Top quark production in the process $e^+e^- \rightarrow t\bar{t}$ at a future linear electron positron collider with polarized beams is a powerful tool to determine the scale of new physics. Studies at the $\ttbar$ threshold will allow for precise determination of the top quark mass in a well defined theoretical framework. At higher energies vector, axial vector and tensorial CP conserving couplings can be separately determined for the photon and the $Z^0$ component in the electro-weak production process. The sensitivity to new physics would be dramatically improved w.r.t. to what expected from LHC for electroweak couplings.