A top Polestar engineer has developed a skiddy snow and ice special version of the new ‘Two.’

TAKE a performance-attuned electric car, up the power, add some rally sport enhancements, throw it onto a frozen lake within the Arctic Circle – and be prepared for a tonne of fun!

Joakim Rydholm, the chief chassis engineer at Polestar and also a part-time rally driver, is undoubtedly proving a point about EVs being up for extreme temp operability with his one-off version of his employer’s Polestar 2 model.

The ‘Polestar 2 Arctic Circle’ has seen a number of tweaks to make the car more capable of running in snowy Arctic conditions in the north of Sweden where Polestar often tests its new models.

“Tuning a chassis on snow and ice allows us to develop our cars in what feels like slow motion and with better accuracy,” says Rydholm.

“With such low levels of grip, we can feel and analyse the dynamics at a much slower pace than on tarmac, which means we can really fine-tune the way our cars behave, down to the smallest details. This is my absolute favourite place to develop cars.”

To create his toy, Rydholm started with a dual-motor Polestar 2 Long Range and made significant changes.

It takes 19-inch OZ Racing rally wheels shod using custom-made 19-inch studded winter tyres featuring 490 4mm metal studs per tyre for extra grip.

Four Stedi Quad Pro LED spotlamps adorn the front end. It has a carbon fibre skid plate under the front bumper for underbody protection. The ride-height too has been raised by 30mm.

It also takes 30 percent softer springs with three-way performance Öhlins dampers which have been specially set-up for his car.

Front and rear strut braces have been fitted to increase both the torsional rigidity and steering responsiveness, while the car has also been equipped with a new prototype launch control system operated with something lacking from the road models; steering wheel-mounted paddles.

The Polestar's standard four-piston Brembo front brakes remain, and power is up thanks to the addition of the Performance Pack, an optional extra on the Polestar 2 which, by altering the software, increases the power from 300kW to 355kW.

“I wanted to have more fun than usual with this car,” said Rydholm.

“The balance and predictability we have achieved with the raised ride height and specialised tyres are particularly noticeable when you enter a bend completely sideways, with a bigger-than-usual smile on your face, and in total control.”