VW Polo Won’t Go Away Without A Very Smoky Display

This Ken Block-style video was filmed at the South African factory where the Polo is built

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This year marks the 50th anniversary of the legendary VW Polo and before it is reinvented as an EV, the automaker has decided to celebrate its birthday with a high-octane Gymkhana-style video. For a brand that has been typically conservative, the short film is a breath of fresh air for enthusiasts like ourselves, proving the marque still knows how to get car enthusiasts excited.

Although the VW Polo may be best known as a small, and relatively boring, hatchback that sadly isn’t sold in the United States, it has a rich racing heritage and has raced in the World Rally Championship, winning multiple titles. This clip features a pair of the Polo WRC racers, recently adorned with special celebratory liveries, performing stunts near, and in, the South African factory where the Polo is built.

Read: VW Revives Polo Name For EV Era And Teases First Ever Electric GTI

Behind the wheel is Johan Kristoffersson, who is not afraid to push the Polo WRC to its absolute limits, sending it off jumps at high speed and drifting effortlessly around obstacles. One of these obstacles includes a road-going Polo, filmed driving on just two wheels as it heads to a parking space.

In the second half of the Gymkhana film, Kristoffersson jumps out of the car and gets behind the wheel of the Polo RX1e. This car has been developed specifically for the FIA World Rallycross Championship and features a pair of electric motors combining to deliver 670 hp and 649 lb-ft (880 Nm) of torque. Kristoffersson is very familiar with the car, winning the world championship with it in both 2022 and 2023.

As the video progresses, the stunts continue, until the racer finds himself in the factory and briefly drives the current Polo GTI through a parking lot before pulling up alongside a prototype of the new ID.Polo.

“In our communications regarding the Polo anniversary, we not only want to look back, but forward too and generate enthusiasm for the Volkswagen brand,” VW head of communications Jens Katemann said. “That’s why we deliberately decided to showcase the ID. Polo’s first appearance in a spectacular and surprising way. This video stands for everything that is quintessential of the Polo: a small car that can do great things and that is geared towards the future.”