Euro Market Find: Volvo 850R Manual in Turquoise Pearl

What: 1996 Volvo 850R Station Wagon
Color: Turquoise Pearl (turquoisepearl; metallic pearl UNI; 422; Volvo)
VIN:  unknown
Mileage: 281,000 km / 174,605 miles
Price: € 18,850
CarFax: Link
Location: Bergkamen, Germany
Listing: AutoScout24

A particularly interesting example of the so-called rad-era Volvo station wagon has surfaced in Germany: a Volvo 850R finished in Turquoise Pearl and equipped with the desirable five-speed manual transmission. It represents a specification combination completely unavailable to American buyers during the car’s original production run – not tailored perhaps, but rare enough in several respects that we’ll give it a pass and think you will too.

Introduced for the 1996 model year as the successor to the limited-production Volvo 850 T‑5R, the 850R served as the flagship of the 850 lineup. Power came from Volvo’s turbocharged 2.3-liter inline-five (B5234T4) paired with a larger turbocharger, revised intercooler and updated engine management. In manual-transmission cars, output rose to roughly 250 horsepower and 350 Nm of torque, while automatic versions produced slightly less. 

The European-market manual cars were particularly significant because they used the heavy-duty M59 gearbox, a transmission developed specifically for the 850R and equipped with a viscous coupling and limited-slip differential to better manage the turbocharged five-cylinder’s torque delivery. This gearbox configuration was never offered in the United States, where the 850R was sold solely with an automatic transmission. 

Performance reflected those upgrades. Period figures quoted 0–62 mph in roughly 6.7 seconds for manual cars and a top speed approaching 155 mph, making the 850 R one of the quickest front-wheel-drive wagons of its era.

Color also sets this example apart. The 850R was offered globally in a limited palette that included Bright Red, Black Stone, Dark Grey Pearl, Dark Olive Pearl, Polar White and Turquoise Pearl, the latter being one of the rarer shades even in Europe. U.S. cars were restricted to just three colors—red, black and white—making turquoise cars effectively unobtainable stateside. 

The rest of the specification follows the familiar 850R formula. Exterior details include the model-specific front spoiler, rear wing and distinctive 17-inch “Volans” alloy wheels in titanium finish, while the cabin features Volvo’s sport seats trimmed in leather and Alcantara along with wood trim on the dashboard and center console – all standard 850R kit for the most part, both in Europe an America.

As performance Volvos from the 1990s gain recognition among enthusiasts, manual European-spec cars like this one have become increasingly desirable now that they’ve reached the easy-to-import age greater than 25 years. Between the M59 manual gearbox, the upgraded turbocharged five-cylinder and a rarely seen Turquoise Pearl exterior, this example represents one of the more distinctive configurations of Volvo’s original modern performance sedan.