Having supermini with under 100 hp fitted with a body kit sounds a bit stupid doesn't it. Sure it looks good, but why spend money on a diffuser if you never reach sufficient speed to generate downforce.
However, customization, and especially factory fitted customization, is big business. When we tested the Renault Clio last year, we like that it came with a carbon fiber look (not real carbon) spoiler, even though it created parking problems.
Volkswagen's rival for the Clio, the Polo supermini, also offers a body kit. It's called the R-Line. Available for order since December 2012, it allows Wolfsburg to create a sexy Polo GTI look for its lesser engined cars.
Deliveries of the Polo R-Line started in the first quarter of 2013 and we caught up with a customer from Norway who has bought one. His car is a 2013 Polo 1.2 TSI 90 with DSG. It has both the exterior and interior R-line kit, plus the RDS510 radio system. There are a lot of expensive options on this car and we wondered why he didn't just buy a GTI instead. It seems in Norway there's a horsepower tax, which means people buy low power, high-spec models like this one.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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