Comfortable, spacious, safe and “square”, Volvo vans from the 1990s are far from our idea of a sporty model. However, as with everything in life, there are exceptions and the Volvo 850 T-5R is proof of that.
Developed with a little help from Porsche, the 850 T-5R seemed (and still seems) to go against all values defended by the Scandinavian brand. Rather than focusing on family chores this “race van” focused more on “terrorizing” sports in the left lane of the highways.
And when we call it “race van” it's not an exaggeration. It's that unlike all of our chosen ones in our special “The most extreme sports vans ever”, the Volvo 850 T-5R has the same competition pedigree.
From family chores to clues
Staying true to the most successful models in the stands, in 1994 Volvo teamed up with Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR) and together they created the 850 Estate Super Touring Car to race in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC).
The results turned out to be nothing special (the team took 8th place among manufacturers), and in 1995 it was even replaced by the 850 sedan, but the truth is that the image of that “flying brick” in action circuits must have it was engraved on the retina of the Swedish engineers (it was definitely on the fans' retinas).
So, in 1995, they took another bold decision: to create a sporty (and limited) version of the Volvo 850. This was the kick-off for the birth of the Volvo 850 T-5R.
Swedish with german genes
Originally called the 850 Plus 5, the Volvo 850 T-5R had as its starting point the existing 850 T5 and had the “magic” of Porsche during its development, being one of the (many) projects that relied on the know-how. how of the German brand.
Porsche focused its attention above all on the transmission and engine. The latter, the fiery B5234T5, was distinguished from the others by its five in-line cylinders and had a capacity of 2.3 liters. After the intervention of Porsche, which adopted a new ECU from Bosch, it started to debit 240 hp and 330 Nm instead of the 225 hp and 300 Nm of the “regular” T5.
As a curiosity, the interior also had details alluding to this partnership. The seats on the 850 T5-R had a finish that mimicked the Porsche 911 of the time: sides covered in graphite gray Amaretta (similar to Alcantara) and leather covering the middle of the seat.
dressed to impress
Available in just three colors (black, yellow and green), it was in the eye-catching yellow that it appears in the photos that illustrate this article that the Volvo 850 T-5R did most justice to its sporting ambitions.
Also in the aesthetic chapter, the 850 T-5R made a point of distinguishing itself from its sisters through the lower front bumper (with fog lights), the 17” wheels that fitted Pirelli P-Zero tyres, the new side salts and of the rear aileron.
Matching installments
Needless to say, the appearance of the Volvo 850 T-5R impressed (a lot) the press at the time — after all it was a very familiar Volvo van with chilling features… and yellow! While some claimed that “Volvo was what it used to be”, others called it “flying yellow brick” in a clear allusion to its color and impressive performance.
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The handling, on the other hand, said those who tested it, could benefit from firmer damping and more grip — its tendency to “eat up” the front tires was infamous. The steering didn't seem to impress either, and agility wasn't his strong suit.
After all, we're talking about a front-wheel-drive truck and 240 hp — at the time, a high figure for which front-wheel drive could handle — 4.7 m long, 1468 kg and all this in an era when the “guardian angels electronics” amounted to little more than ABS.
The area where the Volvo 850 T-5R impressed was performance. Equipped with a manual five-speed gearbox or a four-speed automatic (well, at that time there were no eight-speed transmissions here), the 850 T-5R achieved 0 to 100 km/h in 6.9s and reached 249 km/h h maximum speed (limited!).
The first of many
Produced in limited series, the Volvo 850 T-5R was originally not supposed to have a successor. However, such was its success that it caused Volvo engineers to change their minds and the result was the launch of the Volvo 850R in the spring of 1996.
Although the engine is the same, this one not only changed its name, it became known as the B5234T4, but also received a larger turbo. All this allowed an increase in power to 250 hp and torque to 350 Nm — as if the problem of the predecessor T5-R was lack of power.
Also equipped with a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic, the Volvo 850R accelerated from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.7s which rose to 7.6s on the automatic transmission versions. To better deal with the force of the five-cylinder in-line turbo, a more robust gearbox (still manual and still with five speeds) was developed specifically for the 850R, associated with a viscous-coupled self-locking differential. However, it was only available for a limited time in 1996.