So, How many Harlequins are out there?
(Read on)
4/24/02
Well, this is part of the reason I started this page.
From what I've gathered (in a letter to VW which I will post as soon as I can), at least 264 Harlequins were produced. To calculate the definite number produced is why I started this page!
I've seen quite a few harlequins since '96, and have noticed that most have the later style 4-spoke steering wheel (with the larger VW emblem in the center of the airbag) commonly seen on the '97 and up production VW's. Mine (and very few others that I've seen) is equipped with the earlier style 4-spoke steering wheel (with the small VW emblem near the upper right corner of the airbag).
A few years ago I researched the Harlequin extensively (letters to VW, phone calls to Auburn Hills, email to the Director of Comminications for the Puebla, MX plant) and each source gave a different number & explanation of the production decision for the car.
As some already know, there were 4 color schemes for the Harlequin. The colors were Pistachio Green, Ginster Yellow, Tornado Red, and Chagall Blue (more purple to me). To make the cars, 4 complete Golfs were painted a single color, and body parts were swapped.
From what I understand (and again, this is just from what I've read over the years) 4 Harlequin Golfs were produced as a color concept for auto shows in '95. The public seemed to think the concept was interesting so VW went ahead and produced 60 more to be distributed among dealers in '96. Response was luke warm, but people seemed to like them. So another 200 were produced and distributed in the US and Canada. That's what I gather.
I have reason to believe that the one I own one that was in that first 64, as my VIN ends with 092690.
According to another Harlequin owner, the 200 production run VIN's ended in numbers 113319 to 113518 (in a letter he received from VW), then mine was produced 20,629 cars before that run. This is the first support for my theory (that I own an early one) that I have received!
I've started this page, where I will post the information I have gathered
from VW and other Harlequin owners, including VIN's, production dates, color
scheme, and steering wheel type. Perhaps over time we can piece together the
information we all desire... how many of these cars were there? 
One last piece of information it would be great to have would be a saved/printed copy of VW's web page from back in '96. I remember downloading pictures of a Harlequin and reading a press release directly on VW's site. It was around the same time they introduced the TREK package in '96. It would be great to find an archived copy of that web page and press release. If I only knew I would end up with one... If anyone has any info, let me know.
4/26/02
Well,
Bert Menco provided me with a copy of the letter he received from VW when he
contacted them for information in 1999. The letter is from Robert Schoof,
VW customer relations. Here's a copy of his letter:
5/8/02
Glen Barth Provided his letter received from VW which states 200 Harlequins were produced during VIN's ending 113319 to 113518. Here's his letter. Here's a copy:
5/11/02
Well, after seeing that the Golf Harlequin was referenced on this page: http://www.cumberlink.com/ONTHENET/1996/otn.8.11.html, I called the Sentinel Sunday and they directed me to the Cumberland County historical society, where they found on microfilm an article that was printed on 8/11/96 in the automotive section of the paper. Click the pic below to see the article (big file)
8/22/02
With the submission of Scott Guptill's Harlequin, it now appears I have gathered the three different Harlequin production periods mentioned earlier in this page. Using the production numbers assumed from the letters posted above, and what I've gathered, there were three production periods. I can not be one hundred percent certain, but the evidence points to this:
|
Date |
Number of Cars Produced |
Possible Range of Last 6 of VIN sequence |
|
December, 1995 |
4 |
064155-064158 |
|
March, 1996 |
60 |
092630-092738 |
|
June, 1996 |
200 |
113319-113518 |
Note the range for the 4 car run and the 60 car run are larger than 4 and 60 respectively, as I used the actual cars that have been gathered on this site to calculate possible VIN ranges that would definitely encompass the number of Harlequins which were produced in each run. If you have a car that fits in either of these ranges but is not a Harlequin, let me know so I can recalculate the bounds for the ranges.
Scott Guptill's Harlequin also has the first
evidence of a special badging that I have seen, lending credence to the fact
mentioned above that there were four harlequin's first produced for Auto Show's
in '95. Here is a picture of the decal:
6/10/03:
Digging through my old paperwork, I came across a letter written to me on April 1, 1999. It is as follows:
Dear Mr. Cupples:
Thank you for contacting our Customer Relations Department regarding your 1996 Volkswagen Golf Harlequin. We appreciate your enthusiasm about your vehicle.
The Harlequin was first introduced in Germany as the Volkswagen Polo. Due to the popularity of the vehicle in Europe, Volkswagen of America thought it would add some interest to our auto show displays in the United States. The plan was to produce four of the vehicles for the auto shows. Mr. Clive Warrilow, President of VW of America, Inc. saw the Harlequin and thought it would add more enthusiasm at some of our dealers an Volkswagen built 50 more. Due to the public response of the vehicle Volkswagen ended up producing a total of 275 harlequins.
The specific colors of the Golf Harlequin were a continuation of the colors used in Europe for the Polo. We painted four vehicles and exchanged the body panels to make the vehicles.
