PoloDriver

How’s this for a bit of nostalgia? While wading through online pages last week, we stumbled across this low-tech piece of advertising magic promoting the then new Series 2 Polo. Aired in 1982, the hatchback had been around for a year, and the Classic (Saloon) was about to hit the UK.

Starring Burt Kwouk of James Bond and Pink Panther movie fame, it promotes the safety features of the new car. Kwouk was a star that Volkswagen used frequently around the time of this commercial; eighties strongman Geoff Capes was another.

But, a quarter of a century on, it’s all very different. Just compare Kwouk’s ad to this one for the new Polo, which had its first UK airing a couple of weeks ago. It was safety and traditional values back then; lifestyle, youth and technology now.

[Thanks to: reich967]

PoloDriver.com contributor Simon Kimber updates the story of H714 ERP, his 1990 Polo GT Coupé that he has has owned for 15 years

H714’s speedometer is now reading over 108,000 miles and of this, I have driven 75,000 of them. Yes, it has taken a while to do it, but the annual mileage now is only 8,000. Throughout all those miles, I have not had one major mechanical failure and the fuel consumption has rarely dipped below 40mpg. On the rare occasion it has hit 50mpg, even though I do drive it quite hard – slightly higher tyre pressures and slotting it into fifth as soon as possible all helps.

I have lost count the number of tyres I have had to replace, though. The original boots were Michelin MXV, with MXV2, MXT following. I then got fed up with those and moved size from 165/65 TR13 to 175/60 HR13 in Toyo’s RoadPro 610 series. I finally moved on to Toyo Proxes C-1 and I can tell you that these tyres are pretty good both in the dry and in the wet stuff too.

I do seem to be replacing them more often than i used to, though. They usually stay on the car for 4 years, with the brand new pair always put on the front. They may be a bit loose to begin with, but they soon scrub in. The fastest that has happened was in after 10 minutes at a trackday.

The MOT has reared its head again, so it was time to have a good look over H714. Finding something that would fail an MOT, I discovered a leaking nearside front shock absorber was quite damp. The rebound was very soft compared to the other side, too and there were no two ways about it – they had to be changed! Oddly enough the rear shock absorbers were in rude health. Suffice it to say, that at 80,000 miles and counting, no doubt I shall be replacing these at some point… not just yet though.

I had trawled the net for the best aftermarket shock absorbers I could find and most of them were in kits, but only in lowering heights from 30-60mm. My only option was to contact C&R Enterprises and see what could be done. Those of you who may know me from previous articles, may know that I prefer standard length uprated shock absorbers.

The car is fitted with a set of Weitec shock absorbers and they were so special they had to be specially made for the car. That stock has now run out due to the popularity and due to the fact that KW now owns Weitec, the company now has ‘no plans to manufacture any more shock absorbers for early Polos.’

C&R told me that there weren’t many new shock absorber options open to me. Koni were recommended as they are the only manufacturer able to supply sport shocks in standard length, let alone straight off the shelf. So a pair were duly ordered on the Monday from Koni HQ in Farnborough, arriving the following Wednesday afternoon.

The shock changeover was carried out in a car park with only the aid of what should be the right tools for the job – a jack and an axle stand. The whole swap took around 2 hours to complete with relatively little in the way of problems.

One of the bump stops was contaminated with oil from the shock absorber and it was the breaking down of the bump stop which allowed the matching shocker to bottom out, resulting in failure and no damping. The top mounts on the other hand could have been used again, such was their condition. With new shock absorbers, bump stops and top mounts fitted it was now time for the road test to reveal just how they would all work together…

Costs this month: £274.32 (2 x Koni 86 1922SPORT shock absorbers £223.00; 2 x 871 412 323A top mounts £37.30; 2 x 861 412 131 bump stop £11.16; 2 x 861 412 135 dust cover £2.86. All parts prices are subject to VAT, and where applicable, fitting.)

Car modifying can be an exact science. If you fit wheels that are too big they can scrape the wheelarches. If you fit suspension that is too low, you lose your teeth over every speed bump, and every pothole in the road becomes a crashy black hole. Some are so deep, your nicely modified car could quite feasibly get lost in them, never to return. So, before you alter anything, here’s a tool which can give you a little cosmetic idea of what those mods will look like. But only if you have a 1975 to 1994 Volkswagen Polo.

Old school: lowered Polo Coupe 2 with 14″ ‘Pirelli’ alloys and GT decals

Made by the Polo-Land forum in France, the brilliant Polo Selecta is based on a similar piece of kit for previewing modifications on old Beetles. First, you choose your steed (hatchback, coupé and saloon are all there, pre and post-facelifts), then apply a colour, and you’re away. Wheels can be chosen next – 1980s Ronal Turbos or classic ATS 15-inchers? Suspension can be slammed to the floor (but be wary of those violent sleeping policemen), and the rake of the car adjusted, too.

