Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Polestar working on Volvo S60 to take on M3

There are several things you might think of when Volvo comes to mind, but performance isn't necessarily one of them. Volvo is working on that image, however, and Polestar is a big part of that.

The tuning firm and racing garage has been partnering with Gothenburg on several fronts, not the least of them being the company's officially sanctioned touring car team whose latest S60 racer is pictured above. Those efforts have also been seeping into the Swedish automaker's publicly available road cars, but nothing has approached the kind of levels that AMG applies to Mercedes-Benz or the M division does with BMW vehicles.

That's been long rumored to be in for a change, however, and the latest reports give us a sneak peek at what the two firms have in store. According to Swedish car mag Teknikens Varld, Volvo and Polestar are working on a full-scale assault on the territory held by the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG and BMW M3, among others.

The donor vehicle would be the S60 sedan, but the question remains just what would motivate such a beast. Sources suggest the Yamaha-built V8 from the XC90 could be employed. In stock form it produces 315 horsepower, but Noble uses it in the M600 with a pair of turbochargers that boost output up to 641 hp. A nice, round 400 hp should be well within reason, then, and Polestar's considerable capabilities.

The S60 Polestar could, however, go with modifying an engine already available in the stock S60. For its C30 concept, Polestar bolted a bigger turbo onto the 2.5-liter five for 411 hp, and recently managed to squeeze 325 hp out of the stock turbo six with just an ECU reflash. Whatever the engine, we're told to expect a Haldex all-wheel-drive system, Öhlins suspension and Brembo brakes stuffed into 19-inch BBS alloys wearing Pirelli PZero rubber. Consider our interests piqued.

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/05/24/p...to-take-on-m3/

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

great news! Would love to see another iteration of the S60 R.

xsh0tya

I have a thing for volvos.... I agree this would be awesome!!! The more competitors the better for us the consumer!

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Exactly! Consumers benefit from more manufacturers trying to be better than the other guy. Pushes for a better product

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

M3-fighting Volvo S60 Polestar spotted testing

Gallery:
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/hotte...photo-5047307/

If news of a more powerful Volvo S60 sounds familiar, it's because we just reported on this subject earlier in the week. Now, though, a reader of the same Swedish site that initially broke the news has fired back with a set of spy photos, and we can clearly see that Volvo is indeed making improvements to the S60.

As for what exactly those improvements are, your guess is as good as ours. As we reported before, Polestar – the tuning firm that now offers power upgrades for the current range of Volvo products – is said to be handling the more potent S60, with horsepower slated to be somewhere in the 350 to 400 range. Volvo could use a version of the Yamaha-sourced V8 from the XC90, but in this day and age, a boosted version of the turbocharged inline-six sounds more realistic.

Of course, a hotter S60 will need more than just power to make it truly competitive with the likes of the BMW M3 and Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG. We're sure that Polestar has many a trick up its sleeve, and we're indeed interested to see how the whole project pans out. Stay tuned.

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/05/25/m...otted-testing/

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Volvo teases M3-fighting S60 Polestar ahead of race debut

Remember the hotted-up Volvo S60 that's set to take the fight to the BMW M3 with enhancements from Polestar? The Swedish sport sedan we told you about is apparently not nearly as far off as you might think. According to a report from the TTA racing group, Volvo is set to debut its new steroid-enhanced sedan on June 16 at the Gothenburg City Arena race.

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

Mum's still the word on exactly what lies under the hood of the new Polestar S60. Rumors have suggested either a Yamaha-sourced V8 (a version of the engine that is used in the XC90) or a boosted version of the turbocharged inline-six currently found in the S60. Guess we'll just have to wait until the 16th to find out.

Source and Video:
http://www.autoblog.com/2012/06/07/v...of-race-debut/

xsh0tya

Im excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I8ABMR

They all try but they never succeed ..... The M3 is very special. Its not just the performance. Its the balance

xsh0tya

Possibly, but its the "all" that keeps the M3 from slacking. Also, some people like to stick out, and see a M3 in the rearview mirror.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

I really hope its dubbed S60 R

bagwell

+1, "Polestar" sounds a little ****-like IMO