Technical Features
Project 854R: Introduction
By By:George Achorn
Oct 3, 2001, 22:47

For Volvo, the 850 was a revolutionary addition to an aging product line. It helped to reinvigorate the brand in the North American marketplace. This was the first front wheel drive Volvo ever and spawned a range of cars that would eventually become today's C70 and the recently replaced S70 and V70 models.

The 854 sedan and the 855 station wagon began selling in the 1993 model year and, with the exception of conservative updating of bumper covers and taillight design, carried over virtually unchanged throughout its model cycle that ended in 1997.

Volvo also chose the 850 platform as the basis for its first attempt at a high performance variant to compete with the likes of BMW's "M" cars and Audi's "S" cars. The 850 T-5R burst onto the scene in all its bright yellow glory, successfully grabbing the attention of the automotive press worldwide. Equipped with a hotter version of the turbocharged I-5 found in other 850s, this car also came with aggressive ground effects, Alcantara suede-like interior, a sport suspension and very aggressive gunmetal gray seventeen-inch Titan 5-spoke alloy wheel design.

In 1996, the car received a slight name change to simply the "850R". Yellow was dropped and the wheel design changed, but the spirit of the car continued on virtually unchanged.

In choosing an 850 as a project car, we decided to make use of some handy contacts in the automotive sales trade who just happen to specialize in European automobiles and more specifically Volvo. Attendance at one of the USA's largest auto auctions put us in front of a seriously large number of Volvos to choose from.

At first, choices were kept open to 854s and 855s in a limited selection of colors and content levels. We wanted a turbo, and we limited ourselves to the T-5 or the R models. Walking the auction grounds, several likely candidates were quickly identified including a black 855R, a metallic white 855 T-5 and several dark green 854 T-5s. We positioned ourselves to watch the cars go across the block while familiarizing ourselves with fair pricing on each one.



As each auction went down, we realized that 850s were drawing top dollar that day. All candidates involved went for well over our personal price caps on each car. Griping about it over lunch, one of our dealer friends pointed out his current ownership of a clean 1997 850 R sedan with only 28K miles and still under warranty. It hadn't sold that day, perhaps due to its "arrest me red" color, or perhaps because it was missing the original equipment 17-inch Volan alloy wheels, which had been replaced with a set of T-5 5-spoke alloys. Somehow we had also missed the car as well.

Though not the color we were looking for and having been more seriously interested in a station wagon, the car still became a serious contender immediately. We told our friend to throw it on the block one more day and if it didn't sell we'd take it.

Over that night, we decided to focus on doing some research. A quick stop at Carfax.com bestowed us with the car's history for the cost of about fifteen dollars. The car came through with flying colors showing itself to have been clear of Lemon buyback status and that it had never been involved in any floods or serious accidents. The only downside was that it was an early 1997 model, sold in late 1996, which meant the warranty would be over a little sooner than we'd hoped.

A quick call the next day informed us that the 854 R had not sold during its second day on the block. It was confirmed that we'd buy the car and suddenly the 850 R was ours at a truly great price, though slightly above our budget. Still, the jump was worth it. Our dealer friend threw in a set of slightly curbed and bent 17" Volan alloys and the car was equipped with the aforementioned sport suspension, ground effects, aluminum door sills, Alcantara interior and a plethora of other features.

Though we managed an extremely low price for the 850 R, buying a car at auction still has some considerable downsides. There are always small things broken or otherwise that need to be taken care of and, besides the warranty, the condition of the car is blatantly "as-is" to the buyer. Purchasing at such great prices does have its dangers and it is not for the faint of heart.

Our new 854R needed several small repairs, the bulk of which were done under warranty. The tires on the T-5 16" wheels were slightly taller than stock, and while that shouldn't be a problem for a T-5, our lower sitting 850R found itself rubbing the fender wells under seriously sharp turning.

That being said, the car is a blast to drive.. Power is extremely generous, though not brutal off the line. The car's stock stereo system is extremely capable and the Alcantara is so much more effective than leather on a hot day.

Though the car's bright color and deceptive speed has already blessed its owner with one speeding ticket, the joys of ownership seem to definitely be outweighing the higher cost of non-stealth speeding and slightly more expensive dealers.

We're still researching where we'll go with this car. Winter is setting in now and it will need snow tires. We'll pick up a set of 15" winter wheels and snow tires for the cold weather hear in the north eastern United States.

After that, the rubbing tires under hard steering has become quite annoying and has worn a hole in one of the fender wells. Repairing and refinishing our set of 17-inch Volan alloys and shodding them with some replacement rubber is our first major objective for the car.

We're also taking a close look at suspension, brake and ECU upgrades for the car. Bearing in mind that we'd like the car to maintain its daily driveability, and that will be a key factor in any upgrades we choose to do.



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