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1995 Volvo 850 R "Boxy Love" Gets Modernized

The words "cool wagon" probably spark imagery of the Audi RS6 or some king of AMG Hammer relative. However, Volvo also made one really cool performance wagon and even went racing with it.
1995 Volvo 850 R "Boxy Love" 1 photo
Photo: YouTube screenshot/The Sketch Monkey
This generation of Volvo drivers doesn't get to enjoy any thrills and probably doesn't want to either. Sure, you can have a Polestar-tuned T8 powertrain, but the plug-in can never feel as natural as a classic Volvo. The brand is all about safety, so it's even self-imposing some serious speed limits.

The 850 R is considered by many to be the coolest Volvo of all time, and rightfully so. However, besides making his rendering magic happen, the artist TheSketchMonkey also brought to our attention that it marked other firsts for the brand.

The really old Volvos that people forgot - the Amazons, the 200s, the 300s - they were all RWD. That's why some of them can still be found in drift scenes. But the 850 became the first front-wheel-drive Volvo in America when it arrived in 1992. Also, at the time, this was the most expensive industrial project ever undertaken in Sweden.

However, this was just a normal family wagon or sedan, whereas we're talking about an epic performance vehicle. In 1995, the 850 R came out. This was a limited-edition model to celebrate and encourage racing, plus a real sleeper that could catch unsuspecting sports cars.

Its design is just as iconic. Yellow paint, slightly lower suspension and a subtle body kit denoted its performance and rarity. And just like the Audi RS2, Porsche had a hand in developing the Volvo, the German automaker helping with the software and transmissions. Now, despite having just 240 horsepower, which doesn't sound like much, it was a relatively quick car for its era, reaching 100 km/h (62mph) in under 7 seconds.

As far as the modernization process is concerned, the Swedish artist goes over the boxy back of the wagon, designing more modern lights and a new bumper. Although he glazes over the sides with his Photoshop soft brush, the boxy lines of the 850 R are left to differentiate it from a modern Volvo.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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