Volvo S60 Polestar claims superseded Nurburgring record

Germany’s iconic Nurburgring Nordschleife has been a playground for many car-makers for decades, both when it comes to performance testing of future models and laying claim to the capability of new models.

Now Volvo has entered the fray, claiming a new lap record for its latest S60 Polestar sports sedan, which completed the infamous 21km road loop in a rapid 7:51.110.

The only catch is that the upgraded S60 Polestar, which ditches its predecessor’s 257kW/500Nm 3.0-litre turbocharged straight-six for a 270kW/470Nm 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder, is that the lap time was set a year ago.

The test was conducted by Cyan Racing, the race team created when Volvo bought Polestar two years ago, immediately after the German round of the 2016 WTCC at the Nurburgring last May.

Since then, Alfa Romeo has claimed a new Nurburgring lap record for a four-door production sedan with its rear-wheel drive Giulia QV, which stopped the clock at 7:32 last September.

Honda’s new front-drive Civic Type R hot hatch has eclipsed the all-wheel drive Volvo’s time since then too, with a time of 7:44 in April this year.

But Volvo, Polestar and Cyan Racing say the S60 Polestar’s then-record lap was not the purpose of the test – instead it was incidental to a development program focusing on the crossover of technology between Volvo’s road and race cars.

Indeed, Volvo — which didn’t say if the S60 Polestar was modified for its Nurburgring run — claims the data gathered from the test was so valuable that the lap time had to be kept secret until now.

Still, we can’t help thinking Volvo kept its power dry for the market launch of the MY17 S60 Polestar sedan and wagon, which soon arrive in Australia priced from $89,990 – $10K less than the six-pot models they replace.

It may no longer be the world’s fastest production sedan around the Nordschleife – or even the fastest four-cylinder car – but Volvo’s latest Polestar model certainly looks and sounds the goods while lapping the Green Hell.

Besides, Volvo could still lay claim to a Nurburgring record for an all-wheel drive turbocharged four-cylinder mid-size production sedan fitted with an automatic transmission. Or maybe not.