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Swedish Chic: Polestar 1 In The Canyons Of California


Swedish Chic: Polestar 1 In The Canyons Of California

The Volvo 262C and Volvo 780 Bertone are gorgeous cars. Yes, Volvos. The bricks looked damn smart as coupes, and they brought plenty to the table…mainly, all of the safety positives that Volvo is famous for, but with a bit of flair and a bit of class. Then there’s the Volvo C70…it’s a looker in my eyes, but it has one big problem that no amount of beauty will ever overcome: it was a front-driver. Volvo coupe, good. Volvo coupe as a semi-flaccid commuter? Hell no.

So…let’s start with the top point: this technically is not a Volvo. It is a Polestar 1, from the brand of Volvo Cars that is specifically designed to be the performance house. It’s a limited-edition: 1,500 examples, all left-hook, produced over three years, It’s a hybrid: two electric motors at the rear wheels, a device called an integrated starter generator, and a 2.0L twin-charged (that’s turbo and supercharger) four-cylinder that’s installed for a front-wheel-drive setup. Combined, it’s 600 horsepower and 738 ft/lbs of torque. Out of a car whose basic overall concept is two doors away from being a Chevrolet Volt.

The numbers: 4.2 seconds to 60 MPH, twelve-second quarter mile, and that’s out of a 5,155-pound brick. Yeah, it’s heavy. Yes, it’s expensive (somewhere north of $150,000). But it can stay on pure electric power for 65 miles alone, has a very elegant look that’s dead-on perfect for a coupe, and being Volvo, is impervious to everything short of a cliff dive into the ocean, a T-bone by a loaded Kenworth, or a nuclear blast.

But…can you get past the fact that it’s produced in China?


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One thought on “Swedish Chic: Polestar 1 In The Canyons Of California

  1. Henrik

    I personally would not touch anything made in china. I have seen some of these china Volvos in person and the quality is far from he Volvos i remember from my childhood. And i could also be afraid that it would be loaded with tec that is made for spying on the owner. I dont trust the chinese one bit. Especially after tik tok and the phone situation.

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