The Joy Of Clean: Polo Perfection
It’s about perspective

I always get a bit excited when a car like this tidy little first generation Volkswagen Polo from the UK lands on my desk. First off, I’m from America, and a lot of the cool cars from the European dub scene never even reached our shores. The Polo, for example, has never been imported to the US and despite the growing size of the Golf, it seems Volkswagen has no plans to introduce a smaller-sized car to the US market.

The seventh edition of the Players Show at North Weald airfield in Essex, UK

When it comes to the custom European VW scene itself, I’ve not had a whole lot of exposure to it, being from the other side of the pond and all that. Sure I’ve read the event reports and car features here, but it’s rare that I get to experience this so much for myself.

The seventh edition of the Players Show at North Weald airfield in Essex, UK

But the more I think about it, the more I realize this is actually a good thing. It’s all about perspective, and I think the element of discovery and learning is one of the things that makes Speedhunters so great. If we all just stuck to the stuff we’re experts on, this would be a pretty boring place.

The seventh edition of the Players Show at North Weald airfield in Essex, UK

My first real exposure to the European VW scene came from my friends back in the early 2000s. At the time I was driving around in Fox Body Mustangs, but I remember going to the bookstore and seeing magazines like Performance VW that my buddies would show me. Often I didn’t even know what I was looking at on those pages, but I liked what I saw.

The seventh edition of the Players Show at North Weald airfield in Essex, UK

At the time, the streets of the USA were filled with thumping muscle cars, chrome-laden pickup trucks and Japanese imports covered in vinyl graphics and neon lights. In contrast, the VWs I saw in these magazines were clean and subtle. Attention to detail was key. It seemed like a breath of fresh air. Sure, there were tastefully modified VWs in the US at the time, but you just didn’t see them much.

The seventh edition of the Players Show at North Weald airfield in Essex, UK

A lot of time has passed since then, and I certainly know a lot more about cars now than I did more than a decade ago but my feelings haven’t really changed. I still have a great respect for the tastefully done, detail-oriented machines that come from the European VW scene.

The seventh edition of the Players Show at North Weald airfield in Essex, UK

This Mk1 Polo owned by James McCafferey is a perfect example of what I’m talking about. One look at the car, and you can see exactly why Jonathan Moore decided to photograph it during the Players event last year.

Polo love
The seventh edition of the Players Show at North Weald airfield in Essex, UK

James has owned many different VWs in his life, and has a big soft spot for Polos in particular. He’s owned seven different Polos over the years, including four Mk1 models. This is especially impressive considering James is six foot, four inches tall and the Polo isn’t known for being a very large car.

The seventh edition of the Players Show at North Weald airfield in Essex, UK

He purchased this particular Mk1 Polo back in the spring of 2010 and shortly after, he began the process of converting the car from a completely stock 1,100cc model into the beautiful machine you see before you.

The seventh edition of the Players Show at North Weald airfield in Essex, UK

The build was a two-year process, during which James performed a full nut and bolt restoration, and also modified the car in some important areas.

The seventh edition of the Players Show at North Weald airfield in Essex, UK

Like a lot of the great cars that come out of this scene, there isn’t necessarily one outstanding feature that draws you toward James’ Polo. Instead, it’s a combination of the right details and an overall balance that wins you over. All areas of the car have been modified in equal proportion.

The seventh edition of the Players Show at North Weald airfield in Essex, UK

Beginning under the hood, James decided to pull out the old 1,100cc motor and replace with a 1,400cc 16-valve powerplant sourced from a ’98 Polo. Sure it’s not a horsepower monster, but even modest power upgrades can make a big difference when you’re dealing with a car this light.

The seventh edition of the Players Show at North Weald airfield in Essex, UK

Adding a little more punch to the 1.4 liter are a pair of Dellorto 40 carbs sitting on a Mangoletsi manifold. Of course the decision to put carbs on a motor like this is about more than just picking up some extra power and response. First, you just can’t beat that induction sound.

The seventh edition of the Players Show at North Weald airfield in Essex, UK

Second, the carbs simply look damn cool when you pop the hood. Especially considering the fact that the rest of the bay has been shaved and smoothed, with all the wires tucked for that signature clean look.

