Wondering what Polestar was testing earlier in the year? Wonder no longer.
The Experimental Polestar 2 you see here, known internally as the Beast, has 350kW of power and a more aggressive look.
“I challenged the design and engineering teams to play with Polestar 2 and come up with something that makes a strong statement for Goodwood,” comments Thomas Ingenlath, Polestar CEO.
“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.”
Along with the uprated dual-motor powertrain, the Beast has a 10mm wider track and a 30mm lower ride.
The body is broader to house the 21-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 275/30 Pirelli P Zero Rosso tyres, behind which hide the six-piston Akebono brakes from the Polestar 1.
The front springs are 80 per cent stiffer and the rears are 40 per cent stiffer than before, and the Ohlins dampers have been upgraded to three-way units that are 30 per cent stiffer than the road car’s.
Along with the under-the-skin changes, the Beast has a Snow Matte exterior with a Magnesium Matte racing stripe, and gloss black mirrors.
Although the Beast is a one-off, the car on which it’s based is locked in for Australia in November 2021.
In decades past, Polestar was Volvo’s racing offshoot and high-performance tuner, but it has transformed into an electric performance brand owned by Volvo and its Chinese-based parent, Geely.
The first car coming Down Under will be the Polestar 2, a Tesla Model 3 rival with 470km of range from its 78kWh lithium-ion battery on the WLTP test cycle.
With 300kW and 660Nm from its dual-motor powertrain, the Chinese-made 2 will hit 100km/h in just 4.7 seconds from standstill.
