PoloDriver

It might be winter, but here’s something to encourage the sun to shine. The Series 2F Polo built from 1990-1994 had arguably the most special editions than any other Polo generation, with over 17 at last count. But, ultimately the rarest and most bespoke of them all is the Treser ‘Open Air’, made by Treser in Ingolstadt, home of Audi. That’s not the only four-ringed connection; Walter Treser was an ex-Audi engineer, who after leaving the company, set up his own outfit making bespoke sports cars. So what was he doing turning Polos into two-seat cabriolets? Read on to find out at least some of the answers.

The Polo Treser ‘Open Air’ wasn’t cheap, with the conversion costing DM16,000 on top of the cost of the 55 and 75bhp basic Polo donor cars. All Polo Treser Cabrios were not only ordered from the Volkswagen dealer, but also received a full VAG-approved guarantee. The standard four-seat Polo coupé body was fitted with so many modified panels, it was almost as handbuilt as more luxurious prestige cars. Only the front wings, doors and bonnet remained as Volkswagen had intended, with the rear wings and tailgate modified to take the new rear deck. New colour-coded sportier bumpers were fitted front and rear, while a new ‘beak’-style front grille replaced the standard VW slatted item.

The new roof was similar to a targa in that the panel directly over the occupants’ heads could be removed completely, leaving a B-pillar type arrangement and glass rear window. This too could be taken off the car, leaving a smooth and sports car-like body. When the roof was in place, the Polo Treser ‘Open Air’ had something of a notchback appearance, an unfortunate by-product of leaving the body shell’s B-pillar support in situ. This could then be folded behind the seats, and whichever way you look at it, while not graceful, the Treser ‘Open Air’ did inject some style and glamour into the then-dated Polo range.

Most Tresers were based on Polo GTs, and while 10 of the 290 produced were produced at Treser itself, the remaining 280 were converted by a firm in Austria. All Treser Cabrios were built between 1991 and 1993. Nowadays you’ll be lucky to see one, but one other question remains. Were Volkswagen inspired by the Treser Polo ‘Open Air’ for their special-edition Series 3 Polo namesake from the mid-1990s which featured an electrically-operated rollback-style canvas roof? We suspect not, but as with other aspects of Volkswagen Polo history, the Treser ‘Open Air’ is just one small and interesting part.

[Source: Treser-Club.com. Special thanks to Carsten Nitzsche]

We’ve been doing a bit of late summer sprucing here at PoloDriver. There are still some parts of the site that we’ve still got to go through, but today, we’ve added more information about two Series 2 Polo special models; the Polo Mikado and the Polo Peppermint. The Peppermint (pictured above), was, as far as we know, only available in France and was basically a rebadged Fox. Available from September 1991, the Peppermint was available with a 1043cc 45bhp petrol engine and a 1398cc 48bhp diesel unit. Also built around the base-model Fox, the Polo Mikado was on sale year later, and featured special paint finishes (including the unique Violet Blue) and brightly-coloured interior trim. Other embellishments included exterior colour-matched wheel trim rings. Head over to the Series 2 specials page to find out more, and to let us know of any unique models we may have missed.

Earlier in the week, we brought you details about the new advertising campaign for Volkswagen’s TEAM range of models, featuring Germany’s greatest footballing heroes. As well as print and online promotions, there’s also this TV spot, too, to tie-in with the 2010 World Cup tournament. Walter Fritz, Paul Breitner and Rudi Völler all appear in the 30-second commercial which largely focuses on the Polo. Available to order in Germany, the 1.2-litre 59bhp Polo TEAM kicks the whole range off and is priced from €14,525, topping out with the €19.350 1.6-litre 89bhp TDI with seven-speed DSG gearbox.

German Football legends Fritz Walter, Paul Breitner and Rudi Völler star in the latest advertising campaign for Volkswagen’s special edition TEAM models. In true Volkswagen special edition tradition, the extra-value family of Polo, Golf, Golf Plus, Scirocco and Tiguan TEAM models offer more kit for less money and what better way to promote football-associated models than with national heroes from the past?

Promotion for the TEAM models is now entering its second half and the legendary players from the 1954, 1974 and 1990 German world cup teams are now part of the campaign. ‘With this new campaign, we take off from all other football campaigns and continue to build up anticipation for the world championship. Together with our successful team special models and also Walter Fritz, Paul Breitner and Rudi Völler, we have the best team of all time,’ Werner Eichorn, Marketing Manager of Volkswagen Passenger Cars (Germany) enthuses.

The first phase of the ‘Legends’ promotion was the ‘Wintermärchens’ (‘Winter Fairy Tale’) campaign, which spread one idea across all forms of media. Based on the idea of celebration, the TV spots and print ads showed fans rejoicing with floats in street, celebrating Volkswagen’s ‘victory’ with the new TEAM models. With the new campaign, everyone can get involved and support the German World Cup entry (as well as the TEAM models) by ordering a personalised ‘TEAM 2010’ poster online. There will also be table-top football in Volkswagen Retailers across Germany, while the campaign will be rounded off with fan articles and public viewings of the Team models at selected locations.

Here’s the TV commercial from the campaign for the Team range of models of which the Polo TEAM we highlighted last week is one. First aired on 23 December 2009, the ‘Winter Fairy Tale’ spot is just one part of a multimedia campaign and along with its print and online equivalents, the 30-second ad promotes the group of Volkswagen special editions made to highlight Germany’s 2010 World Cup entry.

Paraded through the streets of Germany like heroes who have already won football’s biggest prize, the TEAM special editions are given an ovation usually reserved for top players of the sport. German rock band (I know, we thought so too) Revolverhead provide the soundtrack, reworking their 2008 fan anthem Helden 2008 exclusively for VW to become Helden 2010 for the German car maker to take to South Africa in the summer.