1996 Volkswagen Polo Harlekin | Swansea

The Volkswagen Polo Harlekin is a colour-blocked special edition of the third-generation Polo. It began as a promotional idea to show off the range's modular options, and customer requests turned it into a production car. Its mix of red, yellow, green and blue panels is deliberately loud. This car is a 1996 example with a 1.4-litre petrol engine, listed as blue with a black interior and registered as multi-colour. It is left-hand drive: the driver sits on the kerb side, so the front passenger steps out on the road side, and it gives a continental look in shot. The compact hatchback body sits comfortably close to the camera. The bold panels suit playful photography, fashion and editorial shoots, colourful event displays and music videos, where the colour does the work. On a 1990s film or TV set it reads as period at once. It also adds fun to a wedding or birthday. The car is based in Swansea.