Volkswagen, a brand known for its innovative and sometimes unconventional ideas, has gifted the automotive world with a plethora of memorable vehicles. From the Beetle’s enduring design to the audacity of the Phaeton W12, VW’s history is rich with bold choices. However, for sheer peculiarity and visual impact, few can rival the 1996 Volkswagen Golf Harlequin Edition.
What Exactly Was the Golf Harlequin?
At its heart, the Golf Harlequin was simply a Volkswagen Golf, specifically the MK3 generation, draped in a vibrant, multi-colored coat. Produced exclusively for the 1996 model year, this wasn’t just a paint option; it was a statement. But as is often the case with Volkswagen, and indeed the automotive world in general, the story behind the Harlequin is far more nuanced and intriguing than its surface suggests.
To truly understand the Golf Harlequin, we need to delve into its conceptual origins. The inspiration can be traced back to a Volkswagen Beetle advertisement from the 1960s. This iconic ad featured a Beetle rendered in multiple colors, ingeniously transforming the car’s unchanging design – often perceived as a flaw – into a virtue by highlighting the interchangeability of its parts. Decades later, this “flaw as a feature” approach would be echoed by Land Rover, famously used to justify the eccentricities of the early Series I Discovery.
Fast forward to the early 1990s, and a visionary Volkswagen executive in Germany, captivated by the spirit of that vintage Beetle ad, reportedly exclaimed, “This is a fantastic idea!” Whether this exclamation was met with enthusiasm or apprehension from colleagues remains a delightful mystery. Perhaps it was the influence of Ferdinand Piech himself, whose audacious ideas often found enthusiastic support, regardless of their initial strangeness.
The first manifestation of this colorful concept was the “Harlequin” version of the 1995 Volkswagen Polo, a compact hatchback not available in North America. Initially intended as a limited run of 1,000 units, the Polo Harlequin’s unexpected popularity led Volkswagen to increase production to over 3,800. Adding to the exclusivity, only the first thousand Polo Harlequins came with individually-numbered keychains, much to the chagrin of later adopters. Even today, the Polo Harlequin remains a cheerful sight on European roads, a splash of color amidst the often-monochromatic landscape of commuters.
The Golf Harlequin Arrives in America
Riding on the surprising success of the Polo Harlequin, Volkswagen’s executive team decided to bring this vibrant concept to the American market. Instead of focusing on conventional improvements, like, perhaps, ensuring brake lights functioned reliably for extended periods, they opted for a splash of color. Thus, for the 1996 model year, a total of 264 Golf GL five-door models emerged from Volkswagen’s Puebla, Mexico factory, each a little more visually adventurous than its counterparts.
The production process of the Golf Harlequin was as unique as the car itself. Each vehicle started its journey down the assembly line finished in one of four base colors: Chagall Blue, Ginster Yellow, Pistachio Green, or Tornado Red. The magic happened after the car was fully assembled. Factory workers then meticulously swapped body panels – doors, fenders, hood, and tailgate – with those from other Golfs of different base colors. This panel exchange transformed each car into a vibrant patchwork of colors. This process likely wasn’t entirely foreign to the Puebla factory workers, who might have been accustomed to some level of panel swapping on finished vehicles.
In theory, Volkswagen aimed to produce 66 vehicles for each base color. The base color is identifiable by the fixed body parts: the C-pillars, roof, and rocker panels. However, verifying these exact numbers is challenging. Given the age of these mid-90s Volkswagens, a significant portion likely faced typical automotive attrition, perhaps even succumbing to engine issues around the time the internet was still in its infancy. Those that have survived are meticulously documented in the Harlequin Registry, a testament to the enduring appeal of this unusual car.
Adding to the Harlequin’s mystique is the non-random arrangement of its colored panels. In true German fashion, the panel combinations followed a precise color chart, ensuring that no two panels of the same color were ever adjacent. This carefully planned chaos contributed to the Harlequin’s distinctive and eye-catching aesthetic.
Furthermore, two of the Harlequin’s colors – Chagall Blue and Pistachio Green – were exclusive to European models and not offered on any other US-spec Golf. This added another layer of uniqueness to the already distinctive multi-colored Golf.
The Challenge of Selling Colorful Chaos
Selling the Golf Harlequin presented a unique challenge for dealerships. Most Volkswagen dealers received only a handful, typically between zero and two, leading to envy among those who missed out. Many Harlequins were eventually purchased by businesses seeking attention-grabbing company cars, often at substantial discounts or in later model years. Others found homes with individuals seeking a car that was anything but ordinary, perhaps appealing to those with a flair for the unconventional.
However, one dealership stood out in the Harlequin saga: Jim Ellis Volkswagen in Atlanta, Georgia. In its pre-Gunther era, Jim Ellis was among the largest VW dealerships in the United States. Intriguingly, Jim Ellis received a disproportionately large number of Harlequin Golfs. The exact reasons remain debated, but the timing is noteworthy: a second Jim Ellis Volkswagen dealership opened in nearby Marietta, Georgia, just months prior. Could there have been an unspoken agreement, a quid-pro-quo to move less conventional inventory? In the car industry, such scenarios are not unheard of.
Adding another layer to the Jim Ellis Harlequin story is their potential connection to the 1996 Olympic Games held in Atlanta. While unconfirmed, local lore suggests that some Harlequins were used during the Olympics, perhaps as quirky transport vehicles. Ironically, the Olympics in Atlanta that year were also marked by a bombing at Centennial Olympic Park, a stark contrast to the Golf Harlequin’s lighthearted nature.
Despite the potential Olympic association and Jim Ellis’s sales efforts, not all Harlequins found buyers easily. According to anecdotal accounts, some unsold Harlequins were eventually sent to the Jim Ellis body shop. There, in a final twist, their multi-colored panels were reportedly swapped back to create single-color Golfs. While this tale might sound apocryphal, the Harlequin registry does document at least two solid-color Golfs finished in Pistachio Green, a color originally exclusive to the Harlequin, lending some credence to this story.
The Harlequin Legacy Today
The Harlequin Registry meticulously tracks the surviving examples of this colorful Golf, currently listing around 107 cars. While this represents less than half of the original production run, it’s a remarkable survival rate for a 17-year-old car based on the standard Golf GL. Especially considering it’s not a high-performance or ultra-luxury model, the Harlequin’s enduring appeal is undeniable.
On the used car market, Golf Harlequins remain relatively rare, surfacing only occasionally. However, when they do appear, they often command a slight premium over their more conventionally colored contemporaries. This price appreciation suggests that the Golf Harlequin, initially perceived as a bizarre experiment, might just have been a stroke of genius, or at least, a surprisingly desirable oddity. It proves that sometimes, the strangest ideas can become the most sought-after.