We hope this information is useful to you. You are the owner of a very interesting vehicle and we are pleased to have you as part of the Volkswagen family. If we can be of any further assistance to you, please feel free to contact our office at the toll free number above.
Sincerely,
Tessa R. Freeman
Customer Relations"
Comparing my letter with the two letters received by other Harlequin owners above, you can see that even VW is not completely straight on how many Halrequins were produced.
6/11/03
Two Harlequin's have been submitted to this site which do not fall within the given production ranges originally thought to be accurate. These two cars were both produced in April, 1996, and suggest that there may in fact be more Harlequins out there. Also, what data points to as the first Harlequin produced has been submitted to the site, narrowing the range of the first 4 Harlequins. The revised (to the best knowledge at this point) production table is below:
|
Date |
Number of Cars Produced |
Possible Range of Last 6 of VIN sequence |
|
December, 1995 |
4 |
064155-064158 |
|
March, 1996 |
60 |
092630-092738 ?? |
|
April, 1996 |
Unknown at this point |
101422-104647 ?? |
|
June, 1996 |
200 |
113319-113518 |
12/15/06
Thanks to Dan & Kim Watson for another official letter, sent to them by VW when inquiring about their Harlequin:
5/5/07
Well, Just completed another update to the site, and there are two Harlequins with very early production numbers that don't fit any previous ranges, perhaps they were the original Harlequins. This changes my table a little:
|
Date |
Number of Cars Produced |
Possible Range of Last 6 of VIN sequence |
|
(Unknown) |
At Least 2 (likely 4) |
062013-062014 |
|
December, 1995 |
4 (Assumed) |
064155-064158 |
|
March, 1996 |
60 (Assumed) |
092630-092738 ?? |
|
April, 1996 |
Unknown at this point |
101422-104647 ?? |
|
June, 1996 |
200 |
113319-113518 |
Also, VW Released a trading card featuring the Harlequin
which mentions 280 produced after the 4 for the Auto Shows:
So this confuses the matter even further but it sounds like there are 284 Harlequins in existence according to VW (But if you read all the letters above, this number varies.) I will try and verify source of the 280 number that was used on the trading card and post here when I have more news!
12/30/07
Because of the recent Harlequins submitted with very early production numbers that don't fit any previous ranges, I decided to do something I've thought about for years. I generated a spreadsheet with some formulas that allow me to calculate the 9th digit (check digit) in a VIN number given just the last 6 digits (the production sequence). I then spent hours running all the VINs through a leading vehicle history report service. I now have nearly 300 vehicle history reports that have helped me narrow the production dates and ranges down even further. I've formulated some assumptions based on these reports and come up with this updated production table:
|
Date |
Number of Cars Produced |
Possible Range of Last 6 of VIN sequence |
|
In or Before December, 1995 |
4 |
062013 - Sold new in Mexico, Green Base, has black
gauge faces. |
|
December, 1995 |
4 (Assumed) |
064155 - Sold new in Canada, Yellow Base |
|
March, 1996 |
Originally 60 assumed, looks more like 20 or so for the US |
092670-092690 (95% Confirmed) |
|
Early April, 1996 |
1 |
---101422--- I really don't know where this car fits in the production scheme. It is either a leftover March 1996 car, or one of 4+/- produced in early April before the 20 run below. It is the only Harlequin to have Factory Cruise, which makes it more confusing. |
|
April, 1996 |
Originally Unknown, it looks more like 20 or so were produced for the Canadian Market |
104638-104658 (95% Confirmed) |
|
June, 1996 |
The main 200 Run, confirmed with Vehicle History Reports. The first 154 were for the American Market, The last 46 Cars were for the Canadian Market. |
113319-113518 (Confirmed) |
So after hours and hours of looking up History Reports and combining all the information I've gathered from owners and official VW letters above, it looks like we still don't have a definite number. But there are At Least 248 Harlequins now accounted for, with the Gordon car not fitting in anywhere (making the total 249). As time goes on, we'll see if anyone submits a Harlequin in the range around 101422 produced in April, 1996.
In summary, it looks like we have 8 cars produced at the end of 1995, then 20 more for the US and 20 for Canada in March/April of 1996, and the final run of 200 Cars in June, 1996 (154 for the US, 46 for Canada). There is still another possible run, we'll leave that for the future. This means about 178 Harlequins produced for the US, 69 produced for Canada, and 1 Harlequin sold new in Mexico.
STAY TUNED: The RossVW.com site is undergoing a major update in the near (not so near?) future, and at that time (when I have the time), I'll post all the information on the individual cars from what I gathered in the History Reports. Many Harlequins have been Junked/Scrapped/Salvaged over the years, which brings our total number of Surviving Harlequins even lower. Keep an eye out for future updates. For now, have a Happy 2008!
1/21/2012
Found some photos from the 1996 Chicago Auto Show taken in February, 1996, of the VW display showing the Harlequin in the center! Been trying to find photos of a Harlequin at the auto shows for nearly 15 years, and finally found some:
If you have any info to share, email me at
ross@rossvw.com.
