VW Built a Polo R in 2012, and You’ve Probably Never Heard of it

Sold in tiny numbers in Europe ahead of VW’s WRC entry, the Polo R WRC Street is the most powerful petrol Polo that’ll likely ever exist

The VW Polo is going electric. Shortly after celebrating its 50th birthday, Volkswagen’s beloved supermini is becoming the ID Polo, first previewed in 2023 by the ID2 concept and entering production this year as a major entrant in Europe’s growing electric supermini segment.

There’s some good news for enthusiasts, though: an ID Polo GTI is on the way, and with 223bhp on tap (and potentially more from a rumoured Clubsport version), it’s set to be the most powerful road car ever to wear Polo badges. But what car will it be dethroning? Surely it’s the outgoing Polo GTI with 204bhp from its 2.0-litre turbocharged four-pot? Well, not quite.