It’s safety first as Rob Dahm explores the weird world of Volvo tuning, with an $850 Volvo 850R estate that’s been transformed into a touring-car tribute – 1990s livery and all. Surely you’ve seen that iconic photo of Dutch racing driver Jan Lammers? It’s an action shot capturing an incongruous Volvo 850 Estate in British Touring Car Championship trim, two wheels suspended above a bit of curbing, with Lammers at the wheel coaxing it in for a landing. A flying brick, to be sure.

Rob heads to the Lime Rock Park proving grounds to compare a bone-stock 850 with one that’s been modified by the guys at FCP Euro. This Volvo 850R may be a bit of a Volvo nerd’s breakfast, but it demonstrates how an ordinary family car can, in the right hands, be transformed into something quite extraordinary, embodying the passion and creativity at the heart of car tuning.