Released in 1991 the Volkswagen Polo G40 it was a car with too much heart for too little chassis. Known for its unstable behavior and the power of its engine, the small Volkswagen managed to become an icon among pocket-rockets.
The copy we are talking about is on sale at the Konzept Heritage stand, in Odivelas, and appears to be immaculate. Restored and with about 173 000 km covered since it reached the roads in 1993, the small Polo G40 costs €10,900.
The main reason why the spicier version of the second generation of the Polo became known was the association of the small 1.3 l engine and a G-lader volumetric compressor (the G came here in the 40th of the compressor's dimension). Thanks to the use of the compressor, the little German started to debit 115 hp (or 113 hp in the catalyzed version).
Too much heart, too little chassis
Thanks to the increase in power, the Polo G40 was able to reach 0 to 100 km/h in less than 9s and reached a maximum speed of 200 km/h. On the other side of the coin of all these benefits was a chassis that had serious difficulties in keeping up with the highest rate that the engine could offer the German SUV.
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It's just that the chassis had been designed in the late 70s and with much lower power in mind. Thus, any attempt at a sportier driving while driving the Volkswagen became a game of “Russian roulette”, as the brakes only slowed down the car and the suspensions with conventional arm architecture waged real battles to hold the Polo to the road.
Despite its “difficult” handling, the Polo G40 has established itself as a landmark of the 90s. And while it's difficult to get the Polo G40 into a corner and get out of it to tell the story, this is one of those cars that many of us accepted in the curve. garage without thinking twice.