British Volkswagen was imported to New Jersey and became an exotic car

  • A man shipped a Volkswagen Polo from the UK to the USA
  • The cars were never sold in the USA so it is a rare exotic car
  • He’s since made a couple of modifications to the car 

Published on Aug 21, 2024 at 12:00 PM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid

Last updated on Aug 21, 2024 at 6:56 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by Tom Wood

A man shipped a 30-year-old Volkswagen Polo from the UK to the USA where he considers it somewhat of an exotic car due to its rarity.

While people living in the UK and across mainland Europe may be very used to seeing Polos out and about on the roads, the popular cars were never sold in the US. 

This, of course, makes them extremely rare over there – something that appealed to New York-based Johnny Komar.

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The Volkswagen Polo was bought sight unseen from the UK

When you think of exotic cars, your mind probably goes straight to something along the lines of the record-breaking Rimac Nevera, the stunning Ferrari F12berlinetta or the Koenigsegg Regera – known as the world’s most powerful hypercar. 

But for Komar it was the humble Volkswagen Polo that he had shipped in from the UK ‘sight unseen’.

Speaking on The Drive’s Carisma, Komar revealed he was actually pleasantly surprised to discover that the 30-year-old vehicle was running and drivable. 

“It was exactly what it’s supposed to be, beyond my expectations, even,” he told The Drive

“It was like this exhilarating feeling to get this car that’s never been on American soil and it’s here and it’s yours.”

Since taking ownership of the Polo, Komar has made a few additions – but says he’s happy to wait for the right quality item to come along before he parts with his cash.  

It’s undergone a couple of low-key mods

The Volkswagen now features some slick-looking white rally wheels and a useful roof rack, both of which are from the correct time period for the Polo. 

With his subtle modifications done, Komar is delighted with the Polo and considers it a completed project.

Since then, he’s given the car a few new additions such as its white rally wheels and a roof rack, which are both from the correct time period. 

He says he’s now perfectly happy with the car and brands it a completely finished project.

“I love that it has the front end of a Golf or a GTI, but then the back half is so unique – the overall shape of the windows is super cool” he added. 

“I think this is probably one of the only Polos in the States in this specific trim. There are other Polos but with this trim specifically, I think it’s one of the only ones.”

He’s given us a brand new perspective on how we view the Polo. 

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Claire Reid

Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Across her career she's covered a wide variety of topics, including celebrity, cryptocurrency, politics, true crime and just about everything in between.