During the announcement, in the fall of 1993, of Volvo's imminent return to touring car racing, an estate version of the 850 model was prominently featured. Many thought this was simply a PR stunt and come the car's competition debut a conventional 850 saloon based racer would be the weapon of choice. Volvo managed to keep the exact choice a secret, which helped to build the anticipation for the opening round of the 1994 British Touring Car Championship at Thruxton.
Built by Tom Walkinshaw Racing for, the two 850s that rolled off the TWR trucks were indeed Estates. Exactly why and who made the suggestion to run an estate is a matter of debate between the people at Volvo and TWR but even before the two joined forces, an experimental 850 Estate existed in Sweden, built for Volvo by a local specialist. In addition to the PR benefits, it was also believed that the high tail had some aerodynamic benefits as well. Either way, both Volvo and TWR approached 1994 as a learning year, so little was lost would the Estates fail.
Built by Tom Walkinshaw Racing for, the two 850s that rolled off the TWR trucks were indeed Estates. Exactly why and who made the suggestion to run an estate is a matter of debate between the people at Volvo and TWR but even before the two joined forces, an experimental 850 Estate existed in Sweden, built for Volvo by a local specialist. In addition to the PR benefits, it was also believed that the high tail had some aerodynamic benefits as well. Either way, both Volvo and TWR approached 1994 as a learning year, so little was lost would the Estates fail.
