It’s one of the most unusual special editions ever offered in the USA and proved bafflingly strange to Americans. In the end, less than 300 were made. They proved a hard sell, but at first VW had every reason to expect that this multi-hued joker would do well. The car, of course, was 1996’s #HarlequinGolf. It followed the huge success of 1995’s Polo Harlekin and a very positive response to four test cars shown in North America early that year. Like Robbie Williams or Modern Talking, the very popular Euro act didn’t quite translate stateside. There are two starts to this story. The first was one of Doyle Dane Bernbach’s 1960s VW ads, which depicted a Beetle with multi-hued panels sourced from other VWs, highlighting the car’s unchanging nature. The second was the proliferation of special trims on some Euro cars. Renault’s mk1 Clio had no fewer than 12 specials, and lots of other makers got into the act. Most were just equipment level specials with special graphics or fabrics and decals, but they were a popular way of dressing up ordinary cars. VW did not dive headlong into this concept like Renault, but in 1994 a VW exec decided to make really wild Polo by combining the multi-colored panels with the special edition concept - thus was born the 1995 Polo Harlekin. Originally meant to be a run of 1000 cars, the Harlekin Polo was so popular that about ~3800 were made, all in a sequence of four “mismatch” schemes in Tornado Red, Ginster Yellow, Pistachio Green and Chagall Blue. If it worked in Europe and the UK, why not try it in America? In December, 1995, VW built four Golfs in the same arrangement and shipped them to the USA. The cars were painted, then disassembled and reassembled in four specific panel combinations. Inside they had vaguely Mondrian-like fabric patterns. VWOA liked the car, and a run of 60 cars was enthusiastically ordered, then a run of ~200 more. American customers collectively said “Vas ist das?” A few people loved them, but the Harlequins languished on lots for many months, many becoming dealer parts runners or, in Atlanta, Olympic courtesy vehicles. A few were reassembled in solid colors. The rare model is highly prized today. https://www.instagram.com/p/B-SUFHkFGTG/?igshid=1destkmrywn77