The seventh edition of the Players Show at North Weald airfield in Essex, UK

To get the car sitting like it does and for more athletic moves on the back roads, James is running a set of custom-built FK coilovers with adjustable front top mounts. He also added a set of Mk3 Polo G40 front brakes with vented discs to help bring the featherlight automobile to a stop.

One car, two wheels
The seventh edition of the Players Show at North Weald airfield in Essex, UK

How about the wheels? Well, this is where it gets interesting. We’ve all struggled with deciding what kind of wheels we want to put on our cars, and often have found more than one design we really love. James has found the ideal solution: just run two different types of wheels on the Polo – one style on each side.

The seventh edition of the Players Show at North Weald airfield in Essex, UK

On the passenger side, the car is wearing Compomotive Turbo three-piece wheels, 13″x7 in the front and 13″x7.5 in the rear. The color-matched centers are another nice touch.

The seventh edition of the Players Show at North Weald airfield in Essex, UK

And on the driver’s side? Those are three-piece Formula Renault wheels in the same 13″x7 and 13″x7.5 sizes, again color-matched to the car. It’s a great idea and as both sets suit the Polo so well, I wonder how many people don’t even notice?

The seventh edition of the Players Show at North Weald airfield in Essex, UK

As part of the body restoration, James had the entire car repainted in a shade called Polar White from a Volkswagen Dasher (a Passat outside of the US). A set of NOS chrome bumpers were added and the rear gas cap was smoothed for a cleaner look.

The seventh edition of the Players Show at North Weald airfield in Essex, UK

Inside, the interior was completely redone with beige upholstery. He also removed the headrests, had the rear seat painted and put in Hessian carpeting throughout.

The seventh edition of the Players Show at North Weald airfield in Essex, UK

There’s also a wooden Mountney steering wheel that adds the perfect old school touch.

The seventh edition of the Players Show at North Weald airfield in Essex, UK

Yes, it seems like James also has a keen taste in motoring accessories. And cigars.

The seventh edition of the Players Show at North Weald airfield in Essex, UK

When James set out to build this car, his idea was to create something simple which complemented the lines and character of the original Polo. Mission accomplished I’d say.

The seventh edition of the Players Show at North Weald airfield in Essex, UK

After attending shows and events all over Europe in 2013, James plans to give the car a break while he works on some other builds including a Mk1 Golf and a Mk1 Scirocco. If those cars wind up being anything like the Polo, there’s a lot to look forward to.

The seventh edition of the Players Show at North Weald airfield in Essex, UK

As James said when I asked him about his future plans: “watch this space”. Well, consider it watched…

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23 comments

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1

Wow what a beautiful car !

2

Seen this in person at Ultimate Dubs 2013, really was spot on! Loved the little extras on the inside.

4

2 different wheel sets ruined it for me, even though they are some cool wheels

5

Simple and elegant, looks great! This car was very popular amongst Swiss, German etc. retirees in the 70's, frugal functional and a bit boring back then.  :)

6

#FamousJames
Worth mentioning he attended over 40 shows I think it was last year, and he lives on the south coast so shows can easily be 4 or 5 hours away! Massive dedication! Lovely little thing.

7

So clean

8

Real clean car, but stretching 155s on 7's just looks weird to me. Its a shame it couldn't fit 185s on there, because that would look awesome.

9

this is clean to the point of sterile.. cigars on the seat (would you ever stink up a car with that?) and two sets of wheels says a bit attention whore

10

I love builds like this. Absolutely amazed. Very, Very neat. Thanks for a wonderful story. And my best to James. Please James
do the Mk1 Scirocco first.

11

Not to be pedantic, but James is letting some good cigars go to waste by leaving the lid open...

12

I love it! The wheels open a new perspective, Its not 'normal' but thats why its cool, and the fact that you can't notice from afar

13

Very clean, great execution. I love polos and really like the clean VW style but is also tad unoriginal. Wished it would be a bit more out of the box.

15

Be interested to know if the wheels weight the same left to right and how it affects the handling.

16

The simple engine bay is so nice to see.

17

Saw this car in the flesh at players and I must say it stood out! Sounded awesome too :) took my a while to realise there were two different sets of wheels to be fair!

18

@ioncelfals cigars dont stink !!!

19

Is this car converted?how come the wipers are in the opposite side?

20

Formula Renault all round.

21

icobird Early Polos still retained the original German positioned wipers, not until later did they swap them for the UK :)

22

Such a clean car, and amazingly clean photos.

23

perfect!

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