This wasn’t part of the plan. In the space of four days, I thought about getting a car, went and saw two that were advertised locally, and ended up buying the first one. Over a month ago, I hadn’t even considered driving anything other than my 1994 Volkswagen Polo GT Coupé. But that was before the Volkswagen UK 2011 Polo GTI press car arrived, and unwittingly pointed out that even an 18 year-old car is now an antique. Lovingly referred to by certain family members as ‘the classic car’, the GT coop has covered 164,000 miles, 116,000 of those in my 12-year ownership. But, surprisingly (both to me and those that know me), it now has a new – and equally shiny silver – playmate.

As I hadn’t considered buying another, newer, car, I hadn’t really thought about what form that more modern, refined, yet cheap fun potential purchase would take. Being a lifelong fan, I guess it was always going to be a Volkswagen, although when I started looking at my £3000 limit, all sorts of machinery presented itself. From early Renaultsport Clio 172s (I’ve always liked the look of the first-generation cars) through to first-year, high-mileage Audi A2s, the search was quite an eye-opener. But as you can see from the picture above, I again plumped for a Polo, my fifth. Was it really going to be anything else?

A 2001-model Polo GTI, it has a 1.6-litre, 125bhp VVT engine, and is, on first view, seemingly a lot of car for the money. With ABS, CD player, digital air-conditioning/climate control, EDL, headlamp washers, power-steering, remote central locking, sport seats and xenon headlights, it ticks all the equipment boxes, and the fact that it looks natty with its 15-inch BBS alloys and Reflex Silver paintwork sealed the deal. It’s only covered 67,000 miles, too, and comes with an almost solely Volkswagen Retailer stamped up service book. There are some little bits and pieces that need sorting naturally (it is a 10 year-old car after all), but that’s half the fun. The interior needs a good clean, too , but it’s nothing an afternoon of elbow grease shouldn’t sort out.

I’ve got no plans for the car apart from the initial tidy up, as I’d like to keep it standard. The first parts have been bought – a set of mudflaps to protect the paintwork, and also a replacement whip aerial mast to replace the corroded chrome one that’s on the car at the moment. There were things to look out for, though. Volkswagen issued a pedal box recall around seven years ago, and this car’s been done, and it’s also had a recent cambelt change. The gearbox feels fine too – these can also cause problems.

At 38, is it my ‘mid-life crisis’ car? I don’t think so, it’s just a much more sensible option for these modern times in which we live (although not as sensible as a three-cylinder TDI might have been, of which I only saw three advertised of 2000-2002 vintage). Yes the Renaultsport Clio 172 would have been more fun in an enthusiast sense, but the flaky build and cheap-looking interior did it no favours. Have I made the right choice? I’m hoping my first foray into GTI ownership will be as much of a pleasure to own as its predecessors, and the start of another long-term car relationship. And, when Nik says it’s a good-looking car, I know I could be onto a winner.

To celebrate the launch of the 2011 Volkswagen Polo GTI, online Volkswagen Polo resource PoloDriver.com delves into the archives to trace the history of the performance Polo. In the first issue of a special series of digital mini-magazines, the site focuses on the Series 1 Polo GT of 1979-1981. Each issue will focus on the history of the sports variants of each Polo model generation, culminating in the introduction of the current Polo GTI. Read the first of PoloDriver.com’s performance Polo special issues by clicking on the magazine graphic above, or if you can’t see the preview, visit this link.

My name is Richard Gooding and I am a marginal speeder. I wasn’t until the first week of November, but a lapse in concentration or just plain ignorance resulted in a speeding ticket landing on the doormat. What was the damage? A £60 fine and 3 penalty points or a National Speed Awareness course for £82 and no points on my licence. You can guess which option I took, although it wasn’t without some deliberation. But, when it comes down to it, £22 seemed a fair price to pay to avoid any endorsements. And all for going 35mph in a 30mph zone, on a country road, where I don’t remember either a camera or a warning sign.

