Eighties completed
Anyone who now walks into the Volkswagen showroom will encounter the Polo in only one body variant. Although the Polo also has sedan versions far beyond the Dutch borders, we have to dig further here to Polo’s that were not hatchbacks. In this episode of Lover Wanted, a Polo Coupé plays the leading role, a car that seems to have driven away from the brochure that was still very fresh in the early 90s.
Volkswagen has only supplied the Polo in the Netherlands as a hatchback for two generations. In fact, where you could get the previous Polo as a three- and five-door, Volkswagen offers the current Polo only as a five-door. That has sometimes been different. For example, the third generation Polo presented in 1994 was available as a three- and five-door hatchback, as a sedan and as a Vario station wagon. Its predecessor also came in various shapes and sizes. In this edition of Lover Wanted, we lift the three-door Polo Coupé onto the podium, a 1993 copy.
Volkswagen Polo Coupe, pre-facelift
The second generation Polo was a special one. The original Polo introduced in 1975 was a modified Audi 50. That generation existed as a three-door hatchback, but also had a sedan brother in the Derby. For the second generation Polo that made its debut in 1981, Volkswagen retained the technical basis of the original, but made various adjustments. It came on the market as a three-door hatchback, as a three-door Coupé and as a sedan. Although that sedan version was sold under the Polo flag in the Netherlands, Volkswagen kept the Derby model name elsewhere in the world.
The facelifted Volkswagen Polo II
That wasn’t the only news. The three-door hatchback version, the Steilheck (photo 10), had a dead straight buttocks and remarkably long rear side windows. Next to it was the Polo Coupe. Although this too was in fact a three-door hatchback, it got a sportier name because of its more sloping rear. After nine years, Volkswagen was of the opinion that the second generation Polo with adjustments could best be dragged into the 90s. The brand carried out a fairly thorough facelift on the Polo family in which almost all sharp corners were exchanged for rounded shapes. Not surprisingly, in the 1990s the key to the heart of the European consumer was formed in the same way.
Volkswagen Polo Coupe 1.3 GT (facelift)
The round headlights were replaced by more rectangular ones across the Polo line. The Polos got larger plastic bumpers and the hatchback and Coupé got a rear window that was better integrated into the body. With the Coupé, the complete tailgate was overhauled, with the result that Volkswagen could replace the narrow taillights for copies that were somewhat reminiscent of those of the then young third generation Golf. The Polo Sedan was also facelifted, although the two-door as the Polo Classic was only allowed to experience the early 1990s. The Polo Coupé and Hatchback ran until 1994, the sedan version disappeared from the market two years earlier.
Interior Volkswagen Polo Coupé, pre-facelift.
The turquoise and therefore typical 90’s Polo that is for sale is a Polo Coupé 1.3 GT. Don’t let the GT designation fool you. Volkswagen also pasted the GT name on the Polo Coupé G40 with G charger. That Polo Coupé G40 had a 113 hp and 150 Nm strong 1.3, the Coupé 1.3 GT in these photos has to do with a more modest machine. Under the hood is a 54 hp and 97 Nm supplying 1.3, an eight-valve linked to a manual four-speed gearbox that helps the Coupé reach a speed of 100 km/h in 15.5 seconds. Its top speed: 154 km/h. There was also a 75 hp and 99 Nm strong 1.3 and of course you could also go for lesser versions. For example, the entry-level machine in the Polo Coupé was just a 45 hp 1.0, a power source that was reserved for entry-level Fox and the CL version positioned above it.
Interior Volkswagen Polo 1.3 GT (facelift)
You could only get the 54 hp 1.3 in the Netherlands in the CL and GT. The GT variant got black wheel arch edges, black steel wheels with black-silver caps (which are on different colored steel wheels on this example) and GT badges all around. Red piping? From the party. Volkswagen put the GT on 165 mm wide tires, rubber that was 2 centimeters wider than that of the less sporty equipped flavors. Everything to keep the mighty power on the road, of course. Above the rear window we see a roof spoiler and in the interior we see a large three-spoke steering wheel with an off-centre logo. Although you would suspect otherwise these days, this steering wheel was considered a sports steering wheel at the time. The GT version also got sports seats with, in this case, a lovely 90’s print. The GT customer was further overloaded with decadence as a tachometer, a digital clock and a trip meter. Grab your neighbor/wife, with your skinny CL!
The example for sale dates from 1993 and is therefore one from the last years of construction of the model. It has run 186,000 kilometers and still looks pretty fresh. According to the selling party, it comes straight from its second (German) owner, which means that a fresh Dutch registration number will appear. That is just included in the price. This generation Polo is quickly becoming extinct and such a sleek example as this is a nice driving memory of times gone by and a good example of how the 80s were translated into the new decade.
Are you on the hunt for a forgotten classic, a nice youngtimer or just a young used car? Then take a look at the AutoWeek second-hand offer.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl