Automakers love to make special edition cars. Brand tie-ins, rare colors, whatever will get a customer in the door. The problem is, too many of those special editions are just plain uninteresting. They're boring, they feel like quick cash-grabs, or they genuinely make the car they're based on worse. Today, we ask: Which special editions don't?
We want to know about the special editions that truly live up to their names — the ones that feel really, genuinely special. Our rules are simple. Any special-run car is eligible; standard combinations of factory features generally don't count (a Mustang with the Performance Pack isn't a special edition), but anything unique enough to earn a name (like a COPO Camaro) is fair game. It can be a special edition to commemorate something, it can honor a past model, or it can tie in to a movie, whatever you want. What special edition car truly feels special?
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The Volkswagen Harlequin
My pick has to go to the greatest factory paint job of all time: The Volkswagen Harlequin. The Golf is a good car on its own, but it's plentiful and cheap — at least, it was back when the U.S. still got the car. How do you make a Golf stand out not just in a crowd of random cars, but a crowd likely to contain other identical-looking Golfs? Simple: You paint every body panel a different color from its neighbors.
The Volkswagen Harlequin (both Golf and Polo) is a truly special edition. It's unique, it stands out, and there's no question it's not a standard Volkswagen. It's my pick for a special edition that really lives up to the name, but what's yours? Leave your picks in the comments below, and I'll pick out my favorites later in the week. Bonus points if you've ever owned the special edition in question.
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