If spring is the time to think about a summer sports car, then we’re surely in peak fast estate season right now. There will be a tonne of cardboard that needs taking to the recycling centre, of course, family trips to far-flung relatives will be on the horizon, and then there are the new year commutes to consider. Something affordable, fast, four-wheel drive and with a blazing heated seat could be extremely desirable indeed.
Let’s be honest, too: while old RS4s and Subaru and ST Fords will crop up in immaculate condition every now and then, you don’t want a flawless winter beater. Otherwise it can’t be a beater. It should be a car to take pride in, of course, though also one that you wouldn’t hesitate to take anywhere, anytime, for any reason. Something to be protective of, but not too precious about. Fast estates are the ultimate in performance utility, so it would be a shame to not use them to their fullest potential.
If that’s the kind of vehicle you’re after this festive period, the perfect winter daily is soon going under the hammer on PH. It’s a Volvo V70 R, the 2.5-litre, five-cylinder, 300hp flagship of the second-generation V70 lineup. The still very handsome second-gen V70, it should be said, the Peter Horbury design standing the test of time impressively well: this car was first seen in 2000, and the R in 2003. This one is a manual, moreover, which makes it even rarer and more desirable to folks like us, with just two owners over its 21 years. It was first registered on December 29th, 2003, in fact.
As a sports saloon in S60 form, the R didn’t quite hit the mark, because rival four-doors from the likes of BMW were more engaging to drive. That didn’t matter anywhere near as much with the wagon, because the finer points of handling sophistication were much less of a priority against being fast, safe, secure and absolutely massive. Nobody else could boast that five-cylinder soundtrack, and four-wheel drive from the off meant no tyre-frying histrionics like early turbo-five 850s.
This one has been used as intended, racking up a little over 140,000 miles, though with plenty of services to go along with it. Plus, of course, that famed Volvo solidity, which means 70 per cent of the Rs on our roads in 2007 are still in service today. The interior in particular still looks really smart, and would surely be further improved with just a bit of leather feed. The outside has a couple of scuffs though is broadly in very good shape; again, some back-to-black and a polish would work wonders.
If that’s your thing, of course. Others might prefer simply to run it as an under-the-radar super wagon, with almost as much power as a new Golf R but the aura of an antiques dealer. Not that this V70 needs to be a pricey classic car, however: it’s going under the hammer early in January without reserve. What way to kick off 2025 it could be.
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