AUTONEWS

VW Polo ‘sleeper’ 1999 VR6 2.9 engine is for sale

The term ‘sleeper’ refers to those vehicles that are equipped with a more powerful engine, but retain the original exterior and interior styling. These types of modifications are not very common, but every now and then one appears and, if it's a job well done, the result is at least surprising. In fact, in the images we show such a model that is for sale. It is a 1999 Volkswagen Polo 6N with a 2.9 VR6 engine.

The Volkswagen Polo 6N makes reference to the third generation of the iconic German utility vehicle. Apart from the well-known Polo G40, none of the other models were particularly impressive, especially considering that it has always been in the shadow of the almighty Golf. Fortunately, there is always someone willing to do what the manufacturer - in this case Volkswagen - didn't want or didn't dare.

This particular example receives a metallic red finish on a set of steel wheels. Nothing about this Polo makes one suspect that it is anything more special than a simple three-door utility vehicle with a large exhaust outlet. Until the hood opens, which hides the well-known 2861 cm3 VR6 engine that powered the Volkswagen Golf MK3.

The legendary VW VR6 engine

This thruster, mounted on an interchangeable subframe, allows the Polo 6N to have 190 hp of power at 5,800 rpm. The maximum torque is located at 245 Nm which reaches 4200 rpm. The VR6 was originally coupled to a 5-speed manual transmission that allowed the Golf MK3 to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.5 seconds and register a top speed of 224 km/h. But that was on the Golf, but as the Polo is smaller and lighter, it must be even faster.

Although all the details of this change for the VR6 engine are not known, the brakes have also been updated. We do not know about the improvements in the brake system and whether the suspension has been changed. What we do know is that the steel wheels are from a Renault and that they are fitted with Toyo Proxes tyres. The odometer indicates that it has traveled a little less than 130,000 kilometers in the last two decades. It has also been recently overhauled, including a new timing belt, clutch, flywheel and head gasket. This 1999 Volkswagen Polo 6N was already on sale on eBay last year. Now FTR Performance has put it back on sale, along with a £6,990 price tag.