Volvo 850 celebrates 25 years | Car Talk - Car News Jun 2016

12:28 Thursday 09 Jun 2016

The ground-breaking Volvo 850 celebrates its 25th birthday this week.

Launched in Stockholm 25 years ago this Saturday, the 850 was billed as a “dynamic car with four world firsts”. The pioneering car featured a transverse five-cylinder engine, Delta-link rear axle designed in-house by Volvo, integrated side-impact protection system – known as SIPS - and a self-adjusting front seat belt.

However, probably the most memorable impact the Volvo 850 had was when the manufacturer entered an estate version in the 1994 British Touring Car Championship. Initially laughed at by its competitors, when Swede Rickard Rydell raced it to a third place finish overall attitudes quickly changed.

The 850 was the fruit of Volvo’s Project Galaxy, which started in 1978 and also spawned the Dutch-built 400 series. The first 850 was the GLT model with a 20-valve, 170bhp power plant. A turbocharged 250bhp version, the T5-R, was launched at the 1994 Geneva Motor Show, while in 1995 another innovation saw the 850 became the first mass-produced car to come with side-impact airbags. A four-wheel-drive version, the 850 AWD was also added to the range.

Although the 850 was in production for just five years a total of 1,360,522 we produced, with the model introducing many innovations not only for Volvo but for the car industry as a whole.