With fewer than 60 saloons and estates remaining in the UK out of the country's original 200-strong allocation, Neil Cotty's 1995 Volvo 850 T5-R is a rare thing, made rarer still by being finished in Cream Yellow, a colour that was much desired but even more limited.
Neil, who has business interests in motorsport, has owned the hot estate for around seven years. "I bought it from a friend who owns a car dealership," he says. "I'd been looking for a T5-R estate with the manual gearbox and in yellow. I knew it wouldn't be easy, there being so few of them, but being a big fan of touring car racing I had to have one so was prepared to be patient."
Looking at Volvo's current range, it's hard to believe the company once gave the world the image-busting T5-R. Based on the 850 Turbo, it was powered by an uprated version of that model's 2.3-litre five-cylinder 20-valve engine, producing 237bhp.
Porsche lent a hand in the development of the engine and transmission while Volvo busied itself with aerodynamic modifications, including a front bumper with a pronounced lip, a rear spoiler and side skirts.
The saloon looked good but it was the boxy estate people wanted, more so because of its almost comic absurdity. It even had roof rails. Demand was boosted by Volvo and TWR having raced a Super Touring 850 estate to reasonable success in the British Touring Car Championship the previous year.
Neil's passion for racing runs in the family: his 16-year-old daughter Emily is currently competing in the Italian Formula 4 Championship. "She had a really good start this season, doing very well in the Middle East," says Neil. "She got a podium. She's heavily committed to it. Fortunately I have my own workshop, so we can take care of the cars."
The evening we meet, Neil is joined by Scott Collinge, his close friend and trusted mechanic. He has arrived in a car possibly even rarer than the Volvo: a Mazda RX-7 Spirit R, widely recognised as the pinnacle of the rotary FD generation and highly sought-after.
