Melbourne: Volvo Car Australia has pulled the wraps of a performance version of its S60 flagship sedan.

The S60 T6 already boasts excellent performance credentials in its class but the Swedish car maker has upped the ante by developing a new project, dubbed the S60 Performance Project.

The show car is based on the S60 T6 R Design. It is an Australian initiative and utilises two partnerships within the Volvo family - Polestar and Heico.

The engine software upgrade comes from Volvo's racing arm, Polestar. Power increases by 18kW to 242kW while torque is increased by 40Nm to 480Nm with up to 22 per cent gains in power and torque at various parts of the rev range.

The S60 Performance Project sits on unique 19-inch Heico wheels and the German tuning house has also provided an exhaust system to further accentuate the S60's great engine note. The Heico wheels are shod with Pirelli tyres.

Polestar was founded in 1996 in collaboration with Volvo in order to drive forward Volvo's investment in racing. Since then, Polestar has competed with the 850, S40, S60 and2 now the C30 Volvo models. The company's core business is focused on development and competition in racing.

Volvo and Heico also have a long standing partnership. It all began in 1989 with the grand opening of the Hedtke Volvo dealership in Weiterstadt, Germany. ``Volvo is not traditionally recognized for performance in Australia but that is changing,'' says Volvo Car Australia Managing Director Matt Braid.

``The S60 T6 already boasts excellent performance credentials and the S60 Performance Project takes that even further. With the extra power, torque and unique wheels and exhaust system the S60 Performance Project really is a very special edition S60.''

Like the R Design models the S60 Performance Project has been lowered by 15mm and features sports suspension that includes monotube damping at the rear, 15 per cent stiffer springs and the bushings that are 20 percent stiffer compared with the dynamic chassis in the regular S60 models.

Inside, the S60 Performance Project has the R Design interior which adds sports seats with firmer side bolstering, leather clad three spoke steering wheel, dials with blue surrounds and aluminium ridged pedals.

Volvo Car Australia is currently evaluating S60 Performance Project. Depending on customer demand there may be the option to build the S60 show car in limited numbers.

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