Volkswagen Polo Harlequin: the most colourful Polo ever

Traditionally restrained, the Polo’s most eye-catching and least conservative incarnation in its entire history is the Volkswagen Polo Harlequin.

Something of a 1990s icon, much like its “cousin”, the Skoda Felicia Fun, the Polo Harlequin is one of those cars that was never really meant to reach production.

Yet this brightly coloured Polo was not only built but also sold, with around 3800 examples finding buyers and attracting a kind of “cult following” that remains to this day.

How did it come about?

Introduced in 1994, the third-generation Volkswagen Polo marked a turning point for the model, completely breaking away from roots that stretched back to the 1970s and the Audi 50.

Built on a new platform, it used modular units - mechanical components, equipment, paint colour and options - designed to make choosing a Polo easier for customers.

To simplify the process further, Volkswagen assigned a colour code to each of these “modular units”. Blue denoted the engine and chassis, or mechanical elements; red represented optional extras; green referred to colour choices; and yellow identified equipment.

To demonstrate this system, Volkswagen produced 20 Polos finished in an assortment of these colours for use at dealership events.

What the German marque had not anticipated was that customers would want to buy a Polo… in multiple colours. Once it recognised this demand, the decision was made quickly: 1000 Volkswagen Polos wearing that colour scheme would be built in 1995.

Built like a puzzle

Named the Polo Harlequin - after the Commedia dell’arte character whose role was to entertain the audience during intervals in performances - it was not especially straightforward to manufacture.

To build the Polo Harlequin, Volkswagen first had to produce four Polos in red, blue, yellow and mint green. It then swapped various body panels between them, creating the colourful Volkswagen Polos.

Inside, the Volkswagen Polo Harlequin featured seats with a dedicated pattern, a steering wheel and gear lever trimmed in blue leather and, as was typical at the time, a Blaupunkt radio.

Customers could not choose the dominant colour of their Polo Harlequin, so they had to wait for delivery to discover which one they had “ended up with”. In addition, the first 1000 cars came with a certificate and a numbered key ring.

In 1996, Harlequin “fever” also reached the Golf. Intended for the North American market, 246 Golf Harlequins were built in total, painted in “Pistachio Green”, “Ginster Yellow”, “Tornado Red” and “Chagall Blue”.

Is a return in sight?

Created by Volkswagen’s importer in the Netherlands, the new Volkswagen Polo Harlequin is, for now, a one-off. Its purpose? To pay tribute to a model that, curiously, was never officially sold there.

Its colour arrangement closely matches that of the original model, although it is not known whether it was assembled in a similar way. That leaves just one question: would you like to see the Polo Harlequin return?