VOLVO CANADA - Developed from 17 years of motorsport experience, and sharing DNA with the 508bhp Volvo S60 Polestar Concept Car, the first road car from Polestar to be put into production is here - the Volvo S60 Polestar.
"We have built a car that we, as car enthusiasts, want to drive," says Christian Dahl, Managing Director of Polestar. "This is a driver's car, bringing out the very best of the already competent Volvo S60 chassis with our experience and technology from motorsport.
"We received a fantastic response to our Volvo C30 and S60 Polestar concept cars, so we are very happy to now introduce our first production car to the Australian market. This is an important step forward for Polestar, one that promises an exciting future."
Australia pilot market for limited edition project
A limited production run has been developed exclusively for the Australian market as a pilot project, with the first cars being delivered to customers in late June 2013. Introduction of the Volvo S60 Polestar to further markets is under investigation pending the response of the Australian introduction.
"The Australian market for performance cars is, and has always been, strong," says Matt Braid, Managing Director of Volvo Cars Australia. "We are delighted to be able to offer our customers the Volvo S60 Polestar, a car more than capable of getting into the thick of the action in this competitive segment of the market.
"The work done by Polestar on the S60 is impressive to say the least - they have transformed the already fun to drive Volvo S60 into a great handling driver's car."
Extensive chassis development - by racing drivers
Key to the development of the Volvo S60 Polestar was the extensive work done on the chassis over thousands of test kilometers in Europe - from the fast autobahns in Germany to the twisty roads of southern Spain, and the freezing cold of northern Sweden.
Volvo Polestar Racing driver Robert Dahlgren, a 33-year-old Swede with 10 years as a Volvo factory racing driver under his belt, has been an integral part of the development work.
"The Volvo S60 Polestar is a car that we are truly proud of, our first step to a production car available to the customers," said Robert Dahlgren, Volvo Polestar Racing driver.
"We have taken the best bits of the standard S60 T6 and our S60 Polestar Concept Car, creating a vehicle that puts a smile on your face when you drive it over your favourite twisty road. At the same time, it is more than capable of everyday driving, too.
"This is, in my eyes, a very good combination of the Volvo and Polestar core values: safety and performance."
Cutting-edge technology straight from the racetrack
Just as important as the men and women from Polestar who developed the car is the technology underneath it.
The Volvo S60 Polestar shares technology from the Polestar racing cars, like dampers from Öhlins, high capacity brakes, and the extensively developed, highly-tuned chassis.
A new aerodynamic package has also been developed, including a front splitter, rear wing and diffuser - all having been tweaked and modified in the Volvo Car Group wind tunnel in collaboration with the Volvo Research and Development team.
The six-cylinder turbo-charged Volvo T6 engine has been optimised by Polestar with a bigger turbo, new intercooler, revised engine mapping and racing exhaust to produce 350bhp or 257kW and 500+Nm.
The S60 Polestar accelerates from 0-100km/h in just 4.9 seconds, via a Polestar-tuned six-speed automatic gearbox - which also features a launch control system - and a Polestar-tuned Haldex 4WD system. The car is governed to a top speed of 250km/h.
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Technical Specifications
Performance
• 0-100 km/h 4.9 sec
• Top speed 250 km/h - limited
Engine
• 6-cylinder inline T6 engine, 2953 cc
• 257kw (350bhp) @ 5700 rpm
• 500+Nm @ 2800-4750rpm
• Max 6500 RPM
• Polestar engine software
• New Borg Warner turbo
• New intercooler
• 2.5" stainless full-flow exhaust system with 3.5" tail pipes.
Chassis
• Polestar Öhlins, 2-way adjustable shock absorbers
• Upgraded springs
• o 60N/mm front, 65N/mm rear. (80% stiffer than stock)
• Upgraded stabilizers front and rear
• Upgraded rear tie blades
• Upgraded top mount in front and rear
• Upgraded toe link arms in rear
• Strut brace with carbonfiber enforcement
• 235/40R19, Michelin Pilot Super Sport
• Bespoke Polestar rims, 8x19" ET51
Weight
• 1684kg - same as standard S60 T6 R-Design
Drivetrain
• AWF21 automatic gearbox
• o Launch control
• o Modified transmission software for faster shifts and launch control
• o Modified AWD software for more rear torque
Brakes
• Front:
o 336x29 mm ventilated discs
o Jurid 958 performance brake pad
• Rear:
o 302x22 mm ventilated discs
o HP2000 Brembo performance brake pads
Aero
• New Polestar front splitter corners
• New Polestar rear spoiler
• New Polestar diffuser
Interior/Exterior
• Polestar door trims
• Polestar badge on front grille
• Polestar badge on boot
• Polestar gear shift knob
• Polestar badge on engine
• Polestar limited edition plate on door sills and steering wheel
• Black outside mirror covers