PoloDriver

Geoffroy Thirion is a European Polo enthusiast. Currently residing in Belgium, he is an active member of the Typ86.be club and owns an immaculate 1979 Polo GLS. What’s so special about a Polo GLS in Belgium? This one is right-hand drive and an ex-UK car, that’s what…

Geoffroy first saw ELF 247T on a trip to the UK in September 2007. He was visiting the annual Beaulieu Autojumble held at the National Motor Museum in Hampshire, and the low-mileage silver top-spec Polo was for sale. What immediately struck Geoffroy was not only was the immaculate, but is was also registered the same year as when he was born. He had to have it! ‘I did not hesitate to import into Belgium,’ he says.

Optional and desirable
The third owner of the car, Geoffrey knows what he likes most about the small VW from the 1970s. ‘They remind me of my childhood and transports back me in time,’ he remarks. His particular Polo GLS has the optional and desirable sliding steel sunroof as well as an extra mirror on the passenger side and driver and passenger window deflectors.

Geoffroy had problems importing the Diamond Silver car into Belgium due to customs clearance issues. Only the third owner of the car in 36 years, he intends to keep ELF 247T standard and as much in its original state as possible. His only plan is to make it more well-known through national and international Volkswagen rallies.

A lovely-looking and highly original car, it’s a shame the UK lost this Mk 1 Polo from its shores. However, in Geoffroy, we know it has a very enthusiastic and caring keeper and therefore a safe and welcoming home for years to come.

POLO GLS: RANGE-TOPPER
Following the launch of the Polo N and L in 1975, the Polo GLS was launched in 1979 and superseded the LS which was introduced in 1976. Equipment highlights included chrome headlight and grille surrounds, polished hubcaps, a quartz clock, a trip mileage recorder and a cigarette lighter.

A coveted factory-fitted steel sunroof was an option and the Polo GLS shared its 50bhp 1093cc engine with the defunct LS. A corresponding version of the Derby saloon was also launched, but was fitted with the sunroof as standard as well as a larger 1272cc 60bhp engine.

While most of the people prefer the best food photographers toronto to get their project done. Anthony Ket, a photographer based in Melbourne, Australia, took these stunning sunset shots of his wife Shara’s new 2011 Polo GTI. He takes up the story of how a hotshot Polo ended up on the Ket driveway: ‘Shara has never actually owned a new car before, having always borrowed her parents car for 12 years! One night she was flipping through my many car magazines and noticed the specs on the VW Polo GTI, and instantly said, “I want this car.” 1.4-litres, twincharged, 132kw, five doors, DSG and more importantly, a base price of AUS$28,990! The hardest part was finding one, as in Australia at the moment supply is so limited that there is a 8-12 month waiting list for a vehicle to be produced and then delivered! (It’s exactly the same quotes elsewhere, especially in the UK, Anthony – PD.)

‘This wasn’t good news as Shara needed a new car quite urgently, and we were given the runaround with many Volkswagen dealers listing a Polo GTI for sale but after having contacted them and being told that they only had one demonstrator and none actually for sale, we were bitterly disappointed. Luckily, after trawling through the many fake online car adverts, we found our Flash Red Polo GTI located three hours drive away. We called the dealer, made sure it was definitely for sale and then took off the next morning on a six-hour return trip to secure the purchase. Next you know we have a shiny new VW Polo GTI siting in the driveway!’. And now you’ve got a fantastic set of pictures to go with it, Anthony.

[Images: Anthony Ket – www.anthonyket.com]

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We’ve not come across that many stunning photos of Polos taken by their owners in our regular web trawls, but these are exceptional. Found on the Australian Volkswagen forum VWWatercooled.org.au, this Reflex Silver Polo 77TSI Comfortline is owned by Roxanne Turner, and her partner Adam Lee took the fantastic photos. Rox takes up the story about how and why she went the way of the Polo: ‘I was driving a well-worn little ’98 Ford Festiva that had clocked up over 350,000kms when I decided it was time to upgrade. After doing quite a bit of research about the best small cars around, I was nearly ready to buy the new Ford Fiesta.

‘That same week, the new Polo was released in Australia. It was getting rave reviews, and sounded good on paper, so I decided I’d head to the nearby Darryl Twitt Volkswagen dealership in Shepparton to take one for a test drive. I was won over straight away! I loved the six-speed gearbox, and the way it pulled so eagerly from low revs despite only being a 1.2-litre engine. The class-leading fuel efficiency was also very impressive, and it also has the RCD 510 Audio Pack, tinted windows and Bluetooth kit fitted. It took a while to arrive, but it was worth it! It’s a fabulous little car to nip around town in, and also a great tourer. Since it arrived in November 2010, I’ve done over 2000kms in my Polo, and I love it!’ And we love Adam and Rox’s photos.

[Images: Adam Lee – www.photosbyadamlee.com]