The Back of the Polo Harlekin: A Journey to SEMA

Jamie's journey with his Polo Harlekin began with a desire to upgrade its engine. The original 99 horsepower, 1.6-liter in-line 4 just wouldn't cut it, so he turned to a 1.8T out of a Mark 4 Golf and squeezed it into the smaller super mini. But that wasn't all - Jamie also took a 3-inch downpipe from the Mark 4 and fitted it with a 2.5-inch exhaust from a TDI engine. And, in a bold move, he decided to ditch the catalytic converter altogether.

The engine swap came with its fair share of engineering challenges. One of the biggest hurdles was creating a new set of engine mounts that would fit the 1.8T motor in the Polo. Luckily for Jamie, a German engineer had already figured out the detailed measurements for making a set of mounts about 15 years ago. And as a nod to his fellow engineer, they were engraved with his name on the mount.

The engine was buttoned up with a BFI lightweight flywheel and upgraded clutch, but before it could be tested, Jamie realized that the transmission he had chosen wouldn't bolt up. He needed one from a Mark 4 Golf or Jetta, so he put out a plea for help on Instagram and was answered by a follower who came to the rescue.

With the engine finally ready to go, Jamie decided to give it a test drive. And what a sound it made! The inside of the car reminded him of one of those buses they took on field trips in high school - the original joker-styled seats were still intact, and the steering wheel was a brand new old stock Styrro, color-matching of course.

As Jamie put the car through its paces, he was amazed by how well it handled. And when he finally got to SEMA, his Polo Harlekin was sure to turn heads. The Harlekin itself already stood out in a crowd, but what Jamie had done was build a car that truly stood out in a crowd of cars that stand out in a crowd.

The engine, which put out roughly 60 horsepower per color (or about 250 horsepower total), was still hard to believe. And when you factor in the fact that the car weighs only 2,000 pounds or 1.5 tons, it's even more impressive. The real kicker is what Jamie did to get the engine to fit - creating a set of engine mounts that would work for the 1.8T motor.

Jamie's journey with his Polo Harlekin was one for the books. From the initial engine swap to the final test drive at SEMA, it was a wild ride. And when you consider all the engineering challenges he faced and the help he got from strangers on Instagram, it just goes to show that even the most impossible projects can be made possible with a little bit of determination and a lot of heart.

To see more of Jamie's journey, including pics and videos, follow him on his YouTube channel. And if you're looking for more car builds like this one, be sure to follow us on @donutmedia. We'll have all the latest news and updates from SEMA, plus plenty of content to keep you entertained throughout the year.

Follow Jamie's adventures on Instagram at @XJamieXOE, and James' journey at @JamesPumphrey. And don't forget to tune in next time for more car builds, racing news, and all things automotive.

