The 2019 Volvo S60 Polestar Engineered is a 415 horsepower stealth fighter of a sedan, the highest performing S60 and a looker on top of it. Just 20 were made available in the U.S. via Volvo’s subscription service Care By Volvo. Volvo started taking orders yesterday, and, yes, they went quickly .




It was all over in 39 minutes, during which time 20 people signed up for the right to pay Volvo $1,100 a month for the S60 Polestar Engineered, insurance, and basic maintenance, according to a Volvo press release:

Thirty-nine minutes is all it took for Volvo Cars to sell out of a special version of the all-new S60 sedan after it was made available on the Care by Volvo app earlier today. Customers claimed all 20 of the all-new Volvo S60 T8 Polestar Engineered luxury sedans slated for the American market using Volvo Cars’ Care by Volvo app and their credit cards to place $500 deposits. With 415 horsepower and 494 lb/ft torque, Öhlins suspension, Brembo brakes and other enhancements, the 2019 S60 T8 Polestar Engineered represents an exclusive offering that builds upon Volvo Cars’ and Polestar’s joint legacy of design, performance, and commitment to electrification.﻿




Volvo had assured me at the S60 launch last week that buyers would not be selected Ford GT-style based on factors like celebrity or their relative ability to promote the Volvo brand. Instead it would be first-come, first-serve, very Swedish and democratic.

All of which is just fantastic, as is the fact that there will only be 20 of these things rolling around, an Extremely Rare, though also accessible Good Car, something we should have more of. Imagine if Honda only made 20 Civic Type Rs, sprinkling them into the world like fairy dust. Seeing each one would be more magical than it already is, and you’d know that the lucky person driving it wasn’t some obscene wealth hoarder like your friend in a McLaren P1. They’d just have PASSION.

I will propose one tweak to Volvo’s system of selecting who gets an S60 Polestar Engineered, though. My system would have regular buyers of the S60 T8 be presented, at random, with an S60 Polestar Engineered, like winning a Golden Ticket from Willy Wonka. And then the lucky owners would burst out in song.

🎵 “I’ve got the golden seatbelts...” 🎵