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Every so often, car culture delivers one of those improbable stories that remind us why we bother with this obsession at all. It isn’t the lap times or the glossy marketing campaigns, it’s the serendipity, the awkwardness, and the plain weirdness that come with chasing machines that shouldn’t exist in our daily lives. This time, the story unfolded at San Francisco International Airport, of all places, where a Redditor stumbled upon a Polestar 1, the Swedish plug-in hybrid coupe produced in microscopic numbers, available for rent from Hertz.
“Got quite lucky this weekend and was offered to rent a Polestar 1 from Hertz at SFO. Only ~250 of them ever came to the US. 1500 total worldwide, I read.
Drove it out to Yosemite and Lake Tahoe during the long weekend. The trunk is tiny, but you can actually see all the AC/DC cables running through it, which I found fun/odd. Also, the Bowers & Wilkins sound system is insane. Super nice for long trips.
Warmly recommend to anyone in the Bay Area.”
That short dispatch captures the whole improbable essence: a $155,000 carbon-fiber halo car pressed into duty as a rental, handed to a traveler who asked for “something sporty.” While others wheeled Altimas out of the lot, this driver pointed a 619-horsepower plug-in hybrid toward Yosemite and Tahoe. Hertz, it turns out, has not one but two Polestar 1s tucked into its fleet at SFO. What should be museum pieces are instead being entrusted to strangers with weekend itineraries and collision-damage waivers.
The Reddit comment section treated the post like a campfire story. “That’s so awesome. Love the unicorn car,” wrote No-Boysenberry-9122, before asking how it was even possible. The answer was pure happenstance: the OP walked to the Gold Desk with no reservation, asked for a coupe, and was offered a Mustang or the Polestar. He chose the unicorn, even if it came at a steep price with full coverage. As choices go, that’s the difference between fast food and fine dining: you don’t stop to calculate calories when an opportunity like this lands in your lap.
Polestar In The Media
- Owners describe the 2025 Polestar 2 as “nearly perfected,” praising its balanced Swedish design, minimalist yet high‑quality interior, responsive Google‑based software, and engaging driving dynamics; the only notable downsides are slightly vague steering at initial turn‑in and an awkward cup‑holder placement
- The dual‑motor Performance version uses an 82 kWh battery producing about 476 hp and 546 lb‑ft, enabling 0–60 mph in roughly 4.2–4.5 s; the 2025 model starts around $66 200 and offers 14–16 cu ft of cargo plus a 41 L frunk, with U.S. sales up roughly 76 % year‑on‑year
- On a 1,000-mile road trip from Pennsylvania to Orlando, a Polestar 3 owner praised the SUV’s comfortable seats and fast charging that made the journey feel like traveling in a gas car; however, he noted that Pilot Assist sometimes ping‑pongs within lanes compared with Tesla’s Autopilot
- The same trip exposed weaknesses: in 98 °F heat, the cabin warmed at charging stops, and charging rates were derated from 190 kW to about 120 kW; the navigation system also failed to show Tesla chargers in some states, forcing reliance on third‑party route‑planning apps
Of course, rare cars come with shadows. As commenter RWD-by-the-Sea warned, parts for the Polestar 1 are “near unobtainium.” Built from 2019 to 2021 in a run of just 1,500 worldwide, it blends turbocharging, supercharging, and dual electric motors into a package that makes even seasoned mechanics cautious.
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A careless scrape in a Yosemite parking lot could transform a dream trip into a financial calamity. The renter understood this risk but leaned into it anyway, knowing such an opportunity would not come twice.
Polestar 1 Quirks
The details that surfaced in the thread reveal the small quirks that make cars stick in our memory. A commenter gave a thumbs-up to the exposed AC/DC cabling in the trunk, described by OP as “fun/odd.” Another lamented that newer Polestars no longer carry the Bowers & Wilkins sound system, a feature the renter called “insane.” To outsiders, these are trivialities. To enthusiasts, they are sacred quirks, the textures and eccentricities that define our bond with machines more than horsepower figures ever could.
Polestar vs Tesla
- A former Tesla Model Y owner found the Polestar 3’s range prediction remarkably accurate; he reported that the SUV consistently achieved around 3 miles per 1 % of battery (30 miles per 10 %) unless driving above 90 mph or climbing steep grades, which made long trips much less stressful
- Built on Volvo’s SPA2 platform, the Polestar 3 offers single‑ and dual‑motor powertrains (up to 380 kW and 671 lb‑ft), adaptive dual‑chamber air suspension and active dampers, with EPA ranges around 310 mi (AWD) and 350 mi (RWD)
- Owners appreciate its stereo, lit door handles, comfortable interior, and sustainable materials, but note that heat can reduce charging rates and that the navigation occasionally omits Tesla chargers
- A three‑week owner of a fully optioned Polestar 4 praised its ventilated and massaging seats, spacious interior (without a rear window), headrest speakers, and near‑silent ride; he said the car looks like a stealth fighter and is engaging to drive
- He criticised the Pilot Assist for reacting slowly to merging vehicles and deactivating easily, the lack of a responsive key fob, an infotainment system that can’t be reset while driving, and the car’s width and sliding phone charger
- The 2025 Polestar 4 starts around $56 400 for the single‑motor and $62 900 for the dual‑motor; owners love its driving dynamics and interior, but mention software bugs and the camera‑only rear view
By the end of the journey, the car had just 15,300 miles on its odometer. Practically new, yet also carrying the invisible weight of dozens of renters who had stepped into a fantasy for a few days. OP admitted he couldn’t justify buying one as a daily driver, but that wasn’t the point. The Polestar 1 is not a commuter car; it is a story on wheels. For one weekend, that story took the form of an improbable road trip through the Sierras, where instant torque and stepped acceleration impressed even a Tesla owner.
The broader lesson in this tale is that car culture often thrives in unlikely places: in a rental lot, in a trunk full of visible cables, in a Reddit thread where strangers swap admiration and caution. Every so often, enthusiasts become symptoms of the disease itself, drawn to weirdness, charmed by awkwardness, willing to risk practicality for the fleeting joy of experiencing something rare. That is the irrational core of automotive passion, and it’s alive here in spades.
So the next time someone asks why cars still matter in an era of electrification and mobility apps, point them to this story. A unicorn coupe, a brave renter, and a comment section full of envy and wisdom, that’s the whole cure and the whole disease rolled together. The Polestar 1 may be rare, impractical, and fragile, but for one weekend, it became exactly what every great car should be: unforgettable.
Image Sources: Polestar Media Center
Noah Washington is an automotive journalist based in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys covering the latest news in the automotive industry and conducting reviews on the latest cars. He has been in the automotive industry since 15 years old and has been featured in prominent automotive news sites. You can reach him on X and LinkedIn for tips and to follow his automotive coverage.
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Source: torquenews.com
