VOLVO

The brand's van that was successful on the racing circuit

There was a time when sedans were almost as important on the circuit as the best sports cars at the time. In addition to being practical cars in everyday life (when the SUV fever had not yet started), they made a real show inside the racetracks. There are several championships that were disputed at the time with these vehicles, and in the 80s and 90s, the British Touring Championship was one of the most popular. Today we have the story of one of the most curious participating cars, the 1994 Volvo 850 Estate BTCC.

The story behind this Volvo station wagon converted to a race car is flashy and somewhat casual. The Swedish brand had had great success in Group A, both at the ETCC and the WTCC, during the 1980s. The 240 Turbo had been responsible, but the brand image (that of well-built, robust and safe cars, but somewhat boring) weighed on their sales.

In 1991, Volvo decides to reverse this situation and presents a new model with a more sporty focus. The front-wheel-drive Volvo 850 was born to rewrite the rules of the game, with a three-volume sedan body and a gigantic, square van. The 850 demonstrated much more effective handling than the rear-drive Volvos of the past, which encouraged the manufacturer to return to competition.

The 1994 season was the goal for Volvo's return to competition motorsport. But once Group A had been dissolved, the brand sought and found in the British Touring Championship (BTCC) a perfect solution. The championship was at its height, with models such as the Ford Mondeo, Nissan Primera, Toyota Carina E, Peugeot 405, Opel Vectra, Renault Laguna and the famous and successful Alfa Romeo 155, among others.

To place the Volvo 850 Estate BTCC in this category, the brand would have to develop, build and test a competition model first. The manufacturer then teamed up with Swedish specialist Steffansson Automotive (SAM) to design a racing prototype for the Volvo 850. When SAM went to Volvo to ask for a new body to work on, it learned that the 850 had just received a facelift and that the factory was producing only the Estate station wagon version.

In order not to further delay the project, Volvo and SAM decided that the 850 Estate would be the foundation on which the racing model would be built. This decision went against everything that had been seen so far at BTCC. The championship was dominated by three-volume sedans, while the van versions were aimed at the mass market. However, the regulations did not prevent their participation and some tests carried out in the wind tunnel showed that the Swedish brand had not made a mistake in choosing the 850 Estate. Due to the long roofline, the van achieved a greater aerodynamic load than the sedan bodywork.

After the prototype created by Steffansson Automotive, Volvo went full steam ahead and teamed up with Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR). This specialist was responsible for Jaguar and Rover's successes in Group A, and had built winning Group C prototypes for Jaguar. Both parties signed a three-year contract that required TWR to design and build the ultimate race cars.

TWR has eliminated everything that was unnecessary on the Volvo 850 Estate BTCC, lightening its weight and leaving the figure at an impressive 975 kg. This meant that the competition version was around 500 kg lighter than the street model. Under the hood, a transverse-mounted 20-valve 5-cylinder 2.0-liter engine was in charge of generating power. Specifically, 290 hp and a turning capacity of up to 8,500 rpm.

The propeller was mated to a 6-speed X-Trac sequential transmission that allowed the engine to be located lower and farther back, helping with weight distribution. The rest remained almost unchanged except for the safety cage, bucket seat, new wheels, brakes, and racing suspension. A blue and white decor had done the rest to make the 1994 Volvo 850 Estate BTCC shine with its own light.

Volvo announced at the 1994 Geneva Motor Show that it would compete with the 850 Estate BTCC. The team's designated drivers were Swedish touring ace Rickard Rydell and former Dutch Formula 1 driver Jan Lammers. Everything was ready for the start of the new season of the British Touring Championship.

However, the performance of the Volvo 850 Estate BTCC was not as expected. Although it excelled in the high-speed sections due to its aerodynamic load, the car had technical issues in the slower corners. Due to its weight distribution, the 850 was prone to understeer due to the heavy engine. This reduced the Volvo's cornering speed, a disadvantage that its rivals took advantage of on the track.

At the time, Alfa Romeo's dominance was overwhelming with its vitamin 155. Despite this, Volvo and its drivers managed to star in some memorable performances. On the British circuits there were fight scenes with other competitors where the square van was victorious. Thus, Lammers and Rydell managed to beat Joachim Winkelhock's BMW and Tim Sugden's Toyota at Snetterton.

The best result obtained by the 850 Estate BTCC in the 1994 season was a fifth place on this same circuit. Rickard Rydell took third place on the starting grid, but due to some mechanical problems on the warm-up lap, his 850 was forced to start in last position. Still, Rydell would climb to fifth place.

Unfortunately, the precedent set by Alfa Romeo forced the rest of the participants to install a standard aerodynamic kit in 1995. This meant that the 850 Estate would lose its biggest competitive advantage the following year, the extra aerodynamic load. That's why Volvo decided to go back to competing with the three-volume sedan in the 1995 season.

The square station wagon that attracted so much attention had only been around for a year, but Volvo got a lot of free publicity, helping to rejuvenate its vehicle lineup and improve its sales.

Autonews