After splitting from Volvo in 2017 to become a standalone brand focused on performance-oriented, high-end EVs, iconoclastic Polestar put its stake in the ground with a six-figure, 619-horsepower, plug-in hybrid “halo” car. Its landmark first production model, the Polestar 1, was an anti-supercar of sorts, both in looks and operation, with stylish carbon-fiber reinforced polymer bodywork that beautifully embodied Scandinavian restraint. An impressively engineered all-wheel-drive plug-in hybrid system featured a 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder engine from Volvo’s range-topping XC90 T8, supercharged and turbocharged to deliver seamless power across a wide rev range to the front wheels. An electric motor powered each rear wheel, drawing from a 34-kilowatt-hour battery pack with enough capacity for about 50 miles of electric-only driving.

With a combined output of 619 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque, the Polestar 1 delivered supercar performance without compromising efficiency. Adjustable Öhlins DFV dampers and six-piston Akebono brakes were a nod to Polestar’s racing roots. Founded in the 1990s as a motorsport outfit focused on Swedish touring-car competition, Polestar evolved into a Volvo tuner before the Swedish automaker acquired it in 2015, much as Mercedes-Benz did with AMG. Based in Torslanda, Sweden, Polestar now operates independently but still shares technology with Volvo, which retains a controlling stake alongside majority owner Geely.

Only 1,500 examples of the groundbreaking Polestar 1 were produced from 2019 through 2022, making it both rare and historically important as the introductory model for the brand, which now focuses exclusively on pure EV models. Galpin Motors commissioned this one-off Polestar 1 “Cosmic Art Car” to help promote the brand within its showroom and at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Its incredible galactic paint scheme is the work of Dave Shuten, master builder at Galpin Auto Sports, and well-known LA-based graffiti artist Kelly “RISK” Graval. As a founding member of the West Coast graffiti movement, RISK pioneered painting freight trains, freeway overpasses, and signs and won the world Graffiti Championship with partner Slick in England in 1989. He graduated from the University of Southern California School of Fine Arts, despite being briefly kicked out for painting a mural on the roof of the art department. He was later reinstated with a scholarship and the university used a photo of the unauthorized roof mural for a promotional recruitment poster distributed to high schools nationwide. An integral part of the Los Angeles art community for over 30 years, RISK has collaborated with various music artists, creating set and cover designs for Michael Jackson, Blink-182, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. His work has been exhibited in top galleries and museums around the globe.

For this Polestar 1 “Cosmic Art Car,” RISK and Shuten applied countless layers of pearlescent, high-gloss, and metallic paint to create the vivid, multi-dimensional cosmic motif with impressive depth and detail. “We didn't ask each other what to do. We just did it,” Shuten says in a video documenting their process, which included putting the car on a 45-degree incline. Nebulas, galaxy swirls, and celestial displays seamlessly integrate across the entire exterior, making it appear as one continuous showcase of cosmic constellations, lifted directly from the heavens and grafted onto the bodywork. Unique gold-painted wheels anchor the presentation, appearing as swirling sunbursts.

The kaleidoscopic paintwork incorporates RISK’s butterfly hallmark and signatures from both artists on the trunk lid—all sealed under four gallons of professionally applied clearcoat for a glassy finish. Once completed, the car went on display in Galpin Motors’ Beverly Hills dealership and later in the Galpin Hall of Customs at the 2021 Los Angeles Auto Show. Now offered with 7,331 miles showing on the odometer at cataloguing time, this truly unique Polestar 1—a rare and historically significant model in its own right—will make for an inimitable and impactful display piece among other art cars in a collection, or simply on its own.