af Balder » tors sep 16, 2010 0:39 am
T-5R
In 1995, an exclusive limited edition race-bred model developed in part with Porsche named the T-5R was released. The vehicle was based upon the 850 Turbo with the B5234T5 engine with a special ECU known as the Bosch #628 ECU, that added 3 psi (0.2 bar) to turbocharger boost pressure, giving the engine an additional 18 horsepower (13 kW). The T-5R was capable of accelerating to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 5.7 seconds and completing a quarter-mile in 14.8 seconds. Top speed was electronically limited to 155 mph (249 km/h). Despite the boxy, understated appearance, the stock T-5R had a drag coefficient of 0.29. The vehicle came standard with Pirelli P-Zero tyres. The tyres provided a grip of 0.88 g. It was also one of the first commercial automobiles to utilize Alcantara suede in the interior (i.e. front seat inserts, rear seat inserts, armrests, console), an idea taken from the Porsche 911 Turbo at the time.[citation needed] The engine was co-developed with Porsche, as was the transmission and remaining powertrain components. Porsche also aided in designing some of the interior as well (i.e. Alcantara suede inserts). The automobile was noted[by whom?] for its lavish, yet ergonomic interior. All options found on competitors came standard in the Volvo.[citation needed] Only two options were available - the trunk-mounted Alpine 6-CD changer and the no-cost 16" wheels for a smoother, more comfortable ride and driveability in snow because of the all-weather tyres. The engine produced 240 hp (179 kW) and 221 lb·ft (300 N·m) of torque. The tranmission was a 4-speed automatic. (Volvo's 5-speed automatic transmission debuted 2 years later.) A 5-speed manual transmission was also offered in certain markets, such as Canada and, of course, Sweden.
5500 T-5Rs were produced worldwide, of which 2000 went to the US: The 1995 850 T-5R was limited in exterior paint color choices:
* cream yellow - 2119 worldwide including sedan and station wagon
* black - 2234 worldwide including sedan and station wagon
* olive green - 2477 worldwide including sedan and station wagon
The rarest of all versions was a yellow sportwagon, of which 185 came to the US, as more sedans were made than sportwagons. At the time, the Volvo T-5R wagon was the fastest wagon ever made and held the title until Mercedes created an AMG E-Class wagon several years later.[citation needed]
The T-5R sold out in short time, leading Volvo to repeat the T-5R the following year as the 850 R. However, presumably because of manufacturing reasons, the vehicle was notably slower and laborious through turns.
The 850 T-5R was the fastest automatic transmission automobile at the time,[citation needed] until the 1997 Corvette automatic later topped the Volvo's 0-60 mph time. It was the fastest sedan available in terms of 0-60 mph and 1/4-mile times and top speed until the German automakers began the famous horsepower wars that continue to this day.[citation needed]
The Volvo 850 T-5R was also noted for its safety features. It was the first automobile to have four airbags standard.[citation needed] The side airbags were installed in the seat cushions. German automakers would soon follow with their own side airbags as well, however, they were installed in the doors. The side airbags followed into all Volvos the following year as an option and became standard on the full-line a year after that, before other manufacturers began offering them as an option, in particular American and Japanese automakers. The same occurred with Volvo's introduction of daytime-running headlamps. The automobile also came with the first integrated child booster seat in the rear cabin.[citation needed] It was also the first sedan to have three-point seatbelts at all five seating positions. Volvo would later debut the side curtain airbag a couple of years later in the S80 and make those standard on the full line of autos before other manufacturers as well, though Lexus followed only months later.
Also included in the 1995 T-5R package is a front bumper with a lip, rear spoiler, side skirts, polished aluminum door sills, special graphite leather like that of the Porsche 911 and Alcantara (the fire-retardant version of Toray Industries' Ultrasuede (tm)) seats in dark grey like that of the Porsche 911 Turbo and a black interior with deep walnut wood grain accents. Both yellow and black versions came with the same black interior as the only choice. The T-5R had an additional badge to the left of the "850" on the trunk, referred to as "The Motorsport badge". Aftermarket Motorsport badges are available and are often added by owners but only the 1995 T-5R came standard with that badge. The standard wheels were the titanium-gray 5-spoke 17×7 "Titan". 1995 was the only year that the a model was badged as a "T-5R". All subsequent models are badged with just the simple addition of "R" due to the one-off intended uniqueness of the T-5R. (e.g. 1995 850 T-5R, 1996 850 R, 2004 S60 R)