Volvo 850 T-5R: Spotted

The fast estate is making a comeback; no further excuse needed to go T5 hunting!

The topic has already been discussed at length on PH, but let it just be stated again how much we enjoy a fast estate. To therefore see the market bolstered by a wealth of recent new arrivals is very pleasing, from SEAT Leon Cupra to Jaguar XFR-S and many more in between.

Estate done the 20th century way

There's even a proper fast Volvo wagon to be excited about again. Many will observe (some already have) that the V60 Polestar's £50K asking price is quite steep in the face of German opposition. It's worth remembering how much the Volvo's standard equipment would cost on those, but also how thoroughly engineered and, well, expensive it feels to drive too. You sense a lot of people have spent a lot of time working on the dampers, the brakes and the steering. There are already ex-demos for sale at £10K off that list price too...

Anyway, having been won over by James's V60 after a few journeys, the hunt was on for a V70 or 850 from the classifieds to feature. And what a specimen we have!

Typically a fast 850 will feature as Shed because, well, they're quite old now and not particularly desirable to many. This car is different though. It's a T-5R rather than a regular T-5, a limited edition car that paved the way for the 850R. And it's yellow.

There's a sports exhaust to help this out too

Power was up from the regular T5 and the suspension was upgraded further still with new dampers and anti-roll bars to improve the dynamics. More than two decades after the T-5R's launch, in a front-wheel drive world of VAQ, Revoknuckles and Perfohubs, its handling probably won't be incredible but that's sort of missing the point. Fast Volvos are about going very fast, making a great noise and carrying lots of stuff. Well, unless you give it to TWR to run on racetracks...

Furthermore, the appeal of a T-5R is now further heightened by their incredible rarity. Never exactly numerous, Howmanyleft has a paltry 19 manuals left registered in the UK. Alright, so it's hardly ever going to be a collectors' item but an 850 T-5R will remain cool to a select few (hopefully a lot of them on here) for a good while yet.

Would you pay £5K for one though? The spec of this one is perfect as a yellow manual, the service history is comprehensive and there's a warranty with it too. But then it still remains a 20 year-old Volvo estate with 169,000 recorded miles. Let's hope someone can justify it and continue to enjoy a fantastically cool slice of fast estate history.

VOLVO 850 T-5R
Engine: 2,319cc turbocharged, five-cyl
Transmission: 5-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 244@5,600rpm
Torque (lb ft): 300@2,000rpm
MPG: N/A
CO2: N/A
First registered: 1995
Recorded mileage: 169,000
Price new: N/A
Yours for: £4,995