So, the day before Christmas Eve, I found myself driving up the A12 from Essex to Suffolk (courses are usually offered in the county of prosecution) to an industrial unit in Ipswich, and to the four-hour class run by AA DriveTech, a specialist driver training division. There were 18 of us, with over half the class over 45 years of age plus; the instructor informed us that the average age of attendees on the courses was 40, and with up to three courses a day, over 60 people are retrained in the laws of the road daily. Why no young people? They choose to speed apparently, and so aren’t offered the educational alternative that National Speed Awareness courses offer.

The statitstics gave food for thought. Motorways are the safest roads of all, with 55% of drivers accelerating past the limit, while the majority of accidents happen on urban roads; 69% of drivers speed in towns and cities. A speed camera costs a local authority £23,000 to install, and while Suffolk is one of the lowest camera-populated counties (with eight currently in use), I think I was caught by one of the numerous mobile sites. But by far the most shocking figure was that it costs over £1 million pounds to administer just ONE death on the road, and as there were 2222 fatal casualties last year, the money spent soon adds up.

A theory session only, attendees must ‘pass’ the course (though no proof is given), and ‘actively participate’, so there are plenty of ways to interact, from speaking, to watching videos, to voting on multiple-choice questions with handsets straight from the set of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Basically a PowerPoint-powered refresher of Highway Code information, the courses certainly serve a purpose, and the videos showing changes in braking distances and what happens in a multiple pile-up graphically illustrate what effects even small increases in speed can have on potential accidents. Proof if proof were needed that speed does indeed kill.

If it wasn’t for John and Ross’ wedding, we might not have popped in to Brooklands and Mercedes-Benz World this morning for breakfast overlooking the firm’s classic models. We were in nearby Weybridge for the happy couple’s nuptials, and so thought we’d make a weekend of it, stay overnight, and visit the ‘flagship home’ of the German marque in this country.

Mercedes-Benz World opened in October 2006 and is built on part of the old Brooklands racing track (the Brooklands Museum which focuses on the circuit itself is just around the corner) and is spread over three floors, with over 100 cars both current and historic on display. There are also interactive exhibits and the centrepiece handling circuit at the front of the complex, where would-be Fangios can try their hand behind the wheel of one of the latest high-performance AMG models.

I had wondered whether there would be enough behind the high glass walls to occupy us for the morning, let alone the whole day. I needn’t have worried, though, as four hours soon whizzed by. There’s an balance of historic and new cars on display, with the notable models in the company’s history all present and correct. Whether it’s walking around an W113 SL-class ‘Pagoda’ or poring over an immaculate 300 SL Gullwing, even Nik, a non-car enthusiast enjoyed it. The heritage film (watched in its own cinema) is both interesting and educational, while the menu offered by Café 1886 is both well-priced and tasty.

The Brooklands Museum charges for entry (it does house the UK’s first production Concorde) but due to time restraints and the Polo’s noisy, misaligned exhaust, we gave that a miss. We did find a geocache, though, on what we led to believe was part of the old Brooklands banking, but once there we had our doubts. Drive onto the nearby industrial estate, though, and part of the steep circuit curve can be seen, tempting you further of glories past. Just watch out for the over-zealous security guards.

The new fifth-generation Volkswagen Polo range is almost complete. Yes, the performance-orientated GTI is still forthcoming, but the big sellers of the main range have now landed in the UK. Both turbocharged and both with a displacement of 1.2 litres, the TSI and TDI BlueMotion are now on sale, and although they both have very different jobs to do – range-topper and eco model respectively – there’s another common trait: price. Both are pegged between £14,000-£15,000, and as you’d expect of two models so varied in nature, they offer very contrasting driving experiences.

The TSI, only available in SEL trim, is quasi-sporting yet refined, its smooth new 104bhp engine the sign of things of come, while the BlueMotion proves that driving economically can be fun, if you’re prepared for a few sacrifices. We’ve tested them both over at PoloDriver; see how we got on driving around the leafy lanes of Leicestershire by clicking on the magazine graphic below, or if you can’t see the preview, visit this link. The third of PoloDriver’s specially-designed digital ‘mini-magazines’, check out the website’s bookshelf for the two previous titles.

