While Volvo focuses on the rollout of the new S90 and V90, back in the archives the Swedish automaker is celebrating another milestone. Namely, the 25th anniversary of its predecessor, the iconic Volvo 850.
It was on June 11, 1991, that Volvo first introduced the 850 at the Stockholm Globe Arena, encompassing several world firsts for the carmaker from Gothenburg. It was the first car with a transversely mounted five-cylinder engine, the first to use a Delta-link rear suspension, the first to integrate a reinforced side-impact protection system, and the first to incorporate a self-tensioning seatbelt.
In 1993, Volvo rolled out the 850 wagon. The T-5R launched in 1994 to stand as the very definition of the sleeper, the performance model packing 240 horsepower – not much by today’s standards, but enough to eclipse the 170 hp offered by the original 850 GLT and drive public demand to snap up all 2,500 originally earmarked in yellow, then another 2,500 in black, and an additional 2,500 in dark green. The 850 proved its mettle in the British Touring Car Championship that year as well before wagons were banned. And all-wheel drive arrived in ’96 for the first time in a Volvo.
After that, Volvo rebranded the 850 as the S70 sedan and V70 wagon, remaining in production through 2000 before the S60 and a new V70 replaced them. By that time, though, Volvo had some an impressive 1,360,522 such vehicles, making it one of the most successful in the company’s history – and the one that those of us brought up in the 1990s will remember best.
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