Polo Facelift
It is perhaps the Polo, again in its day the trendsetter for the new class of superminis, that is currently suffering most from its age. The original was designed in Ingolstadt, first appearing as the Audi 50 in 1975, and an all-new Polo, also styled by Audi and destined to be launched in autumn this year, has reportedly been aborted at a cost of some DM70 million (£25m).
Instead the Polo, last updated in 1981, will receive a further facelift this August, with cars becoming available for the 1991 model year. The all-new version, likely to be built entirely in Spain at SEAT's Pamplona plant, will not now see the light of day before 1994.
This year's DM200 million (£70m) revamp, meanwhile, will certainly give VW's mini a new look. The much-modified front end will have rectangular headlights, faired in á la new Golf, with restyled wing panels and a large moulded bumper/spoiler.
At the rear, interior space is marginally increased, thanks to a tailgate that sits further back above a chunkier bumper. Internally, there appear to be few changes although the trim effect is lighter and less claustrophobic and the opportunity has been taken to make the switchgear more ergonomic.
Under the bonnet, the existing 1057cc engine will probably get the benefit of a single-point fuel injection system, supplemented by the new 1.4 unit in either 60 or 90bhp form, all with catalytic converters. The existing Polo diesel, available in some markets, will also become a 1.4 litre. Carburetter versions of the 1.4 engine are likely to be supplied in quantity to the German Democratic Republic as part of the joint venture reported last month, while there will be a G40 supercharged version for use in the Polo Coupé.
A question remaining unconfirmed at the time of going to press concerns the Polo's braking system: will it or won't it get the much-needed servo-assietance? Since it appears that neither the floorpan nor the wheelbase are being altered this time, it is difficult to imagine how the Wolfsburg engineers will find the space to insert a servo on RHD cars, which has been the problem all along, unless some form of remote unit is to be used. It would, however, be regarded by many as unforgivable to allow the opportunity to pass on this occasion.
VW Motoring, March 1990, Pages 44 and 45.
Altho if they made an OEM 1.4 GT you can bet it had a higher compression ratio than mine. 
thing i got confused over that line about the carb