Volkswagen Brings Back The Harlequin If Only Briefly

• The Harlequin concept is a multi-coloured affair.

• It dates back to a mid-60s Beetle.

• Most remember the mid-90s Polo and Golf.

The idea behind the introduction of this Harlequin Polo was literally to brighten our day. The third Monday of January of the new year is known as Blue Monday as the saddest day of the year. Arguably, a Volkswagen Harlequin car will put a smile on just about any face.

The first Volkswagen to sport numerous colours was a 1964 Beetle. It was painted this way to demonstrate how serviceable the car was. In 1995, Volkswagen revisited the concept by introducing the new third-generation Polo. The Chagall Blue, Ginster Yellow, Pistachio Green and Tornado Red, this four colour palette found its way on over 3,800 Polos, according to Autoblog.

Volkswagen brought back the colour scheme with the 3^rd-generation 1996 Golf. Of these, only 264 were sold in the US. Today, many are still on the road and happen to be quite coveted by enthusiasts.

Unfortunately, the new Harlequin Polo will not be produced in mass quantities as this unit was nothing more than a show-car. In a way, we’re not sad about this. In some ways, the colour concept does not work as well on modern car designs.