PoloDriver

Visitors to the Techno Classica classic car show in Essen, Germany from 15-19 April will see seven very special Polos celebrating four decades of the popular model. Volkswagen Classic will showcase the versatility of the Polo and mark its 40th birthday with a host of special brief talks, guided tours and promotions. The ‘40 years of the Polo’ exhibition will feature landmark Polos from the model’s past, both series and prototype cars.

Noted experts and Polo fans from the VW Polo IG Deutschland e.V. club will give the exhibition extra appeal, with knowledgeable guided tours and brief talks in a specially-designated area. Volkswagen Classic says that subjects talked about will range from the Polo’s model history to its motorsport background, as well as technical highlights such as G-Läder or Formel E versions.

THE TECHNO CLASSICA 2015 POLO EXHIBITS

Polo I, 1975, 0.9-litre, four-cylinder, 40bhp
The original 1975 Polo will be represented by an Oceanic Blue top-of-the-range ‘L’ version. Identifiable by its chrome bumpers and matching side trim, this Polo is extra special, as the paint colour was only available at the car’s introduction. The example on display at Essen will also be fresh from restoration. (Image: Volkswagen Classic)

Polo II hatchback, ‘Eco’ model, 1988, 0.9-litre, two-cylinder, 40bhp
The popular second-generation Polo hatchback will be represented by a special ‘Eco’ model prototype, powered by a 0.9-litre two-cylinder diesel with direct fuel-injection. This maximum-efficiency concept also featured exhaust gas recirculation, a system which opened the clutch and allowed the car to freewheel under its own motional energy, a start–stop system, a G-Läder supercharger, and a semi-automatic five-speed gearbox.

Polo II G40 ‘World Record’, 1985, 1.3-litre, four-cylinder, 129bhp
The only surviving prototype from a team of three, this unique Polo has been loaned by the AutoMuseum Volkswagen Foundation. A second-generation coupé, it was used to present the new G-Läder supercharging technology in impressive style in 1985, during a 24-hour world record attempt on Volkswagen’s own test track in Ehra-Lessien. With an average speed of 208km/h, the then record of 168.6km/h in the 1300cc class was shattered.

Polo IIF G40, 1992, 1.3-litre, four-cylinder, 113bhp
As well as the 1985 prototype endurance record car, a later series production Polo G40 Coupé from 1992 will also take pride of place on the Volkswagen Classic stand. The Windsor Blue car was recently used on the new 2015 Polo GTI press presentation.

Polo III Open Air, 1998, 1.4-litre, four-cylinder, 60bhp
The third-generation Polo is showcased by a special edition ‘Open Air’ model, which featured an electrically operated folding canvas sunroof. Large enough for even the rear passengers to feel the sun, this car is also loaned by the Foundation AutoMuseum Volkswagen.

Polo IV GTI Cabriolet, 2007, 1.8-litre, four-cylinder, 150bhp
The fourth-generation Polo arrived in 2001, but this car is from the refreshed series which debuted in 2005. At the 2007 Frankfurt motor show, this car was on the Karmann stand, as the coachbuilder built the concept car to demonstrate its cabriolet expertise. The sloping line of the closed roof gives the Polo GTI a coupé-like silhouette – with an intricate manoeuvre, the open roof disappears completely under the rear shelf. The glass rear window is raised electrically for unrestricted access to the boot.

Polo V R WRC, 2013, 1.6-litre, four cylinder, 300bhp
The latest fifth-generation Polo is represented in World Rally Championship trim. While a concept was shown in 2011, Volkswagen claimed victory in the very first special stage at the Rally Monte Carlo in the Polo R WRC’s debut season in 2013 with Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia. At the end of the season, both the constructor’s and the driver’s and co-driver’s titles had been secured. The Polo R WRC on display in Essen features both the design and technology of the first championship-winning model.

We hope to bring you photos and a report from this amazing Polo get-together. As well as the Essen exhibits, Volkswagen Classic will also feature further Polo celebrations with a comprehensive online special at volkswagen-classic.com with stories, interviews and reports to mark the car’s 40th anniversary.