Modern with a classic twist: lowered Polo Coupé 2F with ATS 15″ alloys

Accessories can be added, as can different sets of lights, side repeaters, aerials, and side mouldings and spoilers can be added or taken off. Great detail has been made to make every detail right. With the colour palette, there’s even a selection of decals from the varying Polo models that had them. The possible combinations are staggering. It’s great fun, can while away more than a few minutes, and I can see it becoming quite addictive. Your Polo can instantly become a Po-low, and the age-old ‘What flavour is yours?’ Polo mint gag can be taken to new heights.

It’s a while since I modified a car, as these days I prefer my 1994 Polo GT near-standard (on the outside at least), but I could quite easily catch the online modifying bug. Although not radical, how are these for starters?

It’s referred to as the ‘classic car’ in some circles, due to the heightened number of breakdowns it’s had recently, putting its parts on at the most inconvenient time. But, classic car it might be, on Monday night, my 1994 Polo GT was the star of the show. Or our drive at least.

Yes, the exhaust has fallen off recently (Eurovision night to be precise, and more than likely down to perished rubber hangers), resulting in a very noisy journey home from Mark’s, and the cambelt has been changed too in the last few weeks, really as a precautionary measure. In all other respects, though, my faithful motoring companion shows little sign of its 157,000 miles and 15-year life.

It still feels as solid as a modern day Volkswagen (and hewn from granite when compared with its French or Italian contemporaries), and while the paint is starting to show rust freckles in certain areas, I was told on Monday night that ‘Evo Car’ (so-called because of the evo magazine sticker on the back window) was one of the best examples of the breed that Justin had seen.

He came to collect the spare front bumper I sold to him on eBay for £1, and had a G40 which was in the garage being repaired after being shunted by a Volvo. We stood chatting on the drive for around 45 minutes. I’d have offered him and his ferrying friend a cup of tea if I’d known we’d be that long. I don’t get engaged in that long a conversation when we attend Volkswagen events.

It was fun, though, and as we discussed the merits of the Mk1 and Mk 2 Polos, the sun making the light and sky more orange, I realised that maybe the silver shed isn’t quite so bad after all. It’s gone past the stage of economical repair yes, but that doesn’t mean it has to be run into the ground. It’s lucky if it does 6,000 miles a year now, and is quite literally a shopping car these days, but 19-year old Justin was impressed.

Which sometimes, is all that matters. Polo GTs are getting fewer in number, and only last weekend did I read a letter by a similarly pleased GT owner to one of the classic car magazines stating that she thought they are ripe to become a future classic. While that would be nice (and I’d like to agree), the handling and ‘fun factor’ probably isn’t up to the best in class, and the car didn’t get overly rave reviews at the time its tyres first rolled onto tarmac.

But, it’s what it means to us owners that matters most. And as most cars get bigger, heavier, and less individually styled, older cars are appealing to me more. Alongside the Polo, I’d like a metal-bumpered Mk 1 Golf GTI, a BMW 2002, and an Alfa Romeo 1300 Junior/1750 GTV among others. Are classics fantastic? Oh yes.

No, even though this post has a car in it, and a headline that suggests charging by an electric current, the vehicle in question is powered neither by batteries or a battery/fuel mix. My 1994 Volkswagen Polo GT has been having starting problems of late caused by a flat battery, but now normal service has resumed with a new unit bought from German Swedish and French car parts.

Bought and fitted eventually, that is. The first one I brought home was physically too big for the hole, tucked away in the top left-hand corner of the little VW’s engine bay. Not the easiest place to get to thanks to the intrusion of the brake servo (lacking on early cars, resulting in a much easier fit process thanks to the larger opening), it was clear the new battery wasn’t going to go in, so it went back.

After a dispute with one member of staff in the shop who was adamant it would fit (it was two inches too long – I’ve had the car 10 years, so I should know what fits), it transpired that the new unit I had taken back had been labelled with the wrong part number at branch level, so was swapped out for one which not only looked right, but (surprise, surprise) did actually fit.

Once in place, it ended the two-week power drought which two failed charging periods had failed to resolve. It means that I can now obviously drive the car, owing Nik several journeys where he has had to abstain from the alcoholic stuff, as I had no means of driving him. The no-go resolve came at the right time, too; I wanted the car for Stanford Hall, to give it a run out, as it barely gets used these days.

So, Saturday afternoon and early evening were spent cleaning, polishing, vacuuming, and finessing the GT for the day that lay the other side of a good night’s sleep. My acute obssessiveness must have worked; Derek from next-door came out of the house and congratulated me on how good the old car looked. I was pleased, as a few hours’ cleaning had stripped time off the 15 year-old, 157,000-mile body.

I could have spent even longer on it if I’d wanted to, but one of the joys of not using it that much means that the Polo is still in not too bad a condition for its age, even though it’s not garaged. That wasn’t true of me, though, on Saturday night; exhausted but happy, but certainly not as fully charged as I was at the start of the day. There were a few complimentary looks at Lutterworth on Sunday, though, so all the effort was appreciated.