Polestar’s experimental, high-performance one-off for the 2021 Goodwood Festival of Speed - nicknamed “Beast” – goes into limited production.
The Swedish EV maker announced plans to make and sell 270 units of the 476 horsepower fastback sedans, 47 of which are destined for the US market. The Polestar 2 “BST edition 270”, named after the number of vehicles to be built, will be available exclusively in Europe, China and North America.
The modified Polestar 2 has a twin engine configuration tuned to pump out 476 horsepower, compared to 408 horsepower in the production version. The vehicle’s stance has also been widened by 10 millimeters on both sides and the ride height has been lowered by 2 mm to improve track handling.
It even carries over some features from Polestar’s first vehicle, the defunct plug-in hybrid Polestar 1, including 9 x 21-inch wheels and 275/30R21 Pirelli PZero Rosso performance tires. But while the Goodwood version had 6-piston Akebono front brakes, this version will feature the stock 4-piston Brembo brakes.
Other additions include the specially developed and unique Öhlins 2-way adjustable shock absorbers with additional adjustment chambers under the hood for improved traction and responsiveness. There is also a front strut bridge for increased stiffness and 20 percent stiffer springs.
The available exterior colors are Thunder or Snow (which sound like different shades of white, but what do we know). You can even request a matte black race stripe in the middle if you really want to go for the full experience.
The Polestar 2 BST edition 270 will enter production in mid-2022, with deliveries scheduled for the fourth quarter of the year. Interested buyers can sign up for the waiting list on Polestar’s website, and the lucky ones selected will go through a ‘personalized sales process’.
Polestar, which started as Volvo’s performance sub-brand, has grown in recent years into one of the more interesting EV companies on the market. The company – which is jointly owned by Volvo and Volvo’s parent company, Geely – recently announced plans to go public by merging with a dedicated acquisition company, or SPAC. That merger is expected to be completed “in the first half of 2022”, after which Polestar will be a publicly traded company.
Polestar has released only two vehicles so far: the $155,000 Polestar 1 hybrid coupe and the Polestar 2 fastback sedan. That lineup will grow with the introduction of the Polestar 3 SUV in 2022, the Polestar 4 compact SUV in 2023 and the Polestar 5 (née Precept) sports sedan in 2024. The company also unveiled a streamlined roadster concept called the Polestar O2.
