The car itself
If you were watching BTCC in the mid-Nineties, the Volvo 850 Estate holds a very specific place in your brain. Volvo actually raced an estate car. In a touring car championship. It was absurd, and it was brilliant. This police edition is a different beast, obviously, but the model captures that same chunky, purposeful shape spot on. The blue and yellow Swedish police livery looks proper sharp in hand, not cheap or plasticky.
Personally, I had one of these out on a borrowed track last Christmas and the kids were more interested in the police car than anything else on the layout. That says something.
Who this is actually for
Honestly, this is a collector's car as much as a racer's. Scalextric enthusiasts who remember the BTCC era will get a kick out of it. It also works well as a gift for someone who grew up with slot cars and needs something a bit more interesting than a generic supercar replica.
It is worth saying: at just under forty quid with no current discount, it is not a bargain in the traditional sense. You are paying for the novelty and the detail, not a deal.
A small reservation
If you are buying purely for racing performance rather than collecting or nostalgia, there are faster, more competitive Scalextric cars at a similar price. The 850 Estate is not the quickest thing on four virtual wheels. But that is almost beside the point with a model this specific.
