What's all this about?

The Polestar 5 — effectively the production version of the much-ballyhooed Polestar Precept Concept — is due to go on sale in 2024. In the meantime, we’ll have to make do with this early prototype, wearing what looks like (under the camouflage) a production-ready body (certainly going by the patent office images that leaked last week). The shovel nose and slim headlights are all present and correct, at any rate.

“Goodwood is our favourite place to show our cars in an enthusiast environment,” comments Polestar CEO, Thomas Ingenlath. “This year, we are thrilled to showcase Polestar 5 going up the hill! Our UK R&D team is doing an amazing job developing the car, and we are proud to be able to highlight their hard work at this early stage.”

The 5 will be parked in the ‘First Glance’ paddock, which shows off future and upcoming car designs and technology, but it won’t just be a static exhibit — the 5 will make a few runs up Goodwood’s famous hillclimb over the course of the weekend.

What should we expect?

The 5, when it actually arrives in full, will be Polestar’s rival for the likes of the Tesla Model S, Porsche Taycan, and Audi e-Tron GT — although it looks as if it will be rather roomier and more practical than the Audi or Porsche. Don’t expect a massive range, either — Polestar has said that it wants to ‘right-size’ its battery packs for minimal environmental impact, so the 5 will likely have a one-charge range of around 300-miles.

Is it still luxurious?

That goes without saying, though rather than all-out opulence, there’s a nod to that more driver-focussed theme with a two-tone combination of leather and Dinamica, a suede-like material similar to Alcantara, which is used on the heated steering wheel, gear lever, seat cushions and seat back-rests.

The material pattern on the seats is fluted (quilting is optional) with the “S” emblem embroidered on the headrests, although Bentley wings are a no-cost alternative. The instruments, Bentley says, are inspired by motorsport chronometers with the graphics the same as those found on the Continental GT Speed.

Anything else of note?

Also at Goodwood will be the BST 270 version of the Polestar 2 saloon. It’s a limited edition model (just 270 will be made) and it gets an upgrade over the existing model, including two-way adjustable Ohlins suspension dampers, a body-brace to stiffen-up the structure, and a software upgrade to make the powertrain more responsive and sporty. Oh, and there’s the matter of an extra 67hp from the four-wheel drive electric system, giving it a total of 469hp.