Remember the bright yellow little Volkswagen that arrived with me last summer? While Polos are obviously the main interest over at PoloDriver, I do have a roving eye for most other Volkswagen models, too. So, last summer, I took a 1.2-litre Fox Urban to the North York Moors for a 1200-mile road test to see if Volkswagen’s city car can do most of what the Polo can do, but for £2000 less. Can the smaller, Brazilian-built town tiddler be a true cut-price Polo alternative? For the answer to this question and more about the global Fox family, read the PoloDriver digital mini-mag (previewed below) here.

The new Volkswagen Polo is now on sale in the UK and the rest of Europe, and with revised and updated economical and high-performance versions at opposite ends of the Polo spectrum coming in the next few months, as well as a launch in India and a new saloon variant, it’s going to be a busy 2010 for VW’s newest arrival.

With the Car of the Year 2010 victory ending 2009 on a high, read what impressed the European jury enough to hand the industry award to the Polo in a review of the new range. Driven back in September at the UK press launch, read the initial findings of the 1.2 59 and 69bhp SE, 1.4 84bhp SE, 1.2 59bhp Moda, 1.4 84bhp SEL and 1.6 74bhp TDI.

The mini-magazine can be found on PoloDriver‘s Issuu virtual bookshelf here and is previewed below.

Volkswagen Polo in European Car of the Year 2010 winner shock. Yes, the fifth-generation of Volkswagen’s supermini (above, front right) has gone and done it. I can’t quite believe it. After 34 years it’s finally been awarded one of the oldest prizes in motoring. Snatching victory from the clutches of the Toyota iQ, the new Polo was announced the winner today at a ceremony in Madrid. Beating 33 contenders for the title, it drove over the six other shortlisted finalists with its total of 347 points. Pop over to PoloDriver for the full story.

This spot is now a little old, but still deserves a mention for the stunning driving and cinematography. Volkswagen launched the latest Mk 6 Golf GTI to great fanfare earlier in the year and this TV commercial showcases the car and some superb driving. Made for the ‘Only for Advanced Drivers. From 21 years-old: a recommendation from Volkswagen’ campaign for continental TV screens, it certainly hits the spot (no pun intended) for impact, looking like an action sequence from a Hollywood blockbuster. Great car, great commercial. See how they made it here.

You know that new online project I said I was working on about a month ago? Well, here’s what it was. Actually, it’s one of two, but it’s the one I’ve been spending most of my free time on recently. As you’ve probably guessed from some of the posts on this site, I’m a fan of Volkswagen Polos, and, as strange a choice that may be, they wormed their way in around 18 years ago, and have stayed with me ever since.

I used to co-run the UK’s first enthusiast group for the model, the VW Polo Register, and now, after 13 years and modest success (other clubs are now in operation for the small Volkswagen), I’ve launched PoloDriver.com – the new online resource for the Volkswagen Polo. I’d originally planned a Volkswagen site for all models, but realised that it might be too big an undertaking, so I decided to stick with what I know best.

Partly-timed with the arrival of the new fifth-generation model, the editorially-focused site features all the latest Volkswagen Polo news from around the world, road tests, spotlights on specific model variations, flashbacks to past generations, standard and modified cars and views from contributors.

They’ll also be digital infrequent ‘mini-magazines’, which take advantage of the latest innovations in digital publishing. PoloDriver.com has just published issue one – a first drives supplement of the new model, which is available to view online or download for offline reading in the popular PDF format. With viewing stats readily available, it’s instant, and much easier than the paper newsletter I used to compile and edit.

I hope it’s the start of something exciting. Not only does it promote the Polo (with some support from the Volkswagen UK Press Office, although the site is wholly independent), but it can also be used as a showcase for writing and design, which is what I can be found doing as a day job.

But, as the car is one of my hobbies, too, that’s what the site’s primary remit will be – to be a ‘one-stop shop’ for all enthusiasts of the model. In time they’ll be a forum and other sections and pages, including coverage of the Polo in motorsport. And, with almost as many years under its tyres as I have under my feet, there should be plenty of tales to tell.

While there still may be some Polo-related stories found here, the majority will be over at PoloDriver.com – the new online resource for the Volkswagen Polo. Send press releases and editorial contributions to rich@polodriver.com. Subscribe to the PoloDriver.com news feeds at http://www.polodriver.com/feed/ and catch up with all the latest on the Twitter feed at http://twitter.com/polodrivercom.