Polestar, the Swedish racing team turned tuning company, have only ever been involved with Volvo vehicles. And that’s because when the company was founded in 1996 it was the product of a collaboration between Polestar and Volvo themselves. Polestar are basically the unofficially official Skunkworks of Volvo performance.
Polestar’s latest creation is a highly tuned version of the S60. The engineers started the transformation by bolting on a Garret turbocharger to the 3.0 litre inline six cylinder engine from the top-spec T6. They then modified the cylinder head, combustion chambers, inlet manifold and air intake, fitted specially manufactured conrods, and a 3.5 inch stainless steel exhaust system. Those enhancements raise the engine’s power output significantly. From 300 horsepower to 508 horsepower, and from 325 lb-ft of torque to 424 lb-ft. The result is a car which can hit 62 mph (100 km/h) in just 3.9 seconds, and continue on to a 186 mph (300 km/h) top speed.
Aside from the engine upgrades, the Polestart Volvo S60 also features a tuned Haldex all-wheel-drive system and a reinforced close-ratio 6-speed manual transmission.
The Polestar Volvo S60 looks the part too, with a 30 mm lower ride height and a 20 mm wider body. There’s also a few subtle yet sporty revisions to the bodywork. Including a lowered front splitter, carbon fiber diffuser, and a larger rear spoiler to reduce high speed lift. There’s also some very nice 19-inch wheels wrapped in Michelin rubber.
Those wheels partially hide the performance brakes, which consist of Brembo 6-piston calipers and 380 mm ventilated discs up front, and Polestar calipers with 302 mm ventilated discs at the rear.
On the inside the Polestar Volvo S60 features a generous helping of Alcantara suede, which finds its way onto the steering wheel, gear knob, and seats. The center console has been lowered for what Polestar call “optimised gear-lever ergonomics”. Or in other words, to make it easier to change gear.
At the moment the Polestar Volvo S60 is just a one-off. However Polestar Marketing Director Hans Bååth has stated that the car is being evaluated for a possible low-numbers production run.
Fingers crossed.
Source: Polestar
