Catalog is an experiment from the biz side of Jalopnik. (So to be clear, this post is not editorial). Now and then, we'll deliver content about products you can buy... or at least dream of buying. Catalog's first contributor is Bureau of Trade, a digital authority in acquiring analog cultural objects.
Batman has his eponymous-mobile. Knight Rider has his sentient Trans Am. And Jay Leno has his Holland Boomer 8N Tractor. Mostly interesting and iconic means of conveyance, to be sure, but we wouldn't want to drive any of them.
For our money, the best car that was also made famous by an action hero is the Volvo P1800, driven by Roger Moore in The Saint, the British telly-series that ran from 1962 until 1968 (Moore wouldn't become Bond until 1973 and in case you were wondering, he never drove the Aston Martin DB5).
But...Volvo? The company famous for boxy design and passenger safety, symbol of smug liberalism, the proto-Prius? Yes, that Volvo. The Swedish engineering team partnered with the British firm Jensen, who built the pressed-steel unibody shells for the 1800s. Like the Karmann Ghia and the Jensen 541s, the P1800 is that rare sport car with an intellectual bent, and an approachable price-point that makes Porsche owners wonder what they were thinking.
A well-priced 1965 coupe is available at Bureau of Trade (along with even better priced classic Fiat 500s and Pininfarina Spiders.)
PS - Have feedback on Catalog? Let us know. catalog@gawker.com. (The address was down for a bit, but it's back up now.)