PoloDriver

Minichamps, maker of superbly detailed diecast model cars have recently announced a new version the Series 1 Polo to add to their Volkswagen collection. In popular 1:43 scale and finished in Cadiz Orange (not an original colour we think, but close enough to Marino Gelb), it looks the part and based on the company’s previous Polo releases, it should make an excellent addition to any Polo model collector’s garage.

Minichamps has released models of Series 1 Polos before. A few years ago, it released a Phoenix Red version of this same model limited to 2,736 pieces (this new one is to be made in only 744 examples), and versions in three other colours. Three of the Polo’s sister car, the Audi 50 were produced, too, one in bright vivid green.

Exquisitely detailed from the steel wheels and rear hatchback badges to the interior wooden-panelled dashboard, at around €20 each, they sound expensive, but you won’t find another Series 1 diecast so well-detailed. The new orange version can be found on eBay now for upwards of €25, or if you’re in the UK, you can order it from Grand Prix Legends.

If you look hard enough, though, there’s an even rarer Series 1 diecast circulating the well-known auction site. Based on a Minichamps diecast, the Jägermeister Racing Polo is old school cool to the core, and at the same scale as the regular model, would look very smart on the same shelf. We’re unsure as to whether the racing model is custom-made, but the decals are all there, along with a lack of bumpers and large, deep-dished, gold-centred wire racing alloys. Perfect.

Exclusivity comes at a price, though. Whereas the original model is €25, this touring car replica one starts just over 79. Think about it – almost £72 for a 1:43 model. While we’d love to have it parked in our 1:43 garage, at this price it would only get an outing on high days and holidays; sadly not enough to justify the expense.

The new range-topping 104bhp 1.2 supercharged and turbocharged engine used by the forthcoming Polo SEL TSI has gone into production at Škoda’s Mladá Boleslav factory in the Czech Republic, famed for building the company’s range of power units. Production of the new four-cylinder powerplant has forced expansion of the plant. Speaking last week, Škoda’s head of engine manufacturing, Milan Stanek said: ‘This new unit is going to be one of the most important engines for the Volkswagen Group, and we are pleased that it is our plant that is going to manufacture it.’

[Source: CarAdvice]

With all the furore surrounding the rumours that Volkswagen might be considering a firecracking Polo R, we thought we’d share details of another high-performance Polo which was under consideration five years ago. We recently hinted at a design study for a hot shot Polo 2004-style. Well, here it is.

Rumoured to be called ‘R25’, ‘R18’ or ‘R23’ but commonly referred to as the R25, it was so-called due to a possible 2.5-litre engine configuration. But, let’s face it, Volkswagen was never going to sell a 2.5-litre Polo, so the numbers in the other proposed ‘R’ model designations also refer to engine displacements; in this case, 1.8 and 2.3.

We think the car we saw in 2004 at the fascinating and fabulous AutoMuseum Volkswagen in Wolfsburg was effectively a styling prototype. We’d seen photographs of the car on the internet before we went, but thought that the car had been stored away – it was never a permanent exhibit. So, imagine our surprise when in front of us sat a rare Mystic Blue piece of Polo history.

A little brother to the Golf R32, the R25 had a tough-looking bodykit made up of blistered wheelarches, deeper sills, larger spoiler and unique mesh-filled sports bumpers. Twin exhausts exited at the back, while 17″ Polo Dune BBS wheels filled the arches. A newly-developed 1.8, 2.3 or 2.5-litre engine was rumoured to have been fitted, but sources close to the museum stated that the car was in fact running a standard 1.4 unit.

This special one-off Polo was returned to Volkswagen’s development centre in Wolfsburg, and as far as we’re aware, was never seen again outside of the company. Why was the plug pulled? There could be a number of reasons. The on-sale price would have been high; there was no GTI version in the range at the time; or the bodykit might not have sat quite right with the feminine looks of the Series 4 Polo.

Whatever the reason, the car looked sensational, and it’s sad it never saw the light of day as a production Polo. Volkswagen is traditionally a conservative company and will no doubt keep a close eye on the sales of the recently-launched Golf and Scirocco Rs to see if a Polo version is worthwhile. But, we’ve recently read reports that the company has said no to the Polo R, stating that nothing smaller than a Golf will carry the ‘R’ badge, which, if correct, is a real shame.

We already thought that Volkswagen had pulled out all the stops marketing the new Polo in both the UK and European advertising campaigns. But, the headline stats at the end of this new video posted by the production company for the making of the ‘Ready For A New Class’ pan-European TV commercial make for interesting reading.

For a start, the spot was shot in Los Angeles (the car’s not even sold in the US, but rumours persist that it could be, so is this why two Polos were shipped there) in May of this year, using 10,370 metres of film. There were 115 crew members, who consumed 976 burgers and 1,643 cups of coffee and cumulatively travelled over 155,000 miles.

Seventeen locations provided backdrops for 20 actors and the whole shoot lasted 60 hours. Anything else? Oh yes, two identical red five-door Polos and one P!nk soundtrack. Not surprisingly, no budget figures are mixed in with all the other stats, but we can see why Volkswagen has used the same basic footage for all markets and adapted the marketing message for each territory.

Watch through or skip to 03:36 for the finished commercial.

From 10 July to the end of November, Volkswagen Austria is offering visitors the chance to win a brand new Polo, if you take part in the Polo Cup. In an innovative multiplayer game for the PC (sorry, Mac users), gamers can drive a new Polo around a track, with the aim to win a car or one of 25,000 euros-worth of other prizes.

But, in a change from the Apple iTunes store Volkswagen Polo Challenge app, it’s not all about speed. To win Volkswagen Austria’s Polo Cup, you have to get round in the fastest time, using the least amount of fuel. But, the company states on its website that the driving fun is still the centre of attention. And, like the Apple app, 3D graphics reportedly give good handling characteristics.

So, what are you waiting for? Download the game here, drive the fastest time and post your time online. You never know – if you post a fast time, your new Polo driving experience could be transformed from virtual to reality!