What does the operating end look like? Is there a chuck? Is there provision for some kind of side handle?
A sanding/polishing disc head, properly mounted on the tool, would be less likely to slip than a similar head mounted in a drill chuck, and a little more compact. Also, they could optimize the operating speed, which might differ from what you'd want in a drill motor. Or it may have just been a way to re-use an existing tool, expanding the number of tools they could sell to the innocent homeowner.
Modern standards for real sanders and polishers call for different speeds for each tool, I believe; but this was a homeowner's tool, so, if they tried for an optimal speed, they probably split the difference.
But, without pictures, it's hard to believe you have anything at all
