The R32 is one of my favorite Volkswagens — at least among the ones we actually got in America. A great sounding 3.2 liter VR6,…
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We have 15 years of archives. Links older than a year may have been updated to point to similar cars available to bid on eBay.Category: Volkswagen
With a bit of nostalgia, it’s sad to reminisce about a market segment which has all but eroded from the automotive landscape. In the 1970s and 1980s, small coupes were the rage; they offered sporty looks and a bit of driving fun for the commute, while still being effectively economy cars underneath. But through the 1980s and into the early 1990s, those economy roots were altered in an ever increasing amount of brinkmanship to the point where the lines between a true “sports car” and the “sports coupe” evaporated. Yet the market was still ripe with plenty of options at the beginning of Bill Clinton’s Presidency; the Mazda MX-6 and Ford Probe GT continued to share underpinnings with slightly different style, while the Diamond Star Eagle Talon/Plymouth Lazer/Mitsubishi Eclipse offered technological and performance prowess that really lifted the segment. There was also the Nissan 240SX – not as sporty as the others, but still a popular option. Honda wasn’t left out with its popular Prelude and screaming VTEC motor. There were others, too – even the aging Dodge Daytona IROC R/T offered some 224 horsepower – impressive for the period.
All of them are long gone.
Gone, too, is the Volkswagen Corrado. It didn’t have all-wheel drive or the popular for the period “Turbo” badge stuck everywhere. It was refined, smooth and clean looking. The styling wasn’t exotic or futuristic, and the recipe was simple – especially when it came to the VR6. Quite simply, Volkswagen built the best Mk.2 Volkswagen they could, but compared to the competition in period, that wasn’t quite good enough. Nearly all of the competition had new-for-the-90s styling and chassis, and the VW felt decidedly 80s in comparison. And it was expensive, clearing $23,000 before options in 1993. So even though it was really as good as the 80s VW got, it was a soft seller (as most VWs were). Fast forward to the first of these cars about to be antiques, and suddenly a new light is cast upon the model; it doesn’t look as dated, gimmicky or used up as any of the others, and unsurprisingly has become one of the market stars as a result:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1993 Volkswagen Corrado SLC on eBay
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Frequently I see Volkswagen swaps. Infrequently do I think they’re well carried out. There are a myriad of reasons why this might be the case, but often it seems that the details, the aesthetics, or the excuses are too questionable. However, once in a while one pops up that really is pretty well pulled off.
Now, to be clear, I always have a love/hate relationship with swapped cars. On the one hand, I love the creativity, the devotion to the brand, the attention to detail – the individuality that shines through. It’s a general love of cars that can be expressed in so many different directions that makes the hobby refreshing. If we all had tan Camrii, what would be the point? But the hate also shines through, as in this case we lost one of the acknowledged VW greats; a late model 2.0 16V GTI. Was this swap executed well enough to excuse such an exacting high cost?
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1991 Volkswagen GTi 3.2 VR6 on eBay
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The Volkswagen Van was, and is, a part of our culture. It’s like Peter Frampton Comes Alive!, Pet Rocks and Star Wars; not the best of their ilk, but they enjoy near universal popularity. The VW Van appeared everywhere. It was ubiquitous with the Hippie movement. It was counter-culture, yet eminently practical as transportation. It was pretty uncool as a design, and yet massively cool. And, it should come as no surprise that it has created a cult-like following.
Yet, we infrequently look at them. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because they’re cliche?
I learned how to drive in a VW Microbus. It had no clutch, so you had to start in gear. If you were really clever you could get into second, but most of the time I just felt pretty special crawling around the fields behind my house in first. But I feel no particular attachment to the model, unlike my first car.
Still, they make me smile, and when I came across this lightly modified one, I wanted to take a closer look. I’m not sure if it was the Porsche Phonedial wheels or the color scheme that most attracted me, but I have to admit I was a bit surprised when I looked closer:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1973 Volkswagen Bus Wild Westerner on eBay
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Today is an interesting bag of updates for Hammertime; some great values of popular cars, and some extreme heights of prices for special examples. Leading…
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