Archive | Events and shows

26 July 2011 ~ 0 Comments

British Volkswagen Festival 2011:
event photo report

Traditionally held on the first weekend in July, the British Volkswagen Festival (BVF) is one of the oldest fixtures in the VW show season calendar. Staged at the Three Counties Showground in the Malvern Hills, we have fond memories of driving our Manila Green 1978 Mk 1 Polo N to the event and back in one day back in 1992. One of the longest drives we’d undertaken at that time – from Lowestoft on the east coast to Malvern – it took around six hours to go one way in a 40bhp, 14 year-old car! It didn’t take our special correspondent Alex Grant (follow him on Twitter at @alexgrantuk) that long to get to this year’s event on 2-3 July, though, and just as at GTI International the weekend before, he snapped the best Polos at the show for us. Scroll through the slideshow below to enjoy some of the Polo-shaped BVF 2011 action.

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11 July 2011 ~ 0 Comments

Stonor Park 2011: event photo report

Stonor Park has been a long-time fixture on the Volkswagen enthusiast’s calendar. Similar to Stanford Hall in style and atmosphere (large country house, quiet, grassy grounds), the 2011 event took place once again at Stonor Park, Henley-on-Thames on 5 June. Organised by the Association of British Volkswagen Clubs, a mostly sunny day with a few showers didn’t dampen owners’ spirits, and a wide range of Polos were spotted, from a very basic Olive Green military model to GTIs. Engine transplants were very much in eveidence, too; G40s and VR6 units into later 6N cars were popular. Long-time Polo enthusiast Simon Kimber took a few photos for us at the event – see his small slideshow below.

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28 June 2011 ~ 0 Comments

GTI International 2011: event photo report

GTI International is arguably the UK’s largest water-cooled Volkswagen event, and in 2011 celebrates its 24th birthday. Held last weekend (25-26 June) at Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground in Leicestershire and despite damp weather on Saturday, a record turnout was recorded according to organisers Autometrix Publications (publishers of independent Volkswagen Driver and Audi Driver magazines). Warm weather on Sunday brought out Polos of all styles and generations to rub tyres with the Mk 1, Mk 2, Mk 3, Mk 4, Mk 5, and Mk 6 Golf GTIs from which the event takes it name. If you’re a genuine water-pumper Volkswagen enthusiast, then the event will need no introduction. But, for those who have never been before, serial Polo/car enthusiast and journalist Alex Grant was there for us on Sunday to record the best Polos in attendance. Click the slideshow below to see which Polos caught Alex’s eye.

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15 May 2011 ~ 0 Comments

Stanford Hall 2011

2011 marks 35 years of the Stanford Hall Volkswagen event, and this year saw the return of fine, sunny and warm weather, absent from 2010’s proceedings. Held on the traditional May Day Bank Holiday weekend, more than a few handfuls of Volkswagens descended upon Swinford-on-Avon (borne out by the fact that getting out of the venue took us at least 30 minutes), to kick-off the VW show season proper. Leicestershire and Warwickshire VW Owners Club once again put on a fantastic show, although if we were nit-picking, the lack of water-cooled trade stands was disappointing, as was the lack of entries in the Polo concours class, but the blame for either point shouldn’t be laid at the organisers’ door.

Overall, the Concours d’Elegance was well-stocked, with ‘classic’ Volkswagens of all classes, shapes and sizes, and it’s traditionally been one of the draws of the event. One of our favourite classes was the Mk 1 Scirocco peg, with a stunningly immaculate 1978 TS model in Viper Green rubbing shoulders with an equally pristine 1979 Storm. Now few and far between, this pair represented the absolute best of the breed. Moving onto Class 18, Polos and Saloons (Derby, Polo Classic), the sole two cars entered were notable not only because of their fantastic condition, but also by the lack of compatriots. The 1980 GLS of classic Polo stalwart Dan Higgins was once again vying for honours, fighting it out with the 2001 Polo GTI of Gianni Ciarciaglini. Ciarciaglini won with 119 points, and we can see why, but after years as a runner-up, it would have nice to have seen Higgins walk away with the top prize. Especially as we thought comparative age was supposed to have come into the judge’s score of 113.

There was a good sprinkling of Polos elsewhere. In the outer reaches of the car park, there were several interesting examples, and along with our editorial GT (no stand for us this year), made walking the formation-parked aisles worthwhile. Inside the show area, Club Polo represented the Polo brand, with a varied display of 10 cars, stretching from Dan Higgins’ other Mk 1 – a 1981 N model with a 100bhp 16V engine – to Jon Gallant’s 2000 Polo TDI. Away from the club stands, a solitary Polo Dune on the Volkswagen Owner’s Club GB caught our eye, as did a mid-1980s ‘rat-look’ Polo C hatchback representing the same organisation. Meanwhile, a Polo trailer made from a rear end of a coupé sold for £450, while numerous Mk 2 Polo coupés seemed to have been brought out of the woodwork to bask in the glorious sunshine. Click on the gallery below to see some of our favourites from Sunday 1 May’s event.

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27 April 2011 ~ 0 Comments

Motorsport Polos in focus at Techno Classica Essen 2011

The mammoth annual classic car event that is Techno Classica Essen, takes place over five days in Essen (no!) in Germany, and 2011’s event from 30 March to 3 April saw, as in previous years, a predictably large Volkswagen Group attendance. As well as official stands from Volkswagen Classic – showing Karmann-based prototypes and vehicles from Osnabrück, including a 1973 Passat, 1974 Scirocco, Series 1 Golf Cabriolet prototype and the premiere of the new Series 6 Golf Cabriolet – Hall 8.1 offered a smattering of VW-brand clubs, and among them, IG Typ 86, and a trio of motorsport Polos. Sebastian Winkler of www.g-lader.info has kindly given us permission to use these photos of the Series 1 Polo track-based wide-arch Polos, and a rally-spec Group H Series 2 Polo G60. More pictures and Sebastian’s HD video of the Techno Classica Essen 2011 event can be found here.

[Images: Sebastian Winkler]

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