Do you remember the Volkswagen Polo Harlequin from the 1990s? It's alright if you don't because we've got a Porsche 918 Spyder Harlequin that will definitely refresh your memory.
The Germans called it the ‘Harlekin.’ The Americans called it the ‘Harlequin.’ We’ll go the American way to remind you that, back in the mid-1990s, Volkswagen came up with this crazy idea. To launch a Polo with a multi-colored paint scheme. Each car combined four primary colors and sported body panels painted symmetrically: Pistachio Green, Ginster Yellow, Tornado Red, and Chagall Blue.
It was 1995, and people loved colors. The Germans were planning to build only 1,000 such units for the European market. But, due to the unexpected high demand, they ended up producing 3,806 units. In 2021, Volkswagen built a one-off Harlequin based on the sixth generation Polo.
The model was powered by either a 1.0-liter or a 1.4-liter petrol engine, with output ranging from 45 to 75 metric horsepower (44 - 74 horsepower) and came with special Joker pattern seats and a bespoke knob and steering wheel. Yes, the Polo Harlequin looked every inch a clown, but people thought it was crazy and fun. It was the 1990s, that explains it. Still better than the animal print, which was so popular back then, if you ask us.
It turns out that some are nostalgic when it comes to the Polo Harlequin. And one of them is the owner of this Porsche 918 Spyder. The supercar showed up at the Supercar Owner Circle 2023 event in Spain wearing the Harlequin wacky livery.
The car sports a front bumper and doors in red, the hood is painted in yellow, the fenders are partially green, the rear pillars and roof are in blue, while the rear bumper displays a yellow shade. Luckily, what you see in the video is just a wrap that the owner applied over the original silver paint for an event in Germany and decided to keep it for a while. The Polo Harlequins came painted from the factory.
The supercar was also fitted with decatted downpipes, which bring the extra drama in the sound.
The Porsche 918 Spyder comes as the second plug-in hybrid Porsche after the Panamera S E. It is powered by a mid-mounted naturally aspirated 4.6-liter V8, which delivers 599 horsepower (608 PS). But that’s not all, because the internal combustion engine works alongside two electric motors for a combined output of 875 horsepower (886 PS) and 994 lb-ft (1,280 Nm) of torque.
A 6.8-kWh lithium-ion battery pack stores enough energy for an electric drive of up to 12 miles (19 kilometers), according to the EPA standards.
The Porsche Harlekin and the Volkswagen Polo Harlekin may be similar when it comes to the multi-colored paint scheme. But they are no match in terms of anything else, not to mention output and price. Customers could take the 918 Spyder home if they paid $845,000, while the Polo Harlekin was around $26,000.
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