92) describes the car, with 53,000km on the clock, as in “very good and well-maintained condition”.
The $20m V70
The most expensive Volvo ever listed was an unassuming late nineties V70 wagon, available to driveaway for just US$20 million (AU$28 million). It came with a roof rack and slight lacquer peel, as well as a unique personalised number plate: ‘NEW YORK’.
The listing was managed by DuPont Registry on behalf of a private seller, who told the firm he’d urged his father to try and get the plate when New York state started offering private registration numbers back in the late 1970s, and kept it in the family.
There’s been no official coverage of the listing since, so it’s unclear whether the asking price was met, or if the plate was ever sold. Perhaps it still adorns a trusty Volvo workhorse somewhere in the state.
Notable mentions
The highest price classic Volvo listed in Australia is a P1800 E convertible, with an asking price of $115,000. In the UK, it’s a 1970 122S re-engineered for endurance rallying, listed for £85,000 (AU$159,000).
See Volvo Cars’ future classics here.