This past summer, Polestar showed us how well a specially tuned Polestar 2 performed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Now, the Swede’s have turned to a different kind of surface. Ice.

As a country with land within the Arctic Circle, Sweden has no shortage of ice. To take their winter testing to the next level, Polestar engineers take vehicles to the Arctic Circle for a series of stress tests in temperatures as low as –35 degrees Celsius.

Polestar’s Chief Chassis Engineer Joakim Rydholm says, “... we can feel and analyze 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.”

Rydholm's rally history played a significant role in the modification of the ‘Arctic Circle’ dubbed Polestar 2, with a 30mm lift, improved power and torque to 469hp and 502 ft-lbs of torque, specially tuned Öhlins shocks, launch control, carbon fiber shovel and recovery strap, 19” OZ Racing wheels, LED front driving lights, a carbon fiber skid plate, and custom Recaro bucket seats.

While this car is devoted to testing purposes, it would be exciting to see Polestar enter rally circuits with the ‘Arctic Circle.’ There are hours of footage on YouTube of old RWD Volvo’s tearing up dirt roads in the middle of the woods, so seeing a modern Swede would be refreshing, and I would bet the Polestar 2 would dominate those stages. With the equipped studded tires, I find it hard to believe the ‘Arctic Circle’ would not conquer the ice too.

If you want to read more about the 'Arctic Circle' Polestar 2, check out the full article here.