350kW Polestar 2 concept makes Goodwood debut
Pure-electric SUV gets power hike and chassis retune as Swedish brand explores new performance offeringA faster and more powerful concept for the 2021 Polestar 2 has been unwrapped at the Goodwood Festival of Speed that reveals the Swedish EV brand is plotting a high-performance version.
Claimed to benefit from performance upgrades borrowed from the flagship Polestar 1 coupe, the Experimental Polestar 2 SUV features dual motors that produce 350kW – 50kW more than the standard version that launches in Australia in November this year.
No performance figures have been released, but with the extra shove combined with all-wheel drive the Experimental Polestar 2 should be significantly quicker than the standard 300kW/660Nm Polestar 2 that sprints from 0-100km/h in just 4.7 seconds.
To cope with the extra might, engineers have completely rethought the standard car's chassis set-up.
The Experimental Polestar 2 sits 30mm lower to the ground with a 20mm-wider track that has required the addition of wider front and rear fenders.
Improving body control, the springs have been stiffened 80 per cent at the front and 40 per cent at the rear. The standard car's dampers, meanwhile, have been junked and replaced with three-way adjustable shockers sourced by Ohlins.
Improving body rigidity, a Volvo S60 Polestar Engineered front suspension strut bar has been added along with a custom-made rear strut bar.
Running large 21-inch rims, engineers have also borrowed the huge six-piston front brakes from the Polestar 1, plus its specially-developed Pirelli P Zero Rosso tyres.
For the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Experimental Polestar 2 also features tweaked front and rear bumpers and a new matte white paint job that's combined with metallic-effect stripes.
Created as part of a skunkworks operation to see how much more performance could be extracted from the Polestar 2, the Volvo-owned standalone brand has refused to confirm a faster version is in the pipeline, although the recent introduction of a front-drive variant is proof of a desire to expand the range.
Commenting on the Experimental Polestar 2, CEO Thomas Ingenlath said: “I challenged the design and engineering teams to play with Polestar 2 and come up with something that makes a strong statement for Goodwood.
“For a few months I have enjoyed driving another experimental Polestar 2, nicknamed ‘Beast’, around our Gothenburg campus, which inspired the team to come up with this version for Goodwood.
"We want to flex our muscles and explore opportunities," he said.
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