Volvo enthusiasts will recognize the name Polestar for its racing cars, concept cars and the mild modifications it makes for Volvo road cars. But now the Swedish outfit, which shares close ties with the manufacturer itself, has released what it's calling its first full production car. The enhancements start under the hood, where the 3.0-liter turbo six has been upgraded with a bigger Borg Warner turbocharger, new intercooler, remapped ECU and a sportier exhaust to increase output from 300 horsepower to 350.

That may not be as much as the 508-horsepower concept version, but it is enough to drop the 0-62 time from 5.8 seconds down to 4.9. Top speed, however, remains limited to 155 mph. Power is channeled through a recalibrated six-speed automatic with launch control and a retuned, rear-biased Haldex all-wheel drive system. The S60 Polestar also packs a new aero kit (complete with front splitter, rear wing and diffuser, all fine-tuned in Volvo's own wind tunnel), plus Ohlins dampers, upgraded brakes and rolling stock and a returned chassis. Unfortunately the S60 Polestar is, for the time being, limited exclusively to the Australian market.