- a polestar 2 prototype has been revealed at the goodwood festival of speed, showing up with 68 additional ponies for a total of 476 horsepower.
- the experimental car swipes the pirelli p zero rosso tires and akebono front brakes from the $156,500 polestar 1 and the carbon-fiber front strut bar from the volvo s60 polestar engineered.
- the öhlins dampers are 30 percent stiffer on the prototype, and polestar has also tighened the springs by 80 percent up front and 40 percent in back.
with a zero-to-60-mph time of 4.1 seconds and 100 mph arriving in 10.5 seconds in our testing, the polestar 2 is no slouch. still, polestar decided to surprise us by bringing an upgraded performance-oriented prototype of its electric hatchback to this year's goodwood festival of speed.
built on the long range, dual-motor version of the 2, the two motors now churn out a combined 476 horsepower in this example, 68 horsepower more than the standard car. the 2 also gains some attitude thanks to a slightly wider track and a ride height about an inch lower. under widened fender flares sit 275/30r-21 pirelli p zero rosso tires from the $156,500 polestar 1, and the prototype also borrows the polestar 1's six-piston akebono front brakes.
this version of the polestar 2 should also be nimbler, with the springs stiffened by 80 percent up front and 40 percent at the rear and the öhlins dampers tightened by 30 percent. the 2 prototype also borrows from the volvo s60 polestar engineered, adding its carbon-fiber front suspension strut bar, with a custom rear strut bar built to complement it.
visual changes are minor. along with the more aggressive stance, there are redesigned front and rear bumpers, and the car is painted in snow matte with a magnesium matte racing stripe and the number 2 emblazoned on the hood. polestar suggests that this prototype is just an engineering exercise, but it wouldn't be too surprising to see some of these updates on a production car down the road.