Volvo plans 500bhp, M3-beating Polestar S60

A 500bhp, Polestar-developed version of the Volvo S60 will make production, insiders have revealed. The new model, developed by the team behind Volvo’s Swedish Touring Car Championship entry, was spied in Sweden for the first time last week and is said to be close to a market launch.

Insiders have given no details away other than the BMW M3-eclipsing power output. It is unlikely Volvo would have stretched its six-cylinder engine to make such a figure, so power is expected to come from a turbocharged version of the 4.4-litre Yamaha V8 found in the XC90 (and 
the Noble M600).

A Haldex all-wheel drive system is also likely to feature, along with a pair of clever differentials taken from the C30 Polestar concept.

The spy pictures mask Polestar’s bodywork changes, but these are likely to include a more aggressive front end with additional engine cooling, plus wider sills and a diffuser at the rear. The spy pics do show the new, larger alloy wheels.

Polestar offers performance upgrades for various Volvo models, but it has not created a full-blown Volvo production car before. The Polestar C30, which used a 400bhp 2.5-litre, five-pot engine, was never given the green light, despite positive feedback.

via: autocar