The Volkswagen classic is a power Playa

I HAVE long been a fan of the old school VW Polo Playa. I believe the car was well designed to fill the shoes of its highly saleable predecessor, the Citi Golf.

Yassin Moula is the 30-year-old owner of this week’s Millennium spec 2002 Polo Playa 1.8. Moula is a Chatsworth resident who works as a quality controller and supervisor at a local meat wholesaler.

In performance terms, Moula kept his Polo as mechanically standard as possible, since the Playa 1.8, even standard, is a well-powered vehicle.

So the original 1 800cc engine with standard MP9 injection got only a detrumpeted airbox paired to a branch and 55mm performance exhaust system, which is generally sufficient to enhance power and produce a desirable exhaust tone.

The Playa’s handsome standard exterior got an assortment of sticker customisations, together with the popular trend of having the front grille debadged.

Moula’s car also has custom-tinted headlights, which complement the car’s minimalist styling.

The suspension and handling on this Polo come by way of professionally compressed standard springs that create a significant drop in height and an increase in high-speed manoeuvrability.

The car has 8 J wide 15-inch Meister CR rims and Silverstone 165/50/15 stretch tyres for uprated adhesion and stance.

Moula kept the interior fairly standard, deviating only slightly with the addition of eye-catching red seats and seat belt covers.

Volkswagens are renowned for their upgraded sound systems and this Playa is no different. It has a Sony MP3 USB head unit, Pioneer 6x9 speakers, an XTC Audio 4 000W fourchannel amplifier and Pioneer 12-inch competition subwoofer.

About R15 000 was spent on this upgrade. SERVICE PROVIDERS: • Kara Signs • G-Force Tyres • Vitesh Sampath Photography • Ally’s Motor Repairs