Classic Volkswagen models are always in demand. It is not without reason that you find the brand in the top 3 of best-selling classics every year. The model that always plays a more modest role - especially in classic circles - is the Polo. That does not detract from the fact that there are enough fans for them. Like Koen Ijff from Amsterdam. He turned a Polo from the first series into a very desirable car. In addition, he also has a Polo G40. And he already drove an above average number of kilometers.
Koen and his wife Wilma have cherished his love for the Volkswagen Polo for decades. He bought his first copy in 1985. It was second-hand, and WW Smit in Amsterdam Buitenveldert (still VAG specialist) neatly delivered Koens' red Polo 1 from 1978 with registration number 95-TU-45. After a few years, the truck driver from Amsterdam sold his Polo for a reasonable price. A battery cover and rust in the front screens ended the alliance between Koen and his first Polo. He sold it for next to nothing a boy in Zevenaar.
Project with shine on the cheeks
The blood crawled where it couldn't go. Because in 2011 Koen came across a project that evoked feelings of homesickness: after years, another Polo Typ 86 was introduced. Koen writes to us and tells us the following: “With blood, sweat and tears, with parts from two donors, with a lot of time, money and kilometers to get parts far in Germany gave the Polo shine on the cheeks. ” The Polo was lost, because in fact Koen found the Polo in 2011 in stripped state. He resurrected the Polo from the ashes, in a historically accurate green color. And while retaining the original number plate that the VW was pinned in 1976
Lots of help, adapted engine and box
Koen continues. “I got a lot of help from guys from the Polo 86c register, which was very valuable. Raymond Gerrist in particular did a lot of work. Wilco Schadeherstel in Alphen a / d Rijn also contributed significantly to the revival of the Polo 1, which is finally ready for use and for daily use in mid-April 2019. Because: there is a 1.3 HK engine from a Polo 2, and it is linked to a five-speed gearbox. And if you look at the color, it gets greener on the road. ” Koen has since won a prize and the green Polo has the Eurotax 2 classification.
Phoenix and the G40
The Volkswagen Polo 1 was thus resurrected. It is not without reason that he was nicknamed Phoenix. Phoenix already saw a number of countries in Europe. Koen and Wilma recently traveled to Holy Island with the Polo. And after the restoration, “Phoenix” was used as a daily driver for a while. That had a reason. Because that other Polo, the G40 that has been owned by Koen Ijff since 1994, got a second life. “My first G1994 was stolen in June 40. The 6N was on its way, but I absolutely wanted a G40 again. Luckily Tim de Ruiter from Lexmond in Hoofddorp was able to supply me with a G40 Genesis. And that's this one. ”
On to the six tons!
Before delivery and at an additional cost, Lexmond removed the Genesis stickers from the G40 sprayed in Violett Touch Perleffekt at the request of Ijff. They also built in an electrically operated steel Vermeulen Hollandia sliding-tilting roof. Koen Ijff first drove this Volkswagen Polo 'business', a few years later that status changed to 'private'. And that means that The G40 is not only used for recreational purposes. It is also used daily. Since Lexmond handed over the keys in Hoofddorp, no less than 560.000 kilometers have slipped under this Polo. You read it right.
Restoration and engine repair
In 26 years a lot happened. For example, the G-loader was preventively overhauled 3x. The same fate also befell the 1.3 liter engine (excluding head). That happened at mileage 399.000. More was done to keep this G40 on its toes. Restoration of the sheet metal and welding work and a new paint job were done - just as with the Volkswagen Polo 1 - by Wilco Schadeherstel in Alphen a / d Rijn. The G40 was largely stripped and rebuilt after repairs. Door sills were newly installed. Grinding and welding work on the front, front fenders, parafan, doors, tailgate, rear apron and bottom: it was all done professionally. “And Ace Automotive (also in Alphen) has expertly replaced the defective VH sliding roof with an electrically operated Webasto Comfort sliding / tilting roof. We are now very attached to this little car and would like to continue to use it as a daily car for as long as possible ”says the owner, who also won prizes at international meetings with this original Dutch registered and 113 HP generating Polo G40.
"Refurbished old stuff is a lot of fun"
Koen is an example of someone who does long with his things, and the special bond with the Volkswagen Polo reinforces that image in twofold. “My wife Wilma is also made of that wood, it is just nice to keep driving the cars for as long as possible. To enjoy beautiful, old refurbished cars. And Wilma and I both enjoy using them. They are made for that, right? ”
Impressions on You Tube
Koen Ijff also made a number of videos. You will find an impression of the restoration of the Volkswagen Polo 1 herewhile a nice video recording of a drive through Europe here can be found. We have a nice film of a ride with the Polo G40 in Scotland here placed. Look, and enjoy the love of Koen and Wilma for his Volkswagens.
Unbelievable. You can't even get all the parts from VW. What is classic about it? Except, for example, the beetle?
What is classic about it? The green thing is largely responsible for the current form of the (global) fleet. It comes from the technical department of NSU (whose history dates back to 1873), where it was developed as the A50.
Because of the high costs of the (warranty on the) RO80, NSU was incorporated by the Volkswagen group, and this group was able to make the switch from the concept of RWD with rear engine to FWD with engine (transverse) in the front. In the end, the Golf could also be developed, and so there was finally a successful successor for that (classic) Beetle, something that VW had not managed (on time) independently.
The story of this little car (typ86) has therefore turned out to be the rescue of the VAG concern, a concern that subsequently had quite a lot of influence on (the development of) the Western automobile ...
A little less bias, and the willingness to read / search yourself and you could have known before you asked the question.