With no press car or flight available, two men take long road trip to Germany for VW Polo’s 50th birthday
Published on Jun 08, 2025 at 2:10 AM (UTC+4)
by Callum Tokody
Last updated on Jun 03, 2025 at 7:23 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
To celebrate Polo’s 50th birthday, a cheap road trip in a Volkswagen Polo turned into a broken car journey across Europe.
The car was a £650 ($878) convertible with no service history, a misfiring engine, and mismatched tires.
It had no business being driven hundreds of miles, but that is exactly what the team behind YouTube’s Candy Showroom set out to do.
The result was a journey that was frustrating, unpredictable, and ultimately unforgettable.
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Volkswagen had invited guests to Polo’s 50th birthday celebration in Hanover, Germany, offering flights but no available press cars.
Instead of flying, Candy Showroom sourced its own Volkswagen Polo from the classifieds.
It was a 2001 model in Macato Blue, complete with optional alloys, fog lights, and a rare open-top roof.
Unfortunately, it also came with a severe misfire and no paperwork.
Initial attempts to fix the problem failed. Spark plugs, HT leads, and the coil pack were replaced, but nothing worked.
A compression test revealed only 25 PSI in one cylinder, confirming internal engine damage.
With time running out, the choice was made to commit to the broken car journey anyway and see just how far the Polo could go.
The cheap road trip began in the UK and stretched across France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
The Volkswagen Polo struggled with every mile, with a screaming wheel bearing, unbalanced steering, and constant over-fueling.
To prevent overheating and protect the catalytic converter, regular cooling stops became essential. Somehow, the car kept moving.
For CandyShowroom’s host, the Polo had a deeper significance. It was the first car they ever owned and the one that started Candy Showroom 10 years earlier.
Driving another Polo to this milestone event added a personal layer to the chaos.
The car may have been flawed, but the motivation behind the journey was genuine.
At the event in Hanover, Volkswagen displayed pristine examples from every generation of Polo, including rare prototypes like the GTI convertible and the unreleased 9N GTI.
Still, the car that stood out most was parked outside. The bug-covered, faded blue convertible that had actually made the drive.
It earned respect not for its condition, but for the story behind it.
Polo’s 50th birthday was more than a showroom celebration.
It showed that a cheap road trip can carry more weight than any polished experience.
Candy Showroom’s broken car journey captured the essence of why people love cars in the first place.
The Polo made it to Hanover and, against every prediction, it made it back to the UK, too.
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Callum Tokody is a content writer at Supercar Blondie, where he covers the latest in the automotive world with a focus on design and performance. Callum has a background in automotive journalism and has contributed to a range of publications in Australia and the UK. Outside of work, he’s a design enthusiast with a soft spot for anything with a V8 and a good story.
