The Volvo 850 estate that competed in the 1994 British Touring Car Championship was not an especially successful racecar. And yet it was also a motorsport masterstroke.
The 850 took Volvo back into BTCC. The Swedish maker invested big-time in the series, even bringing on board former 1980s European Touring Car Championship rival Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR) to build and run the cars.
When 850 station wagons rolled up on the grid at Thruxton in April 1994, lots of people thought it was a joke. It kind of was, because wagons are not good racecars: more weight over the rear axle and a higher centre of gravity, although Volvo did roll out a questionable argument about wagons having better aerodynamics.
The estate was really chosen because Volvo/TWR regarded 1994 as a test year and did not expect to lead the pack, so decided to go for maximum attention and PR value. Volvo was trying to change its image from stodgy to sporty; with the imminent launch of hot road cars like the 850 T5 R, the timing was perfect.
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The BTCC cars had to be based on production models. The appearance of the body could not be changed and the engines were restricted to 2.0 litres.
TWR used Volvo’s production 2.3-litre five-cylinder engine as a base. In the 850 turbo road car it made 168kW; in the racing version, with no turbo and smaller capacity, it produced 216kW. The five-speed manual transmission in the standard car was replaced with a six speed sequential. Volvo was also the first team to incorporate a catalytic converter – which later became mandatory for the class.
The drivers were 26-year-old Rickard Rydell (pictured below) and 37-year-old Jan Lammers.
"The 850 estate was by far the largest car in the series," said Rickard Rydell, recalling the 20th anniversary of the 1994 season. "Our competitors, who were taking part largely to strengthen their sporting image, were not pleased about having to compete with an estate. There were a few taunts from other drivers – but that was no problem. To wind them up, in one heat we drove with a large stuffed collie in the boot during the parade lap."
The 850 estate only finished 14th in the 1994 season, its best race-place place a fifth. Yet Volvo got more publicity than any other team, so it won the Column Inches Championship by miles.
The 850 estate is still a star of that period of BTCC in most minds, so it might surprise to learn that Volvo/TWR only ran it that one year, switching to the sedan in 1995 and then the smaller S40 in 1997. Rydell finally won the championship in 1998.
