Time for an exciting new theme... I think Retro Rides Touring Car Week is long overdue.
Let's start with the Volvo 850 estate.
Why choose the shopping wagon shell over the saloon - for reasons of aerodynamics? Because the bluff rear acted as a Kamm tail? More downforce due to the long, flat roof? Possibly, but it was all really about marketing. Everyone loved the idea of Volvo taking an estate car racing, and it did all kinds of good for their credibility.
The racer was powered by a TWR 5-cylinder 20-valve engine, mounted lower and much further back than standard for reasons of weight distribution. The driver was moved back accordingly, sitting almost in line with the B-pillar and leading near enough to a 50/50 split.
So, was it any good? Well yes, it didn't do too badly at the hands of Jan Lammers and Rickard Rydell. In the 1994 season it managed a best finishing position of 5th, with a best qualifying spot of 3rd. So it didn't set the BTCC on fire in terms of performance, but a credible 6th place in the manufacturers standings at the end of the season validated the decision to further develop the 850 saloon for '95, which went on to qualify on pole 13 times and win five races. But it's the junk-in-the-trunk original that everybody remembers so fondly...
Let's start with the Volvo 850 estate.
Why choose the shopping wagon shell over the saloon - for reasons of aerodynamics? Because the bluff rear acted as a Kamm tail? More downforce due to the long, flat roof? Possibly, but it was all really about marketing. Everyone loved the idea of Volvo taking an estate car racing, and it did all kinds of good for their credibility.
The racer was powered by a TWR 5-cylinder 20-valve engine, mounted lower and much further back than standard for reasons of weight distribution. The driver was moved back accordingly, sitting almost in line with the B-pillar and leading near enough to a 50/50 split.
So, was it any good? Well yes, it didn't do too badly at the hands of Jan Lammers and Rickard Rydell. In the 1994 season it managed a best finishing position of 5th, with a best qualifying spot of 3rd. So it didn't set the BTCC on fire in terms of performance, but a credible 6th place in the manufacturers standings at the end of the season validated the decision to further develop the 850 saloon for '95, which went on to qualify on pole 13 times and win five races. But it's the junk-in-the-trunk original that everybody remembers so fondly...
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love them to bits
