I’ve mentioned VW Harlequins here before and how my Scout resembles one. This is a story, told in Instagram photos, of a guy who bought one across the country from a junkyard and got it running with expertise and volunteer help.
From The Truth About Cars, a great article about the VW Harlequin (1996 Golf).
At its core, the Golf Harlequin was, quite simply, a multi-colored Volkswagen Golf manufactured only for the 1996 model year. But, like most things in the car world – and everything in the Volkswagen world – there’s a lot more to it than that.
Wow, this is a PR nightmare. Volkswagen trolled its own biggest fans by teasing a new harlequin model on April 1, and then was shocked when people actually got excited about it. I suppose now they’re trying to figure out how to respond without being even douchier than they originally were. The harlequin was a multicolored, limited edition model produced almost 30 years ago, back when the VW brand still had some friendly brand equity, and it was a rare treat to see one flash by on the road; I remember one parked on the street in Baltimore City for several years. VW’s brand has faded since then, with lousy reliability eroding their cars-for-the-people image and Dieselgate erasing any reason to trust them. What could have been a great idea—imagine if they’d used April Fools to actually announce a cool promotion for a car they actually planned on rolling out—they tripped over their own feet again.
(previously)
I forgot to post about this a few weeks ago–I sold my droopy secondhand Harbor Freight engine stand on Craigslist for $40, after it proved it couldn’t stand up to the weight of an International 345 (advertised weight: 700 lbs.) I got it for free about five years ago after helping a friend load a storage container for shipping out west, so it never owed me anything, and it’s good to have space back in the garage. That money goes into the project fund.
Another friend posted a pile of parts for free on Facebook, so I’m going to head down to Annapolis on the weekend to pick up the only sheetmetal I don’t have a spare for: a hood. He’s got two in good shape, so I’ll add it to the collection:
| Driver door |
Tahitian Red, great shape |
| Passenger door |
Tahitian Red, great shape |
| Driver fender |
Winter White |
|
Shitty blue repaint |
| Passenger fender |
Tahitian Red |
| Tailgate |
Tahitian Red, in great shape |
| Windshield |
Light Buckskin. Minor pitting |
|
Tahitian Red. Minor pitting, still has glass |
| Front grille and valance |
’72 model year, Frost Green; in great shape |
| Cowl cover |
Winter White, in great shape |
| Inner fenders |
decent shape, need some rustproofing and patching |
I’m really, really tempted to replace some of my sheetmetal with spare parts so that I can go for the full harlequin effect. I wish I had a good door in a different color.
