Merijn Sakko's 1977 VW Derby shows it's worth thinking outside of the box when picking your early water-cooled VW project...
Words: Simon Jackson Photos: Ron Veth
When I first started working on PVW, way back when, there was only really one classic water-cooled VW worth talking about - the Mk1 Golf. Sure there were those diehard fanatics out there who were into other 1970s and early 1980s Veedubs, but on the whole, the scene, in the UK at least, was mainly focused around the original Golf.
Whenever we hopped over the Channel into mainland Europe for shows like VW Mania and Club Charlys, it was clear that the European VW nuts, and by that I mean the Germans, Belgians and Dutch, had a major passion for the extended retro VW family. Modified Mk1 Polos, Sciroccos and Passats were regular sights over the Channel and gradually the trend grew in the UK.
Perhaps it was the increasing difficulty of finding a tidy, affordable Mk1 Golf, or the inbuilt desire everyone involved with the scene has to stand out from the crowd, but regardless around 2004/2005 it seemed that more and more UK dubbers were jumping on the retro watercooled bandwagon, using some increasingly different bases for their projects.
Fast forward a decade or so and we're all used to seeing a crazy Mkl Caddy, sorted Mkl Scirocco or even a purring Mkl Passat parked up on showgrounds the world over, and the scene is all the richer for it, wouldn't you agree? And personally what I love about these non-Golf Mkls is their relative affordability, rarity and downright style. Dutch dubber Merijn Sakko and I are singing from the same hymn sheet: "I had driven Polo G40s for a few years - they were a lot of fun," the 30-year-old explained. "I liked the ride quality, brand and the model, and the running costs are low. There is a nice community around these old Volkswagens."
From an early age Merijn was interested in anything with wheels, be it a dirt bike or go-kart. His first car was bought and paid for before he'd passed his driving test, but it was really his first car show that sealed his fate - the German Autosport Festival. A brief stint with a rusty Toyota Starlet swiftly gave way to a pair of successive Mk3 Polos - a '92 with a few retro touches and a set of BBS LM rims.
But before Merijn could make his pre-booked appointment at the spray shop to tidy the daily driver up, a cheeky little '94 Genesis caught his eye. Merijn immediately switched his plans and applied the mods he had in mind for the '92 car on to this later Mk3 - think 60/40 suspension kit, K&N filter and those aforementioned LMs. Much to Merijn's dismay though some big mileage brought about through his studies meant the
Mk3 had to go, replaced by a couple of turbo diesel SEATs.
Happily, Merijn's soft spot for old Polos didn't abate during his time behind the wheel of those more modern VAG offerings, so as soon as it was possible he was on the hunt for another retro Polo: "There aren't many examples of the Mkl Polo in the Netherlands, so I looked over the border in Germany. Since I think it's ugly to see an old car with 'new' number plates, my requirement was that the car had to be from pre-1978. This would allow me to import the car and drive it with the old letter combination and blue numberplates legally," we're told. "My research had focused on Polos, but as time passed I saw more examples of the Derby and I began to appreciate them more and more."
Merijn's quest moved into a higher gear and by now he had his heart set on a Derby, the Mkl Polo's booted cousin. "Initially I had contact with the seller of another Derby, but this didn't meet my requirements," Merijn explained. "But it turned out the seller was a real collector - he had three Derbys and two early Polos. I received a picture of his entire collection and I was hooked!"
The '77 Derby Merijn got hold of from the German VW hoarder was something of a project, but it did come with a few handy parts. The car's original 1.1-litre engine was all present and correct, but it also came complete with running gear from a Mk3 Polo GT - read a more spritely 1.3-litre mill and full suspension system. All this was an added bonus for Merijn since the Polo (Mk1-3) shares much of its underpinnings with the Derby; this meant a conversion would be a piece of cake. The only sticking point for Merijn was that to get the car road legal in the Netherlands he would have to present it for an inspection loosely in its original form, which meant dropping the now removed 1.1-litre unit back into the 'bay to pass an MoT-style inspection, before whipping it back out again for the real fun to begin.
"I've mainly used my own inspiration for the changes to the car, but it's also ended up being partly based on the pictures I've found on the internet too," we're told. "I've tried as much as possible to maintain the original character and appearance of the car, while still technically modernising it."
The car underwent a complete resto, with the bodywork undertaken by a specialist autobody repairer in Barneveld, south-east of Amsterdam. Shot in its original hue of Panama brown, the shell has been treated to a bunch of new parts, such as new sills, arches, and window rubbers. Merijn admits the modifications here are intentionally limited to small details such as the omission
Words: Simon Jackson Photos: Ron Veth
When I first started working on PVW, way back when, there was only really one classic water-cooled VW worth talking about - the Mk1 Golf. Sure there were those diehard fanatics out there who were into other 1970s and early 1980s Veedubs, but on the whole, the scene, in the UK at least, was mainly focused around the original Golf.
Whenever we hopped over the Channel into mainland Europe for shows like VW Mania and Club Charlys, it was clear that the European VW nuts, and by that I mean the Germans, Belgians and Dutch, had a major passion for the extended retro VW family. Modified Mk1 Polos, Sciroccos and Passats were regular sights over the Channel and gradually the trend grew in the UK.
Perhaps it was the increasing difficulty of finding a tidy, affordable Mk1 Golf, or the inbuilt desire everyone involved with the scene has to stand out from the crowd, but regardless around 2004/2005 it seemed that more and more UK dubbers were jumping on the retro watercooled bandwagon, using some increasingly different bases for their projects.
