I love odd cars. Everything from the Citroën XM to the NSU Ro80 gets me going. So anytime one of these wildly colored Volkswagen Golf Harlequins come up for sale, I take note. I loved and miss my MkIII GTI 2.0 to this day. A much better drive than the subsequent MkIV I owned and chuckable in a similar manner that my Cooper S is (albeit with less sharp steering and suspension reactions). Here is what could possibly be the only VR6 equipped Harlequin for sale up in Massachusetts over on VW Vortex.
1996 Volkswagen Golf Harlequin VR6 for sale on VW Vortex
The seller states:
Hi Everyone, after a lot of debating with myself I am selling my harlequin. I have owned it for 5 years and during that time i have basically gone through and done everything (including many upgrades) that ever needs to be replaced or breaks. Everything was done the right way, no shortcuts, I had planned on keeping this car for the long haul but i don’t have the time to enjoy it like it should be. The Car has been put away for the past 8 winters in dry storage, oil changed every 3k or yearly whichever comes first (I have hardly put 2k on the car for the past 2 summers.)
The car is an absolute blast to drive and turns more heads then a ferarri (no lie). Car is very reliable and ready to go!
Here are the specs:
1996 Golf Harlequin #19/264
Pistachio Green BaseEngine
o VR6 Swap with ~138K
o Recent Timing Chain Service with All Hardware, Water Pump, Thermostat <10K o Mk4 Metal Head Gasket o Gruvenparts Crack Pipe o Yarrowsport Billet Belt Tensioner o Autotech 10lb Steel Flywheel o Black Forest Industries Stage 1 Poly Motor Mounts Trans o 02A Rebuilt with New 1st, 2nd, and Reverse Syncros. <10K o TDI 5th gear (for highway cruising) o Clutchnet Stage 2 Clutch (375 ft-lb) o Peloquins Differential o New Empi Driveshafts <10K o Black Forest Industries Stage 1 Poly Trans Mount Suspension o Complete VR6 Suspension Swap o Koni Yellow Adjustable Shocks and Struts o H&R Race Springs o R32 Front Control Arm Bushings o All Suspension Bushings Replaced <15K Exterior o Euro Bumpers o Hella Dual Round Headlights o OEM Fog Lights o New OEM Front Fenders o New OEM Hatch Brakes o Mintex Red Box Pads <10K o New OEM Rotors <10K o GAP Braided Stainless Brake Hose o ATE Super Blue Brake Fluid Wheels/Tires o VW Monte Carlo 17†rims o 205/35/17 Falken Azenis RT615 Tires (less than half worm) Im sure there are more things i have forgotten. Asking: $10500 OBO
The seller is pretty honest and lengthy in his description and the car does look to be in good shape for the mileage covered and the fact that it is a Northeastern vehicle. $10,500 is steep for a MkIII Golf of any sort. If it was more around the $7,500 to $8,000 mark, I’d be tempted. The market for these outside of the Volkswagen community seems to be thin from what I can gather, but I’m sure there are folks out there who are eager to get their hands on what was an interesting marketing stunt by one of the world’s largest automakers.
-Paul
This car fits better on GCFSB than on BaT anyway.
That said, for most prospective buyers, this is NOT a $10,500 car.
What it is – a 16-year-old 4-door Mk III GTI VR6 with high mileage and a questionably collectable paint scheme.
Maybe the seller thinks he can find that one attention-seeking Harlequin/Benetton fan out there who has always loved these things, but said, “Geez, I just wish VW had done these cars based on a 4-door GTI VR6!â€
If that one guy actually does exist, the Vortex is the place to find him. Good luck to the seller.
Note to the marketing department: If VW had brought a 4-door GTI VR6 to the US, I would have happily paid double or even triple this price for a new one (in a monotone color scheme, of course).
I just can’t get into that colour scheme. Clown Car. You could buy a Perfect Corrado for that price. A Golf will never be a Corrado.