With 2021 over, so is production of the Polestar 1. The plug-in hybrid coupe was built in only 1,500 examples and all of them came with a left-hand-drive layout. Without a shadow of a doubt one of the most unusual performance cars in terms of powertrain, the PHEV machine was recently taken to the Autobahn for a top speed run on one of the remaining sections where there aren’t any speed limits.
Its acceleration performance was not too shabby considering the four-cylinder, 2.0-liter gasoline unit in a vehicle that weighs 2,350 kilograms (5,180 pounds). Of course, there’s more to the Polestar 1 and its four-pot combustion engine since the ICE is both supercharged and turbocharged while working with a pair of rear-mounted electric motors.
Gallery: Polestar 1 Special Edition in gold
Polestar’s first standalone model has a combined output of 609 horsepower and 738 pound-feet (1,000 Newton-meters) of torque. The electrified sports car was driven flat out on a slightly damp German highway and managed to hit the advertised 155 mph (250 km/h). Had it been in electric mode, the Polestar 1 would’ve topped out at 100 mph (160 km/h).
While parent company Volvo has been installing a top speed limiter since the beginning of 2020, Polestar hasn’t gone done this road (yet). That said, it looks as though the coupe is still capped and would likely go faster without the electronic nanny kicking in at 155 mph. It’s such a shame Volvo didn’t make its own version, the S90 Coupe, without the PHEV setup.
The 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) run wasn’t something to write home about in this video despite the copious amounts of instant torque delivered by the pair of electric motors. Polestar says it takes 4.2 seconds to get the job done, but this looked a tad slower and some would argue for $150,000 you’re better off getting a Porsche Taycan Turbo.
Nevertheless, the now-defunct Polestar 1 is one of the most beautiful GTs of the modern era and plays an important role for Volvo by kick-starting its spinoff brand. The company’s lineup will grow in the coming years as the Polestar 2 electric liftback will be followed later in 2022 by the US-built 3 crossover, a smaller and sleeker 4 in 2023, and the stunning Precept gran tourer arriving by 2025 as the Polestar 5.
Source: AutoTopNL / YouTube
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