Fast forward a decade or so and we're all used to seeing a crazy Mkl Caddy, sorted Mkl Scirocco or even a purring Mkl Passat parked up on showgrounds the world over, and the scene is all the richer for it, wouldn't you agree? And personally what I love about these non-Golf Mkls is their relative affordability, rarity and downright style. Dutch dubber Merijn Sakko and I are singing from the same hymn sheet: "I had driven Polo G40s for a few years - they were a lot of fun," the 30-year-old explained. "I liked the ride quality, brand and the model, and the running costs are low. There is a nice community around these old Volkswagens."
From an early age Merijn was interested in anything with wheels, be it a dirt bike or go-kart. His first car was bought and paid for before he'd passed his driving test, but it was really his first car show that sealed his fate - the German Autosport Festival. A brief stint with a rusty Toyota Starlet swiftly gave way to a pair of successive Mk3 Polos - a '92 with a few retro touches and a set of BBS LM rims.
But before Merijn could make his pre-booked appointment at the spray shop to tidy the daily driver up, a cheeky little '94 Genesis caught his eye. Merijn immediately switched his plans and applied the mods he had in mind for the '92 car on to this later Mk3 - think 60/40 suspension kit, K&N filter and those aforementioned LMs. Much to Merijn's dismay though some big mileage brought about through his studies meant the
Mk3 had to go, replaced by a couple of turbo diesel SEATs.
Happily, Merijn's soft spot for old Polos didn't abate during his time behind the wheel of those more modern VAG offerings, so as soon as it was possible he was on the hunt for another retro Polo: "There aren't many examples of the Mkl Polo in the Netherlands, so I looked over the border in Germany. Since I think it's ugly to see an old car with 'new' number plates, my requirement was that the car had to be from pre-1978. This would allow me to import the car and drive it with the old letter combination and blue numberplates legally," we're told. "My research had focused on Polos, but as time passed I saw more examples of the Derby and I began to appreciate them more and more."
Merijn's quest moved into a higher gear and by now he had his heart set on a Derby, the Mkl Polo's booted cousin. "Initially I had contact with the seller of another Derby, but this didn't meet my requirements," Merijn explained. "But it turned out the seller was a real collector - he had three Derbys and two early Polos. I received a picture of his entire collection and I was hooked!"
The '77 Derby Merijn got hold of from the German VW hoarder was something of a project, but it did come with a few handy parts. The car's original 1.1-litre engine was all present and correct, but it also came complete with running gear from a Mk3 Polo GT - read a more spritely 1.3-litre mill and full suspension system. All this was an added bonus for Merijn since the Polo (Mk1-3) shares much of its underpinnings with the Derby; this meant a conversion would be a piece of cake. The only sticking point for Merijn was that to get the car road legal in the Netherlands he would have to present it for an inspection loosely in its original form, which meant dropping the now removed 1.1-litre unit back into the 'bay to pass an MoT-style inspection, before whipping it back out again for the real fun to begin.
"I've mainly used my own inspiration for the changes to the car, but it's also ended up being partly based on the pictures I've found on the internet too," we're told. "I've tried as much as possible to maintain the original character and appearance of the car, while still technically modernising it."
The car underwent a complete resto, with the bodywork undertaken by a specialist autobody repairer in Barneveld, south-east of Amsterdam. Shot in its original hue of Panama brown, the shell has been treated to a bunch of new parts, such as new sills, arches, and window rubbers. Merijn admits the modifications here are intentionally limited to small details such as the omission
in for perhaps the most attention. Under the arches sit FK coilovers, and Merijn has performed the popular Polo GT brake conversion too. Fully adjustable top mounts were sourced from a German Polo specialist (www.maxrpm.de), while the rear axle came from a Polo G40 parts donor. Everything under there has been dutifully blasted and powdercoated by Dutch firm Gerritsen Coating in Nijkerk.
The wheels are perhaps some of the most suitable for any Polo- derived project; an iconic set of 13" PLS Silverstone splits. Merijn had these refurbished in their component parts and fitted with bespoke aluminium centre caps (original items are no longer manufactured), crafted by HP technology in Barneveld. Altogether, with the other alterations Merijn has made, this Derby is a riot on the backroads - he estimates it's putting out around 100bhp - not bad in a car that weighs just 700 kilograms.
Inside sit a set of Porsche 911 Tombstones reupholstered in CrossPolo seat material (a neat touch we think), while everything else is pretty simple. A bunch of fresh sound-deadening material lies underneath a new carpet set, a colour-coded roll-cage sits out back and Merijn has created his own set of custom gauges to display the engine's vitals.
Merijn took his time with this restoration, and he knew exactly what he wanted to achieve, which we think has paid off when you look at the final product.
"There was only limited time for me to tinker with the car and I didn't rush the restoration which gave me time to find the parts I needed. I am always looking for original parts through eBay or the like because parts are scarce and having some stuff in reserve is always handy. This gave
me a financial advantage too as this way I was able to spread the cost of the project," Merijn said.
So, what does Merijn use the car for now it's complete? "The Derby has become a fair weather car that I use for events - in bad weather it stays inside!" we're told. "I regularly visit meetings, usually organised by VAG clubs. For example VAG Meeting Asten (VW Polo Club Holland), VWOTS Heerde (VW Outlaws), MIVW, Dub-Inn (Arnhem) and occasionally some smaller events, such as oldtimer days in villages."
Merijn's Derby shows it can pay off handsomely to think outside of the box when it comes to tackling an early water pumper project. Although you'll need to be patient, potentially have parts custom-made or be prepared to hunt the globe for exactly what you need. In the long run you too could end up being the toast of the showground...
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