Factory code: Type 86
No Volkswagen had ever been as small and dainty as the Polo, which rounded off the portfolio in 1975 as a new model series below the Golf and Passat. The VW Polo was based on the Audi 50, which had been launched a year earlier. It was an eventful time for the Wolfsburg-based company, which added ultra-modern front-wheel drive models to its model range within a very short space of time, thus confidently countering criticism that it had stuck with the Beetle for too long.
The VW Polo, a three-door compact car, was sparsely equipped and could therefore be offered at a favourable price. It impressed with its well-crafted, minimalist equipment. Much was reminiscent of the "economy Beetle" 1200 of the same era, such as the simple door panels, openings instead of flaps, and, to top it all off, a wire loop as an accelerator pedal: rarely had anything been so consistently reduced.
The optional L equipment gave the Polo a certain luxury – including side trim strips, decorative frames on the windows or radiator grille, intermittent windscreen wipers, carpeting, and adjustable headrests. Recognisable by the L on the nameplate. Beetle drivers would have been envious: the Polo could be loaded with an impressive 900 litres through a large tailgate, and its rear seat bench could be folded down. However, the range of engines was Beetle-like: initially, the only option was a 900cc in-line four-cylinder engine with 29 kW (40 PS).
The standard 5.50 x 12 tyres of the time offered a tyre width of just 135 millimetres – yet the Polo was praised for its roadholding. Its kerb weight was only 685 kilograms – which was not only due to the fact that it did not yet have headrests as standard.
