CARS OF THE WORLD

Polestar 2 Arctic Circle.

Polestar 2 Arctic Circle: an electric rally car.

Swedish company Polestar, a spin-off from Volvo in 2017, continues to remember its tuning past and has introduced a new version of the Polestar 2 electric cross-liftback — this time not for the racetrack, but for rally-style driving on winter roads.

Polestar is experimenting. Last summer at the Festival of Speed at Goodwood, a test liftback Polestar 2 with more powerful electric motors and sports suspension was presented.

Since autumn Polestar officially offers an increase in output of electric motors from 408 hp and 660 Nm to 476 hp and 680 Nm for the top version of the «two».

The Arctic Circle version is based on the conventional twin-engine Polestar 2 with the above-mentioned power plant upgrade.

Ground clearance is increased by 30 mm, it has an adjustable energy-consuming shock absorbers Öhlins with external reservoirs and 30% softer springs, front and rear suspension is added spacers, Brembo brakes remained standard.

The 19-inch OZ Racing rally-style wheels are shod in custom 245/35 R 19 studded tires.

For more precise traction control when starting on slippery surfaces, a new Launch Control system with control paddles on the steering wheel is installed.

Under the front bumper there is a carbon fiber protection and a powerful towing eyelet on the bumper.

In addition, the front end is equipped with four LED spotlights Stedi Quad Pro, and in the trunk was put a shovel with a carbon fiber handle and a bright tow rope.

There are Recaro racing buckets instead of regular front seats.

And now another prototype called Arctic Circle has been declassified. It is already sharpened not for asphalt ring, but for winter rally.

It is the personal project of the chief engineer-suspensioner of the company Polestar Joakim Ridholm. It is based on all-wheel drive Polestar 2 Long Range Performance with the same tuning package.

The battery remains standard — 78 kW∙h. And the main improvements were made to the running gear.

Polestar 2 Arctic Circle has 30 mm more ground clearance. The springs stiffness was reduced by 30%. The trucks are equipped with adjustable Öhlins shock absorbers with remote reservoirs.

The prototype is fitted with OZ Racing wheels, and the 245/35 R19 tires are custom-made: each has 490 studs with a 4mm protrusion.

The body has been reinforced with a metal strut in the trunk and a carbon fiber crossmember under the front bumper.

The prototype has additional LED spotlights and Recaro racing bucket seats. A new launch control system with steering wheel controls is also being rolled out on this electric car.

The Arctic Circle Polestar 2, unveiled today, may well later also give rise to some kind of tuning package, but for now it is, like the Experimental Polestar 2, a single specimen, demonstrating Polestar’s rich motorsport heritage as applied to electric cars.

The development of the Arctic Circle was overseen by Joakim Ridholm, Polestar’s chief suspension engineer, who believes that the most precise chassis tuning can only be achieved on snow and ice during long, smooth glides.

The company said right away that the Polestar 2 Arctic Circle is a one-off production vehicle, and there are no plans for it to go into mass production.

But some kind of optional «Rally Package» will probably be created on its basis.

We should add that last year Polestar sold 29 thousand cars in the world — a little, but it’s twice as much as in 2020, and the plan for 2025 is to reach the level of 290 thousand cars a year, that is an order of magnitude more.

Three upcoming novelties — Polestar 3, Polestar 4 crossovers and the flagship sedan Polestar 5 — should achieve these goals.