Hi, I’m Dinah Jean Volante, co-owner of Eurotrash Apparel Company, Euro District, Udderly Euro, PVW contributor and I recently fell victim to the “Project Car”.
Last year at a show, I asked Jamie Orr if he had anything cool he wanted to sell. Something really cool. Jamie admitted he had a Polo Fox Coupe that might be up for grabs and after seeing photos I was instantly hooked. Somehow he was able to pry this 1991 bone stock classic out of a one-owner German lady’s hands. And I’m so glad he did. Turns out a lot of the unique aspects of this VW make it a real head-scratcher, but I’m always down for the challenge.
Being that the car is a 1.3-litre carbureted engine, barely able to make it up the hills of West Virginia, and no parts available at the local parts stores, I decided to have it delivered to my house rather than drive it the 14-hours home from Jamie’s shop in Pottstown. Registering and lowering the car in time for my show, Euro District, the following week would be a challenge. I dropped it off at my shop and someone had an extra set of Mk1 Rabbit rear coilovers to swap over and we had to chop the front springs to match the ride reduction. It wasn’t ideal, but hey, it made it and looked pretty cool! Temporary fixes are always the best, right?
The low idling, spongy clutch, and German Valvoline tags made me think it was in need of some repair and maintenance. I jumped on my trusty Worldpac app on my phone and looked for the YMM. Nothing. Okay, I’ll just use the VIN, I thought. Again, nothing came up. Then the part number search began. I thought I’d just pull a plug and see what the part number was, but my socket didn’t fit so I needed a special thin-walled spark plug socket (gotta love a Euro – All). Then I thought, why put in the time and energy on finding and replacing these 1.3-litre parts when I’m just going to swap it anyway?
“Whoever thought 40 horsepower, 13” pizza cutters, and off-road ride height could be so cool? Well, it turns out, I did.”
My last swap was a Mk2 Jetta Coupe with an ABA and Mk3 interior swap. I remember one late night at the shop, having finished working on the Jetta swap, I slammed the hood shut. Unfortunately, the throttle body sat too high, and it left a massive spider web dent in my hood. It’s always those unexpected issues that can double the time it takes to complete a swap.
With the Polo, I want to do something I haven’t done before, so I decided the swap will either be a 1.8T or a TFSI 2.0T. Once I get the crusty 1.3-litre lump out this winter, I can determine which engine will work best for me.
The interior is so 90s-tastic rad that I hate to change it, but my friend Mark is giving me his Recaro Trophies to cut up. I’m planning on placing the neon striped cloth in the centre of the seats and possibly get the rest leather covered. My other friend Trevor is currently letting me test fit his Scirocco Kerscher body kit! It would be a ton of body work to make this work, and I’d have to widen my uber rare 8×15” Renault Alpine Turbo wheels to fill the arches.
Currently, I have 6s up front because the Polo has ZERO room for anything larger than a pizza cutter and 8s on the rear. I was lucky enough to get a set of four 8s and two 6s with centre caps so at least I can pick and choose the right set up.
I also added some vinyl to the wheels and to the side of the car to add a little something different for Euro District. Moving forwards, I plan on doing a full livery and possibly painting it a chocolate milk brown – something similar to the colour you see when your coolant and oil mixes together (I know it well – Ed).
Either way, I’ve got a long way to go but am excited to document I there and on the PVW website (pvwmag.com) for you!
-Dinah
Dinah's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dinaheurotrash/
Eurotrash Apparel: https://www.eurotrashapparelcompany.com
Euro District Show: https://www.instagram.com/theeurodistrict/
Udderly Euro Show: https://www.instagram.com/udderlyeuro/