By Classic Yorkshire contributor Tony Lofthouse
A big ‘Happy Birthday’ to one of Volkswagen’s smallest cars – the enduring Polo.
As the last of the legendary Beetle models rolled off production in VW’s Wolfsburg plant, a new era would begin with the launch of the Polo in 1975.
In its first six years the little Polo sold over 500,000 units worldwide. A star was born.
But, did you know that the car was essentially a rebadged version of the Audi 50, only cheaper? Soon the Audi model was struggling to match the sales of the new Polo and was dropped in 1978.
After starting out as a three-door hatch or two-door saloon, VW launched a new look with the Polo Mk2 in 1981.
A distinctive upright tailgate led to the nickname – the ‘Bread van’.
I bought a 1272cc CL version of the Polo in the eighties and enjoyed it. It wasn’t fast but it was reliable – a great runaround with lots of boot space. A coupe and two-door saloon called the ‘Derby’ were also available.
In 1998, the Polo range came with a GTI model and was a fair bit bigger than earlier models.
By its fifth generation, in 2009, the Polo scooped European Car of the Year and World Car of the Year Awards.
Racing success came with the factory-made Polo R WRC. Developed by Volkswagen Motorsports, the Polo R went on to win 12 World Rally Drivers Championship titles over four consecutive years (2013-16).
Nine years later and the latest Polo generation is a distinctly upmarket car compared to those modest beginnings. It looks a bit like a Golf, it’s bigger than before and a 200bhp GTI model shows a performance car to be taken seriously.
Sadly, the non-stop ‘drive’ towards all things electric could mean big changes for this compact German motor.
Volkswagen has invested heavily in its all-electric ID range and after clocking up 20 million in sales the Polo remains a strong brand for VW. What could 2025 bring? Let’s see!
To find out more about the Polo at 50 click: http://www.volkswagen-newsroom.com/en/press-releases/small-can-also-be-big-volkswagen-celebrates-50-years-of-the-polo-18907