Andrew,<P>As you know, the 1996 Volvo 850 Turbo Platinum Limited Edition came in a distinctive pearl-white metallic paint. This car came with a high pressure turbo 2.3 liter 5-cylinder DOHC engine producing 222hp and 221 lb.ft of torque. The Platinum Limited Edition came standard with the winter package, fog lights, security system, rear spoiler, and sports suspension. It was basically the next best thing to getting a 850 T5-R in 1996.<P>Transforming a V70 XC into what your mom previously drove is somewhat realistic, but at a price. The first and second generation V70 XC's came with a low pressure 2.4 liter 5-cylinder engine producing 190hp/199lb.ft and 197hp/210lb.ft respectively.<P>Since they both use a low-pressure turbocharged engine, they can be chipped for significant horsepower gains. With a S.A.M. chip, the first generation V70 XC gets 230hp, and the second generation V70 XC gets 240hp. These ECU mods will give your moms V70 XC more horsepower than the 850 Turbo Platinum Limited Edition, but you also have to take into account that the V70 XC weighs 350 lbs. more, plus it has AWD. With the ECU mod, your moms first generation 1999 V70 XC should be somewhat close in performance to the 850 Platinum Limited Edition. <P>Coyote Motorsports is now importing S.A.M. products, so if you are seriously considering doing the ECU mod, you might want to check with them or email S.A.M. directly. You also might want to check with IPD USA, they do have Motronic ECU upgrades for 850/70 models. The S.A.M. and Coyote Motorsports prices are a little high at $700-$1000 dollars for the ECU modification. It all depends on how much your mom wants to spend. Check out these links below:<P><B><A HREF="http://www.ipdusa.com" TARGET=_blank>IPD USA</A><P><A HREF="http://www.samsteffansson.se/samindex.html" TARGET=_blank>S.A.M. Steffansson</A><P><A HREF="http://www.coyotemotorsports.com" TARGET=_blank>Coyote Motorsports</A><BR></B><P> <IMG SRC="http://a332.g.akamai.net/7/332/936/0001/www.edmunds.com/pictures/29960.jpg"> <P>I hope this helps! <IMG SRC="http://www.swedespeed.com/ubb/biggrin.gif"><P>-Drew<p>[This message has been edited by InDy (edited 02-18-2001).]