The latest version of the most economical Polo, the BlueMotion, has just been released for sale. Long and exclusively powered by a diesel engine, the new model also fields a petrol version. At a stroke it has created a lineage back to the early 1980s when another Polo was aiming to provide environmentally-friendly motoring. Its name? The Formel E.

Over a series of model profiles, PoloDriver.com will be looking at the most fuel-efficient Polos in each generation and the technology which made them so frugal. The story starts with the Polo Formel E of 1980 and finishes with the new diesel and petrol Polo BlueMotion TDI and TSI.

The first profile in the series is of the Mk 1 Polo Formel E, which first appeared in the autumn of 1980. Read about the first Volkswagen supermini which was fitted with a high compression engine and special economy-minded gearbox here, and check back for updates on all of the Polos that boasted remarkable parsimony and very economical leanings.

The special edition model had played a small part in the Mk 1 Polo’s history, the denim-upholstered Jeans of 1976 and the highly-equipped run-out 1981 LX being the versions of note. But, the arrival of the second-generation Polo in 1981 ushered in a whole new era of special editions which would litter the car’s life from the start until its face-lifted end in 1994.

Arguably the most prolific and the most popular, the Fox arrived 30 years ago in 1984, and was to eventually become a mainstay in the second generation Polo line-up. From special edition to permanent base model, the Fox started life as a unique Polo hatchback, but subsequently appeared as a coupé, both in pre- and post-facelift versions. Here is its story.

POLO FOX
1984: Polo Fox hatchback
The first Polo Fox appeared in June 1984, based on the basic version of the estate car-like Polo hatchback. Marketed with the headline ‘Polo – Fun at a great price. The new Polo Fox.’, it was easy to identify. A choice of two unique colours – Türkisblau and Saimagrün – marked it out as something different.

Both models featured colour-coded steel wheels (white on Türkisblau cars and Saimagrün on Saimagrün versions), special flank and rear hatch ‘Fox’ graphics, while Türkisblau models featured white bumper pinstripes and white badges front and rear. Saimagrün versions meanwhile had Saimagrün rear badges and a similarly-coloured Volkswagen badge on the front grille.

Inside, unique exterior body-coloured padded seats featured imitation leather upholstery and head restraints, and a simple canvas cover for the luggage compartment was fitted. The Fox was powered by the second-generation Polo’s most basic engine, a 1043cc petrol unit, developing 40bhp. The 4.5-inch wheels and 135 SR 13 tyres were driven through a four-speed manual gearbox. Price was DM11.490.

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Rachel Inglis’ 1981 Derby GLS is just one of her many Polo possessions, totally original and with just 21,000 miles on the clock. Neil Birkitt finds out more about the jewel in the crown of Rachel’s Polo collection

It’s not often that you’ll see a Derby; indeed, you won’t even find much written about it. In fact, the model profile in the February 2008 issue of Volkswagen Driver is about the only significant article that we know of. The Derby was the booted version of the Mk 1 Polo, introduced in 1977 as an LS with a 50bhp 1.1-litre engine and later supplemented in 1980 by the 60bhp 1.3 GLS. Although immensely practical, with a boot as big as that of a contemporary Ford Cortina, the Derby was never particularly popular at the time, and the Volkswagen Driver model profile concluded by saying that it is ‘quite rare now and largely forgotten…’

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The mammoth annual classic car event that is Techno Classica Essen, takes place over five days in Essen (no!) in Germany, and 2011’s event from 30 March to 3 April saw, as in previous years, a predictably large Volkswagen Group attendance. As well as official stands from Volkswagen Classic – showing Karmann-based prototypes and vehicles from Osnabrück, including a 1973 Passat, 1974 Scirocco, Series 1 Golf Cabriolet prototype and the premiere of the new Series 6 Golf Cabriolet – Hall 8.1 offered a smattering of VW-brand clubs, and among them, IG Typ 86, and a trio of motorsport Polos. Sebastian Winkler of www.g-lader.info has kindly given us permission to use these photos of the Series 1 Polo track-based wide-arch Polos, and a rally-spec Group H Series 2 Polo G60. More pictures and Sebastian’s HD video of the Techno Classica Essen 2011 event can be found here.

[Images: Sebastian Winkler]

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