Volvo T-5R

Production volume

<7,000 units

Production period

1995

Displacement

2319cc R5 turbo

Mileage

71,000km

Price

RESERVED!

  • Fully restored T-5R in Cream Yellow
  • Low mileage of 71 000 km
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Overview

In 1995, one year after Volvo entered the British Touring Car Championship with the 850 cars, a limited edition top model of the lineup, the 850 T-5R, was introduced to the public. Initially the production volume was set at 2500 units, but due to high demand approximately 7000 cars in total were produced – all of them as model year 1995 vehicles (produced between mid 1994 until mid 1995). The 850 T-5R had a 2.3 liter 5 cylinder turbocharged engine, which produced 243 horsepower (with the help of Porsche-tuned ECU), had a torque of 330Nm and a record-low drag coefficient for its time of 0.29.

The Volvo 850 T-5Rs were produced as sedans and estates in yellow, black and green colours, of which the yellow estate ones have become the most popular among collectors these days. There were approximately 2400 sedans and 4500 estates produced in total. In addition, two white and two Aubergine cars were produced in the pre-production phase, plus three grey specimens were delivered to the Arabian market as special order. The 850 T-5R was available with a 4-speed automatic transmission or a 5-speed manual gearbox. 0-100kmh acceleration time was listed 6,9 seconds for the sedan and 7,0 seconds for the estate model. Customers were free to choose any interior color, as long as it was black.

Signs from the co-development with Porsche (in addition to the revised ECU) are also recognisable in the interior – seat upholstery layout with leather middle and Alcantara sides mirrors the Porsche 911 Turbo model’s respective seat layout - leather and Alcantara-combined seats have been used on many other cars as well, but almost always in the opposite way. Volvo 850 T-5R came with 7x17 inch 5 spoke alloy titanium wheels and 205/45 ZR17 tyres. Among other T-5R specific additions, the front bumper lip, rear spoiler and polished aluminium door sills are certainly worth mentioning.

Volvo 850 T-5R was reasonably priced at around 42 000 € as new, which was significantly less than its competitors like Audi RS2 Avant (50 000 €), Audi S6 2,2T/4,2 Avant (49 000 €/52 000 €), BMW 540i Touring (49 000 €) or Mercedes Benz E36T AMG (60 000 €).

German well-known professional car magazine “Autos Test Technik MOT” compared Volvo 850 T-5R and Mercedes Benz E36T AMG in the March 1995 issue, where T-5R received higher total points than its substantially more expensive German rival.

Our Volvo 850 T-5R is a fully restored vehicle, finished in cream yellow with just slightly over 70 000 kilometers on the odometer. Everything - including the engine, gearbox, suspension and brakes - have been revised, and if necessary, reconditioned by using OEM parts.