A Shed staple this week, with a manual gearbox and 'original plastic boot liner'. Jackpot.
Funny how easily we forget things that were once momentous. Green Shield stamps, the Sony Walkman, Mr Blobby, English soccer, Mystic Meg - these once-great institutions have all been sadly reduced to nothing more than footnote status in the great Littlewoods shopping catalogue of history.
Too big even for photographs
To that list let us now add the Volvo 850 T-5R. Any young 'uns whose social media device has run out of battery and who therefore find themselves reading this will have no clue about the impact this car had when it was launched in 1995. The standard 850 of 1992-93 marked Volvo's acceptance of the front-wheel drive concept, and the acceptance by many British police forces that it was time to pension off the poor old Senator. The R's 245hp might not seem like much now, but it was a fair old wallop 20 years ago. A variable but always high top end and a nought to 60 time in the low six-second bracket were shocking in the context of a car from the 'wardrobe on wheels' school of design, one that was previously better known for its safety, child friendliness and general beige-osity.
Just 200 T-5Rs were sold in the UK (only 69 of them in yellow, surprisingly: black was the most popular colour, with 108 made, green is the rarest hue, at 23) so they aren't likely to dip below one grand in the foreseeable future, if ever. In truth, the average tightwad Shedman might steer clear of an R anyway. They ripped through front tyres at a rate only superbike owners might consider reasonable. Its 'delta link' rear suspension brought a mild degree of rear-wheel steer and, with 300lb ft of torque on tap from 2,000rpm, a truly bitchin' degree of torque steer. You had to hand it to the Swedes: subtle, the T-5R wasn't.
Did someone say daft track day project?
The straight 850 T5, however, is. And the great news is that examples of this fine machine are still drifting into the Shed dragnet. Delivering a more than acceptable 225hp from its softer-turbo 2.3 in-line five - good for a still-rousing mid-sevens 0-60 - this example presents itself very nicely (leaving aside the faux-prancing horse shields). Not sure if that's the same Olive Green Pearl paint you could specify for the R, but whatever it is, the combination of manly green with pillowy black Volvo leather will never get old.
Buy a T5 for its decent handling, its deep-chested gusto and its unique warble. Don't buy it for a cushy ride or low bills if the wrong things go wrong. One of those is the air-con. If it isn't working (and it's not mentioned in the ad, which could be a sign that it isn't) it might be a busted evaporator, which is potentially a four-figure sum to fix. Check the front wheels for kerbing, as that might be an indicator of knock-on suspension or driveshaft damage.
Owner has a sense of humour at least
If you really do want to justify those Ferrari-esque badges, there's plenty of scope for tuning. A quick £150 remap is the simplest route to instant gratification. Beyond that you can boost throttle response with a reversed intercooler piping kit and/or a throttle conversion. You can also adjust the wastegate actuator to increase boost pressure and torque lower down the rev range. PHer morgrp reckons he's done this simple job on countless T5s and on three of his own. "Pop off the heat shields, remove the r-clip and disconnect and adjust around 8 to 10 turns," he says. "Re-connect and test, leaving the heat shield off in case you need to make further adjustments. The car will automatically cut the fuel supply if it boosts too hard, so it's safe. If it does cut the fuel, simply disconnect, wind the actuator back a couple of turns and try again." Morgrp does add a word of warning. "Don't run it too long without the heat shields, as the brake lines run above the turbo and can get hot." Wise words there. For extra wisdom, fit later brakes from the V70 to rein in your new-found madness, and a strut brace isn't a bad shout either. Then you can look at venturing boldly into the world of bigger puffers. 16T, 18T or 19T turbos will all do a good job for a reasonable outlay.
Why do people take pictures off road?
With a manual cog-stirrer and the ink still wet on a fresh MOT, this Volvo could deliver the goods for its next owner in more ways than one, especially if the reg number is included for the price. Again, this isn't mentioned in the ad. Having to mine this missing info by contacting the owner is a bit of a pain, but you never know, it could result in a pleasant surprise rather than an unpleasant letdown.
In 2011 another PHer, Ecurie Ecosse, detailed his purchase and experience of a 176K T5 here. He's still got it, and he's still loving it. Read it and be encouraged.
They had the word volvo in ancient Rome, you know. It means 'I roll', something Mrs Shed does a lot, but that's another story.
Here's the ad.
1994, 12month MOT, black leather interior, electric heated seats, cruise control, Manual Petrol Turbo. Lots of history, fantastic to drive. Includes original plastic boot liner.
