PetrolBlogPetrolBlogPetrolBlogPetrolBlog
  • Home
  • 70s cars
  • 80s cars
  • 90s cars
  • 00s cars
  • Manufacturers
    • CITROËN
    • PEUGEOT
    • RENAULT
    • Alfa Romeo
    • Audi
    • Dacia
    • Daihatsu
    • Fiat
    • Ford
    • Honda
    • Hyundai
    • Lancia
    • Matra
    • Mazda
    • Mercedes-Benz
    • Mitsubishi
    • Nissan
    • Opel
    • Proton
    • Saab
    • Seat
    • Skoda
    • Suzuki
    • Talbot
    • Toyota
    • Vauxhall
    • Volkswagen
    • Volvo
  • Features
    • 10 of the best
    • CarTunes
    • General Bunk
    • It’s time to appreciate
    • Major Waffle
    • New cars
    • Regrets
    • Reviews
    • Save Our Scrap
    • Shatchbacks
    • Shednesday
    • The Barn
    • Whatever happened to?
  • Garage
  • Shop
0

Up the hill in the Volvo C30 Polestar

Published by Gavin Big-Surname at 4th July 2011
Volvo C30 Polestar grille and badge

Just after lunch on Friday 1st July 2011, my motoring year may have just peaked. At a little after 2pm I was treated to a passenger ride in what is probably one of my favourite concept cars of all time, the Volvo C30 Polestar. That’s right, the 405 bhp, all-wheel-drive, fire breathing monster that’s unlikely to ever make it into production. What’s more, the ride took place on the fabled Goodwood hill at the Festival of Speed 2011. I can summarise the whole experience in one four letter word – epic.

Volvo C30 Polestar concept at GoodwoodThe C30 Polestar is an attack on the senses.

Firstly, your eyes are drawn in by the magnificent Polestar-Blue paintwork, a colour that puts me in mind of Porsche Maritime Blue. Indeed, following our trip up the hill, a representative from Porsche was at pains to make this point clear!

Then there’s the noise. The sublime sound of the 2.5 litre 5-cylinder unit from the standard T5 is taken to another level, helped in part by the concept car’s straight-through, centre mounted twin exhaust system. Take my word for it, the C30 Polestar is very, very noisy inside the cabin. And that’s a good thing.

Volvo C30 Polestar steering wheelInside, the car is dominated by suede and a pair of rather brilliant racing seats, but otherwise the interior is standard C30 fare. That means the floating console remains and the car is started using the original key. A starter button would be nice, surely?!

As you’d expect from a 400 bhp family hatchback, the C30 Polestar is blisteringly quick. Under acceleration you stay pinned to the back of your seat and it feels much, much quicker than the 0-60 time of 4.6 seconds suggests. The adrenalin rush was intoxicating enough from the passenger seat, so only my driver, Alex Storckenfeldt can say how good it feels at the wheel. Going on the basis that he was taking every opportunity to ‘give the C30 some beans’, I’d say it felt rather good.

Goodwood Festival of Speed 2011 hillThe Goodwood hill itself is such an evocative little track. The narrow lane is cocooned by a line of hale bales, which only go to heighten the overall experience. As does the infamous wall on the left hand side, so I’m thankful that the C30 Polestar is left hand drive, meaning it wasn’t me that passed just inches away from its face. The grandstands, bridges and lines of spectator rush past your eyes in such a blur and no sooner have you come to terms with the fact that you’re actually on the Goodwood hill, the climb is over. Heart thumping and adrenalin flowing, there’s as much drama and excitement in one minute of the Goodwood hill than you’d expect from a whole afternoon on a track day. Wonderful.

Of course, being PetrolBlog, I did make an attempt to capture the whole event on the iPhone. The results are, as usual, rather mixed. It was going OK until the phone decided to stop filming, so I’m afraid this is a little like watching the men’s final at Wimbledon, only to miss the winning shot. D’oh.

I have to say a HUGE thank you to Volvo Car UK for making the passenger ride happen and to Alex Storckenfeldt for taking the wheel. The ex-Swedish Touring Car and Formula Renault driver raced alongside Lewis Hamilton. Alex is typically Swedish, softly spoken, modest and an all round top bloke. I salute you, sir!

Share
0


Related Waffle


Club PetrolBlog most beautiful

Club PetrolBlog members at their most beautiful

Aug 20, 2021
Volvo S40 in gold

Shednesday: Volvo S40

May 12, 2021
Volvo 480 ES for sale

Now is the right time to buy this Volvo 480 ES

Mar 5, 2021
Volvo 850 SE and field

Volvo 850 SE: Gone But Not Forgotten

Oct 23, 2020

3 Comments

  1. James Hind says:
    4th July 2011 at 9:44 am

    Nice write-up, sounds awesome! Do you know if it was the same car that had a run-off earlier in the week?

