This Volkswagen Golf & Rabbit got away, but there are more like it here.
This 1996 Volkswagen Golf Harlequin is one of 275 multi-color examples produced for the North American market, and it was purchased new by the seller from The Autobarn in Evanston, Illinois. The car’s base color is Pistachio Green, and body panels are finished in Chagall Blue, Tornado Red, and Ginster Yellow. Power is supplied by a 2.0-liter inline-four paired with a four-speed automatic transaxle, and equipment includes 14″ three-spoke wheels, multi-color patterned cloth seats, air conditioning, a Kenwood stereo, and a rear wiper. A replacement engine was installed in 2017, and the transmission was resealed and rust repair was performed in preparation for the sale. This Harlequin is now offered at no reserve with a window sticker, original purchase paperwork, service records, manufacturer’s literature, a tool kit, various colors of touch-up paint, a clean Carfax report, and a clean Illinois title in the seller’s name.
Production Golf Harlequins were built at Volkswagen’s Puebla, Mexico plant, where the cars were painted a single color and then body panels were removed and redistributed among other vehicles, with no color bordering itself on an adjacent panel. The unibody elements on this example are finished in Pistachio Green; the front bumper, front doors, side mirrors, and rear hatch are Chagall Blue; the hood, rear doors, and rear bumper are Tornado Red; and the front fenders and grille are Ginster Yellow. The seller states that many of the panels have been refinished following rust repair over the years, and additional work performed by VFC Engineering of Chicago, Illinois in December 2022 reportedly involved rust repair in the front floors and rocker panels. The windshield was replaced in 2020, and a QuickVU back-up camera has been installed above the rear license plate. Rust bubbling on the hatch around the rear window is shown in the gallery.
Three-spoke 14″ alloy wheels are mounted with 185/60 Nexen CP641 tires. The car is equipped with independent front suspension and power-assisted steering. The brake lines were replaced in October 2017 and work in August 2021 included replacing the axle seals and power steering lines.
The seats are upholstered in gray fabric with Harlequin-themed multi-color patterned centers. Equipment includes front bucket seats, a split-folding rear bench, air conditioning, a Kenwood CD stereo, power locks, manual windows, and a rear window defroster. Foam in the dashboard and door panels was replaced in 2018, along with the heater core and hoses, evaporator core, blower motor and resistor, and expansion valve.
A four-spoke steering wheel fronts instrumentation that includes a 140-mph speedometer, a 7k-rpm tachometer, and gauges for coolant temperature and fuel level. The gauge cluster was removed and repaired in December 2022. The digital odometer shows 116k miles, though total mileage is unknown. The seller notes that the airbag light illuminates intermittently.
The replacement 2.0-liter inline-four was installed at 106k miles by The Autobarn of Evanston, Illinois in 2017 and was factory-rated at 115 horsepower. The engine mounts were replaced in December 2022 and the starter was reportedly replaced in January 2023.
Power is sent to the front wheels through a replacement four-speed automatic transaxle that was installed in 2013 and resealed in December 2022. The seller notes a leak from the differential.
The window sticker lists factory equipment and a total new price of $15,995.
The Carfax report shows no accidents or other damage and displays history in Illinois.
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Auction Result
| Winning Bid | USD $15,000 by GRVBLNDR |
| Auction Ended | June 10, 2023 at 10:01AM PT |
| Bids | 22 |
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BaT Essentials
Seller: ocnem3
Location: Evanston, Illinois 60602Listing Details
- Chassis: 3VWFA81H9TM113356
- 116k Miles, TMU
- 2.0-Liter Inline-Four
- 4-Speed Automatic Transaxle
- Green, Blue, Red, & Yellow Paint
- Harlequin-Themed Cloth Upholstery
- 14" Alloy Wheels
- Kenwood CD Stereo
- Air Conditioning
- One Owner
- Window Sticker
- Service Records
- Clean Carfax Report
Private Party or Dealer: Private Party
Lot #110063
BaT History (1)
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