Polestar/Volvo Unveil New S60 Racecar

Volvo (and its in-house racecar firm, Polestar) is no stranger to touring car racing so it should come as little surprise that the automaker has rebuilt its S60 sport sedan for track duty. The new car is called the Volvo S60 TTA, and hopes to take the Swedish Elite Racing League by storm this summer.

The TTA is certainly not street-legal, which means the R-Design can keep its crown, but the racecar will pack quite a punch. Volvo and Polestar say the racing S60 will get a V-6 engine (of indeterminate size) that makes 420 horsepower. Those horses will be sent to the rear wheels through a six-speed sequential manual transmission with paddle shifters.

Also bundled in the S60 powertrain is a kinetic energy recovery system, although Polestar didn’t say exactly how the system would be employed. We imagine it’ll work like most KERS systems, which provides a push-to-pass function that delivers a brief power boost for overtaking other cars.

Perhaps the best feature of the hot Volvo is its body. The carbon-fiber coachwork may look like the bone-stock S60 from the windowsill up, but the lower aerodynamic kit and gigantic rear wing remind fans that this car means business. The wide wheel arches, along with the graphite gray 18-inch wheels, further lend the S60 TTA an aggressive look.
The S60 TTA will be Volvo’s first foray into the TTA Elite Racing League, an eight-race circuit that will bring the car to tracks all across Sweden. Four S60 TTAs will compete, helmed by Robert Dahlgren, Fredrik Ekblom,Thed Bjork, and a fourth driver that’s yet to be named. Polestar says it’s hard at work testing and building the cars – a good idea, considering that the first race is in May.

At the very least, Volvo and Polestar have signed to race in this series through 2015, which means this shocking blue racer has quite a lot of work ahead of it.

Source: Volvo

Read more: http://wot.motortrend.com/go-swede-racer-polestar-volvo-unveil-420-hp-s60-race-car-172029.html#ixzz1oYt2bj60