Saab 900 Aero vs Volvo 850 T-5R - Swedish classic car battle on auction

Two classics, the Swedish performance cars Volvo vs 850 T-5R and 900 Aero, goes head-to-head in Bilweb Auctions classic car auction on November 11. It is Gothenburg vs Trollhattan. Which of them will win the price race?
 
Saab 900 Aero 16 V Turbo was the fastest, hottest and most stylish car the Swedish car industry could deliver in the 1980s. In 1985, the year after the launch, it was crowned as” Best Directors Car” by the British car magazine What Car. Among the competitors as BMW 732i, Volvo 760 Turbo and Mercedes 280 SE. The Aero name was of course a nod to the brand’s airplane history.
 
It took Volvo until 1994 to respond with the 850 T-5R, a performance sedan with 240 hp from the 2.3 liter 5-cylinder engine under the hood.
 
Today, both these cars are modern classics, ”youngtimers”, that still likes to be driven in the left lane on autobahn. But also, old enough for an owner without a deep understanding of inboard computers.
 
Now these two will meet in Bilweb Auction´s first November auction. Two examples in well kept running condition.
 
The 1988 900 Aero comes in a color with the exciting name Odoardo Grey, named after Saab´s Italian importer at the time. The posh Italian customers preferred dark, sophisticated metallic colors.
 
-    It´s the optimal original color for a 900 Aero, says Peter Backstrom, curator at the Saab Car Museum. He also notices that the car is equipped with two very sought-after original accessories, the 16” Aero wheels and a rear spoiler mounted on the bootlid.
 
The 2-litre, 4-cylinder, engine produces 175 hp. That sends the 900 Aero to 100 km/h in 8,5 seconds and close to a top speed of 220 km/h.
 
The Volvo 850 T-5R has the total opposite of a sophisticated exterior color. The intense and eye-catching Cream Yellow became the signature for Volvo´s new performance sedan when it was presented at the Geneva show in 1994. ”T-yellow” became the nickname in Sweden and it is still used. Other colors were added later on, Olive Green and Black.
 
The 850 T-5R was a part of Volvo´s strategy to move its brand in a more dynamic direction. Another move was to race in the British Touring Car Championship, BTCC, with an 850 estate.
 
The car in the auction is from 1995 with all the specific T-5R details in place, for example the front and rear spoilers, the square end pipe, the leather/Amaretta upholstery and the characteristic ”Titan” wheels.
 
Top speed was 245 km/h and 0-100 was done in 7,5 second with an auto gearbox like in this car. Formally it produces 226 hp, but 240 was achieved ”with a temporary increase of the boost pressure, in maximum 30 seconds”. 236 yellow sedans with automatic gearbox were produced as model year 1995 and 1996.
 
And now we wait for the answer: Saab or Volvo..?