COLOR THEORY

One of the Raddest VW Golfs Began as a Sales Failure

- BILLY REHBOCK

No other version of the VW Golfis more emblematic of 1990s style and hues than the Harlequin, a car with a backstory as wild as its quad-color paint job. Diehard VW fans and retro car enthusiasts are familiar with the Harlequin, but the wacky hatchback only recently has enjoyed renewed appreciation.

Volkswagen originated the idea for a multicolored car in a 1964 print advertisement. The ad showed off the brand's year-to-year interchangeable parts, represented by a Beetle with mismatching body panels and fenders. The vision was actualized as a production car in the form of the Europe-only 1995 Mk3 Polo Harlequin hatchback, which wore mishmashed body panels painted Tornado Red, Chagall Blue, Ginster Yellow, and Pistachio Green. Intended as a small batch of 20 cars, consumers expressed enthusiasm for the quirky design. VW ultimately produced more than 3,000 Polo Harlequins.

The Golf version was met with initial excitement as it hit the 1995 auto show circuit, so VW North America produced 264 units. Painted the same colors as the Polo Harlequin, the cars destined to become Golf Harlequins were monochromatic when they rolled off the assembly line. VW North America then scrambled the panels around in accordance with guidelines laid out by the brand's European headquarters. Every grille matches the front fenders, the front doors match, and the rear doors match. The original body color is detectable by the rear quarter panels, roof, and rocker panels. Inside, cloth seats feature the four exterior colors in the fabric's pattern.

However, when the production version came to the U.S., Canada, and Mexico later that year, the funky hatchback wasn't embraced in the same way as its subcompact sibling. The Golfs lingered on dealership lots-buyers didn't want to be seen driving what looked like a clown car.