Harlequin VW Golf Mk4 - My Car

“If you’re going to paint a car, paint it every colour”.

That’s the thinking behind this 2002 Volkswagen Golf Estate, owned by Unconventional Offroading’s Jack Jefferson. A product of lockdown, the car was originally black when he bought it for £200. As you can see though, it’s definitely not a black Mark 4 Golf Estate now.

The list of changes Jack’s made include “harlequin paint job, lift kit, LSD, bigger turbo, snorkel, custom interior - it’s all multicoloured, the seatbelts are as well. The carpet’s a kids play mat - not just the floor mats, the whole carpet - so we’ve done it properly”.

Taking a peek inside, it’s true - the seats do all have custom harlequin upholstery, with the actual carpet made from everyone’s favourite road play mat. The gearstick even looks like a circus tent, with the famous multicoloured pattern replacing the traditional black leather around it.

Under the hood it’s running the PD130 engine - a 1.9L block making 130bhp and 228lbft. There’s also an upgraded PD150 turbo, and the PD150 intercooler, radiator and fans are ready to be fitted. That’s likely it for now though as, despite everything about the car, Jack insists that he’s a fan of the “standard” look.

“I don’t really want a winch - I like the standard look. Well, I say standard - it doesn’t really look standard in any way, but I prefer the front end to look fairly standard.

“I was going to put bullbars on it, but I changed that idea. I need to lift the front end more, but I’m not bothered about that. I don’t really know what else there is to do with it, except go bigger. Go big or go home”.

That mindset is definitely visible throughout, with every element of the car - even down to the harlequin-coloured wheels - showing the car’s personality. Despite the effort that’s clearly been put into the car though, it’s no garage queen - it’s a bonafide farm workhorse, “I built it for use around the farm. I go and get the cows with it, go to the sheep with it. It’s got a big Nato hitch on the back so I can pull farm trailers.

“If you look at how muddy it is, it’s not a show pony. It’s a bloody used thing”.

With almost 180,000 miles on the clock, ‘bloody used’ is a fair description too. Not only does it get its farm use, but he likes proving that it can hang it out with things far more capable for offroading.

“We’ve been everywhere offroading in it - Lakes, Dales, Peaks. I’ve tried to take it places that Land Rover guys say I can’t go. Having fun in something unconventional.

“It’s more fun in a two-wheel drive than in a four-wheel drive, as it’s definitely a bit of a challenge, especially when you break stuff. I’ve broken a lot of stuff. But you just upgrade it and make it better - replacing with better, not new”.

One can only imagine the looks from seasoned 4x4 drivers as Jack’s multicoloured Golf approaches treacherous off-road courses, only for it to handle them and continue on. Its off-road prowess unsurprisingly doesn’t translate to on-road comfort though, as it’s not the best on tarmac.

“[On the roads] it’s absolutely horrendous. Especially when it’s raining, because those tyres don’t grip. On grass it’s absolutely bob on, but roads is horrendous. And then the noise from the tyres…”.

So, with Jack’s £200 black Golf Estate having undergone a litany of changes, what does he think about it? Aside from it being too good at its job, he likes the freedom it represents.

“Why do I like it? I don’t ha. I’m bored of it now. I’ve done everything on it - it’s too capable.

“Well, I do like it because it’s so different. You don’t ever see something like this about. That’s what I like about it, and the power from the engine. The looks can be very funny as well - it’s either really good, and they’re all waving, or it’s bad where they look at you like ‘why would you do that?’. Why not? Because I can”.

You can keep up with Jack and his car’s travels on his Instagram @c13_our, and find out more about the Unconventional Offroaders on their Facebook group.