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- What happens when one ofEurope's largest automakersdoes the unthinkableand decides to listen to their fans?(upbeat music)You get this.This isn't a custom paint job.This is from the factory.My question is, why?We're going ginster yellow hood topistachio green hatch,chagail blue rocker panelto tornado red side mirrors,bumper to bumper on this Polo Harlekin.(upbeat music)(upbeat music continues)Unless you're a die hard VW fanand French languageenthusiast like moi self,you might not even knowabout the Golf's little brother, the Polo.- The Polo hasbeen around since 1975,spanning six generations.Built to be an entry level vehiclejust below the Golf,it started off as a re-badged Audi 50that eventually morphedinto it's own unique modelcreating a cult following in Europeall along the way.(upbeat music)The beginning of the multi-colored Polodates all the way back to the 60s.The VW advertising teamreleased a print ad of a Beetle.It was their way of saying that the Beetlehas loads of interchangeableparts from previous years.Not sure why you'd want to advertise that.Fast-forward to 1995when VW executives were re-using their oldadvertising playbook.Ferdinand Piech, thenchairman of Volkswagen groupcame across that old Beetle adand decided to use a similar conceptwith their new Polo.VW painted up some oftheir all new baby Golf'susing the various shades thecar would be available in.Internally they gave themthe nick-name harlekin.(upbeat music)- Now, the only harlekin I knowis Harley Quinnfrom that movie 'Wolf of Wall street'.- But, besidespsychopathic clown chicks,a harlekin is also a(definition in foreign language)from olden times, likewhen kings and queensactually ruled countries.They were jokers if you will.They wore fluffy costumes adornedwith multi-colored diamond patterns.Those colors were green,red, blue and yellow.That's where the name came from.- If you care about spelling at allharlequin is spelled with a k in German,we in the states spell it with a q.The Polo Harlekin was surprisingly a hit.They built about 20 of the original carsfrom various auto-showsand advertising purposes.But, in a strange turn of eventsthe public's response fromthe car was so welcomedthat VW decided to do alimited production runof 1,000 cars.What's even more surprisingis those sold out.So they built an addition 2800 of them.After a little digging ona German VW Polo forum,I found out that McDonald'sgave away 500 Polo Harlekins'.The only thing I've ever wonfrom McDonald's is indigestion.(stomach gurgling noise)(crowd laughing)(upbeat music)If you're wondering what kind of personbuys a car like this?Well let me introduce you tothe man behind this build,Jamie Orr.If he looks like a familiar face,maybe you've seen him on Instagram.He's been building andrestoring all sorts ofVWs' and driving them across the countryto raise money for various charities.Pretty awesome.Also James bought his Golf from him.In the USA we never got the POLO,but VW did test thewaters with the paint job,on the Golf.But, they weren't very successful.Only 264 of them were made.And they had a toughtime getting them sold.Dealers had so much trouble unloading themthat they would piecetogether multiple Harlekins'to sell as a single color.Some of them even got repainted.Of the 264 cars built,Jamie has owned 4 of them.He's has about a 2% sharein the Golf Harlekin production run.That's the same percentageof milk I drink.(female laugh off screen)So when Jamie got the opportunityto build a Polo for a showin the Netherlands,he jumped at it.Even better, STC suspension asked tohave the car shipped to the USAand driven after the SEMA show.If you're curious how acar that's not 25 years oldis able to come over and not get seizedand crushed.It's on a one year visitor visa.Yeah, that's a thing,I didn't know either.(upbeat music continues)Now this isn't yourtypical run-of-the-millsix-end Polo Harlekin.It's got some pretty tricklittle goodies underneath.- But, before we get into thatlet's talk about the most obvious feature,the paint.(upbeat techno music)What seems like random colored body panelsthrown together here and thereis really controlled chaos.Using this paint scheme matrix,you can break down howeach car should look.There are four different base color modelsthat can be identifiedby looking at the roof.The roof color will also bethe same as the C-pillarsand the rocker panels.These were all welded togetherbefore being painted so they willalways be the same on a true Harlekin.(upbeat techno music)- If you were oneof the few people to go toa VW dealer and order a Harlekinthere is no way to specifywhich color you wanted.You just got the one you got.Production process didn't allowfor ordering specific base colors,and honestly, why would you.This Polo got a restoration paint jobbut it stayed true to theoriginal specific color scheme.(upbeat techno music)This thing is sittingon some serious candyand I'm talking Spree's over hereand not the chewy ones.We have some BBS RF009 three piece wheels.The center caps arecustom made in England.And of course each wheelis color matchedto one of the four primary base colors,I love that.Hiding behind those wheels arecolor matched ST suspensioncoil over springsand the disc brakesgot updated at all four corners as well.The wheels also havesome nitrogen valve stemswith pistachio green caps on them.That's attention to detail.(upbeat techno music)In the back, Jamieinstalled a Votex rear wingthat's pure and correct, very cool.Housed inside the wingis a third brake light.But the stock rear windowalready had a third brakelight from the factoryand double third brakelights are a serious faux pasthat's a dead giveaway, my guy.So the rear window was replacedwith a band new OEM piece of glasswith the brake light deleted.Some other cool touchesinclude these door handles.The OG black handles just wouldn't do.And these period correctnarrow cup-side mirrors.What do you say we checkout what's poweringthis little pup ster?(fading in techno upbeat music)The Polo Harlekin originally camewith a 99 horsepower, 1.6 liter in-line 4.Jamie thought, it needed alittle bit more power baby.So he took a 1.8T out of a Mark 4 Golfand squeezed it intothe smaller super mini.The bigger 4-banger gota unitronic stage twoplus tune with a K-O4 turboand bigger fuel injectors.A 3 inch downpipe from the Mark 4goes into a 2 and a half exhaustfrom a TDIand it does not run a catalytic converter.(upbeat music)To make way for the inter cooler,the power steering had to be taken outwhich in a car this small,I don't think it's actually a big deal.All and all the engine puts out roughly60 horsepower per coloror roughly about 250 horsepower.Not bad for a car that weighs 2,000 poundsor 1.5 James'.- Engine swaps come with all sortsof engineering challengesthat make builds interesting.Things like engine mounts.Lucky for Jamie a guy in Germanyhad already figured out allthe detailed measurementsfor making a set of 1.8T motormounts that fit in the Poloabout 15 years ago.Wanting to give credit where credit is duethey engraved the German guy's nameon the mount.Nice work Paul Michael.Also, totally unrelated tothat generous German fellowBFI put a (beeped put word) on there.Gotta love a good (beep) butt.I have one on my butt.Let's see that Photoshop Max.(voice of random guy yelling)Once the motor was buttoned upwith a BFI lightweight fly wheeland upgraded clutch.A freshly powdered coated yellow oil-panand an Audi S3 intake,the engine was ready to be tested.A week before the car neededto be on the road to Vegas,it was clear the transmission Jamie hadwouldn't bolt up.He needed one from aMark 4, Golf or Jetta.In true car buildingspirit he asked for helpin an Instagram post anda follower came though.Thank you very much.What does a 1.8T sound like in a Polo?Let's go inside and find out.(techno music)The inside of this carreminds me of one of those buseswe took on filed trips in high school.These are the original joker-styled seats,speckled gray with colored blocks.They look amazingand are pretty comfortable too.- It's even got somecustom made Harlekin floor matsto match.The steering wheel is a brand newold stock Styrro, colormatching of course.It's got a hand-madeblack forest shift knobwith OEM shift boot and hand brake.The head unit is a Blakupunkt blue.And it has a fisher cassette box,you know, to play piano by candle lightwhen you're rolling down the street.I'm exited to start this thing,let's crank it up.(engine idling)(engine revving)(man laughing)(engine revving)I did not know Volkswagen'scould sound like that.(engine revving)So choice.Turn it off so you can hear me.I was not expecting thatfrom this tiny little car.That's probably oneof the best 4-bangers I've ever heard.That sounds amazing.(techno music)It took Jamie 5 days torestore the car in Europebefore it made its way up to the States.It then took another eight daysto finish the build just in time for SEMA.I respect the hell out of this build.The Harlekin alreadystands out of the crowd.But what Jamie has done is built a carthat stands out in a crowd ofcars that stand out in a crowdnot many people can say that.Follow Jamie's rush to SEMAon his YouTube channel Jamie Orror for more pics @XJamieXOE on Instagram.Follow us, @donutmedia.Follow me on @NolonJSykes.And follow James @JamesPumphrey.We miss you dude, be nice.See you next time.(upbeat techno music)