Volvo to take on BMW M3 and Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG with Polestar Racing-tuned S60

Comfort, practicality, high levels of safety and quality are some of the few things that come to mind when we think of Swedish carmaker Volvo. But performance, handling and racing certainly aren’t really one of them. Now though the brand is looking to change that belief with the upcoming unveiling of its high-performance version of the S60 sedan. 

Designed and built by Polestar Racing – a tuning division that has been working with Volvo in the World Touring Car Championship and other forms of motorsports – the S60 Polestar is a street-legal, high-performance concept inspired by the race car that will be competing in the 2012 season of the Swedish TTA Racing Series. 

No word on the engine or drive-train details yet as Polestar wants to keep the specs and performance figures a secret until the car goes public on June 16 during the Gothenburg City Race in Sweden. Although we reckon the firepower will either be the Yamaha-tuned V8 engine from the XC90 SUV or a tuned version of the existing 3-litre, in-line 6 cylinder engine putting out power upwards of 400PS. 

According to Polestar Marketing Director, Hans Baath, "The performance concept road-car is a spinoff of our work evaluating and developing the S60 for racing."

The car is a one-off concept for now, but Polestar says it might go into production in the future. 

"Whether there will be more cars built is an open question, first of all we want to get feedback on this first prototype.” Said Hans Baath.