Polestar 1

The story

The Polestar 1 began as the Volvo Concept Coupe of 2013 and reached production almost untouched: long hood, short deck, wide stance and a single crisp line running from the door handle to the tail. Every outer panel is carbon fiber, yet it still weighs 2,345 kg (5,170 lb), because it carries a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder for the front wheels, a large battery through its middle and a pair of electric motors for the rear, each with its own gearset for genuine torque vectoring. On battery alone it is rear-wheel drive. With the battery empty it becomes front-wheel drive.

Driven as intended, it is a remarkable all-rounder: about 52 silent miles for daily errands, then all 619 hp for the open road, with Car and Driver timing 0 to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds. The flaws are honest ones. The engine sounds coarse, the cabin borrows heavily from Volvo, the rear seats suit only small children and the trunk is tiny. But hand-adjusted Öhlins dampers, Akebono brakes and a design that has not aged a day make it the rarest and most quietly ambitious grand tourer of its moment.