    MrCar did a quick report on it: http://mrcarblog.com/2011/06/30/goodwood-fos-2011-moving-motor-show-whoops

    Reply
    • MajorGav says:
      4th July 2011 at 11:02 am

      Nope, the C30 that had ‘an off’ on Thursday was the C30 T5 with Polestar upgrade. The one I reviewed here: https://petrolblog.com/2011/05/16/safe-sex-volvo-c30-t5-r-design-polestar/

      The C30 Polestar concept is still very much alive and kicking. They would only let skilled drivers behind the wheel of that beast. Hence why I was sat in the passenger seat! 😉

      Reply
  2. Volvo working on a S60 that will compete with the M3 - Page 4 says:
    16th June 2012 at 10:10 pm

    […] C30 Polestar concept car is still in one piece – I was taken up the hill in it on Friday afternoon: https://petrolblog.com/2011/07/04/up-…-c30-polestar/ Very good it was too! So basically what crashed was a C30 FWD T5 with 325hp. […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest PetrolBlog Videos:

https://youtu.be/fXRLAHLNX7M
https://youtu.be/0vnsNaXh7KM

PetrolBlog in print!

Classic.Retro.Modern

Support PetrolBlog – Buy Stickers

  • GOAT My car is the G.O.A.T window sticker £3.00
  • Tollfoolery sticker Tollfoolery car window sticker £4.00
  • Too Good to Scrap TOO GOOD TO SCRAP window sticker £3.00
  • My car is the goat bumper sticker My car is the G.O.A.T bumper sticker £3.00
  • French Tat bumper sticker #FrenchTat bumper sticker £3.50
  • PetrolBlog sticker PetrolBlog car sticker £4.00
  • Tollfoolery sticker Tollfoolery car bumper sticker £3.50
  • French Tat window sticker #FrenchTat window sticker £4.00
  • Waffle & Bunk laptop sticker Waffle & Bunk laptop sticker £3.00 £2.50
  • Too good to scrap bumper sticker TOO GOOD TO SCRAP bumper sticker/plaster £3.00

What you’re saying

  • 1st August 2022

    Gavin Southwest commented on Buy this Renault Clio Baccara and be like PetrolBlog

  • 26th July 2022

    Volker commented on AMC Eagle: the original crossover?

  • 25th July 2022

    Alun Morris commented on The Autobianchi Bianchina Panoramica was a shooting brake for ladies

  • 22nd June 2022

    David Cooper commented on Whatever happened to the Talbot Matra Rancho?

  • 8th June 2022

    Astra commented on Has Top Gear wrecked a Matra Bagheera?

Fresh waffle

  • Citroen 2CV resting on the back of a truck1
    PetrolBlog: the chump is coming back
    13th May 2022
  • 2022 Dacia Jogger in Terracotta1
    The Dacia Jogger is a practical remix of the Matra Rancho
    14th December 2021
  • Toyota Land Cruiser No Time To Die2
    No Time To Die in a Toyota Land Cruiser
    13th December 2021
  • Fahnome Knight Rider build your own KITT0
    Sponsored: K.I.T.T. from Knight Rider is now available as a kit
    17th November 2021
  • Hyundai Heritage Series Grandeur rear light7
    The Hyundai Heritage Series Grandeur is the future we want
    12th November 2021
  • Club PetrolBlog most beautiful1
    Club PetrolBlog members at their most beautiful
    20th August 2021
  • Renault Avantime in Geneva0
    You won’t believe these facts about French cars
    19th August 2021
  • 2008 Citroen C51
    Berlin or bust: the Unmistakeably German ad campaign
    12th August 2021
  • Bridgestone Potenza Sport tyres1
    PetrolBlog looks at Bridgestone Potenza Sport tyres
    11th August 2021
  • Toyota Camry V6 and Porsche 9243
    An unexceptional day out in the Toyota Camry V6
    2nd August 2021

Newsletters

PetrolBlog
ABOUT | ADVERTISING / SPONSORSHIP | PRIVACY POLICY | TERMS & CONDITIONS | CONTACT US

The world’s least influential car blog since 2010.

Copyright © PetrolBlog.

0
We use cookies to offer you a better browsing experience and analyse site traffic. We also share information about how you browse our site with our advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you have provided to them or that they have collected for your use of their services.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT