Hello and welcome to My Polo 86c Resto-Mod project page.
Some history...
In the late 80's, when I was roughly 10, I saw the Polo 86c for the first time that was parked around my neighbourhood. It was a navy blue Polo Breadvan - I fall in love with its silhouette right away.
From that time onward I knew that one day I would own a Polo like this (At the time i didn't knew that there's also a coupe version).
Through the years i was driving a multitude of low entry cars::
- Fiat 126p (Maluch)
- VW Derby 86 1.3
- Opel Kadett C 1.2
- Fiat Cinquecento 700
- Peugeot 205 1.4
One day, my sister called me saying that she had bought a Polo for £100 at a Police auction...
My dream came true...
It was the Left Hand Drive version of the Peppermint Coupe.
Photos of this polo and its modifications can be found here
Life goes on... and with a great regret Polo had to be sold so that a larger, more comfortable car could appear in the family.
But dreams never go away...
Through the years I believed that one day I will find a Polo that will meet my expectations.
It was a neverending pursuit of for a car that is harder and harder to find... the bar was very high, up to the point that the probability of finding such a car was close to none:
- Polo 86C Coupe
- Year 89-90
- 1.3 engine on Multipoint Injection or G40
- Color Navy Blue/Blue Metallic
- Green windows
- Perfect bodywork with no rust
- No tuning modifications
- A reasonable budget
Finding the original 86c G40 is nearly impossible, finding the Navy Blue G40 is literally imposiible (yes, they do exist).
Polo 86c was/is the lowest segment car, it has never been treated with full care by the owners, a cheap hauler from point A to point B, which is why most of the cars have weak engines, no equipment or are simply a rust buckets.
Thus, my pursuit of the Polo was an unrealistic challenge.
Through the years passing by i found one advertisement on the market where the owner was selling 2 Polos for the price of one, unfortunately the documents of both vehicles (or rather jus one, because the second polo had none) left some concerns about the later registration of the car, so despite the down payment, I gave up on the purchase all together.
Another 2 years have passed... and here there was a Polo in Warsaw
Passionate owner
- Body condition 4+ (several painted elements 2 small rusted places)
- 1.3 NZ engine on multipoint Injection
- Navy Blue Metallic
- GT Grill
- Genuine Hockenheim Rims
- 120000 km on the clock
- Price - High
The only thing left to to was to get the consent from my 'lady in charge' to make a deal with the seller ... and I did. After the blessing of my beloved wife (thank you sweetheart with all my heart), in September 2019 the Polo have been brought to the family.
Since the Polo was used sporadically by the previous owner, it required some mechanical input in the Brakes & suspension. To give the Polo extended a bit more chance for survival, the entire underbody have been protected against corrosion while at the same time it provided a bit of additionally soundproofnes of the body.
So now a bit on why did this project came to live?
The Polo is NOT a comfortable car. In the 1980s, it may have been a class among the little ones, but in today's standards, it is an archaic vehicle that uses the structure & technology derived directly from the Audi 50, with the exception of minor body changes, though it is still the same construction from the 1970s.
It's a matter of taste, but I adore the silhouette of this car. I enjoy driving it even though it is relatively uncomfortable to drive.
Comfort ... convenience ... usability, this is something that guided me in the pursuit of alterations in my previous Polo., This is why the current one will be undergoing a number of modifications that will increase comfort, safety and usefulness.
There is nothing impossible to do, but I want to maintain the car's load-bearing structure. Any changes that will be made must not affect the structure of the vehicle thus any bodywork changes should be kept to a minimum.
So here we go, below is a list of Projects and changes that are being planned:
- Drive
- Engine: 1.6 16v AVY from Polo 6N2 GTI - Project Status: Gathering Parts
- Gearbox: 6 speed DSG DQ250
- Brakes: Front 280mm ventilated discs with ATE calipers from Opel Vectra and rear Corrado discs (with ABS/ESP Project Status: Idea )
- Power steering integrated into the steering column derived from Opel Corsa B
- Front suspension subframe
- AirRide air suspension automatically controlled by gyro sensors
- Body
- Original tinted front windows
- Electrically operated tilted rear windows
- Pull handles
- Tailgate with integrated lighting, lock & camera
- Mirrors from the Audi B6 Cabrio (fully electric, dimmable).
- Electrics
- Full electrical installation adapted from the PQ35 Platform (VW Touran from 2012 Highline)
- Full CAN
- Highline equipment
- Fotochrome mirror with rain sensor and automatic lights (Side mirrors dimmable fully electric with memory)
- Full door electrics
- Automatic Wipers
- Cruise control
- Heated Mist windshield washer
- Park Assist PLA 12 sensor
- Blind Spot Radar
- Powered tailgate Project Status: Idea
- Ambient Lighting
- Coming/Leaving Home
- Footwell Light
- DVR cameras
- Lighting
- Bi-led front lamps
- Lamp Washers
- Front dynamic indicators with built-in DRL lights
- Rear lamps converted to dynamic LED with an original look
- Additional Ambient Lighting
- Interior
- Electric seats from the BMW E92 M3
- Rebuilt cockpit
- Additional center vents.
- Climateronic panel from Touran 2012
- Extended Dashboard for Tablet Integration
- Cup Holders
- Redesigned Golf MK2 dash insert with 3D color display and dial controls
- HeadUp Display
- Multifunctional steering wheel and stalks from Touran 2012
- Seat integrated Armrests
- Door Trims with built in speaker system and door handle from Audi B7 for comfort
- Full trunk upholstery
- Ceiling Console with Ambiente Lighting.
- Sun visors with integrated lighting
- Audio
- Tablet/Android Head unit
- Subwoofer located in the spare wheel (Mazda 6) or under seats
- 4 channel amplifier
- Rear JBL speakers in original holders
- Front speakers Integrated in the door panels
- Integration with the multifunctional steering wheel and dash
- Comfort
- Soundproofing the body with bitumen and felt mats
- Full Alcantara upholstery
- Trimmed leather cockpit
- Climatronic built into the original heater based around Touran 2012 components.
- Auxiliary heating
Some of the above changes are already being implemented, some are in the idea phase, some as a project and some will probably never be achieved (the electric tailgate can be one of those impossible ideas - there is simply no place to stuff the actuators)
On the appropriate pages, I will document the progress of work, attach documents, projects, photos, videos.
English (United Kingdom)
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