I’ve been banging on about Volkswagen’s misfortune with their diesel emissions scandal of late. Part of me is sitting back, without a care in the world as to what effect it will have on the company. Another part of me is feeling as if we’ve really lost the makings of a legendary car company. No matter what you might think of him, I’m going to cop a line from Donald Trump’s US Presidential Campaign and wish that someone would “Make Volkswagen Great Again.” Now, with my usual gripe out of the way, let’s take a look at this 1995 Volkswagen Corrado for sale in Ontario, Canada. Corrado sales in the US halted in 1994, but continued on for the model’s final year in 1995 north of the border. This example in Moonlight Blue Metallic looks sharp with the Recaro cloth interior and is equipped with dual airbags, a feature rarely seen on these sports coupes.
Click for details:Â 1995 Volkswagen Corrado on eBay
Year: 1995
Model:Â Corrado
Engine:Â 2.8 liter VR6
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Mileage:Â 42,000 mi
Price: Reserve auction
A special car in the hearts of all who love German automobiles and the hot hatch movement of the 90’s. The Corrado was introduced in 1990, the successor to the ever loved Scirocco it represented a new step in front wheel drive performance and sophistication. The initial G60 which was produced for 1990-91 featured a 1.8L SOHC 4 cylinder engine boosted by a G-Lader supercharger. It made a healthy but problematic 158hp and similar torque. During this time the platform of the A2 body Corrado was testing a new engine. A big engine with the dimensions of a 4 cyl. One with an abundance of torque and horsepower to make the Corrado the legendary Sport Coupe of the time. In 1992 they introduced the first Corrado featuring a unique 15 degree 2.8 litre V6 engine sharing one cylinder head making it both an inline and V engine. The compact VR6 produced a sultry 178hp and 177 ft-lb of torque. It was smooth and performance figures rivaled BMW’s E36 3 series in a big way. 0-60mph came in just 6.7 sec. The 1/4 mile in 15.0 sec and a top speed of just under 140mph. It featured more of everything else as well. The suspension was revised to cope with the bigger engine and additional performance. Brakes were enlarged as well with 5 lug hubs and 15″ Speedline wheels. VW didn’t stop there either. The Corrado featured active aerodynamics with a speed sensitive rear wing to improve downforce. The Interior was also further refined with higher quality materials and patterns, performance oriented red needle gauges and optional low hugging Recaro seats. The result was a car most called the best front wheel drive sport coupe ever produced. The competition was given a new bar. It made way for other manufacturers to start pushing the envelope of front wheel drive. Better, faster, safer and more luxurious. The original Herbert Schafer design and Karmann built Corrado also changed slightly with the VR6. It featured additional styling cues with a bolder front Grille, bulging front hood, clear front fog lights, corner markings and badging to represent the upgrades.
Sales of the of Corrado were slow from the start as the car was very expensive, only some markets in the world got 1995 model year cars which make this example one of the rarest featuring both driver and passenger airbags. A total of 97,521 cars over its 6 years of production were made, it’s rumored that less than 40% of those cars have survived.
The example we have here originated from Pickering Volkswagen with a late delivery date March 14th, 1996. It’s finished in LC5M Moonlight Blue Metallic on highly desirable Black Recaro interior. The original owner sold it to the second owner in 1998 who owned it until now, I’ve been trying to buy this car on and off since 2006. The glorious 17 year ownership comes with documents to prove the 67,000km this car has covered. One of very few car to make it through the Mk2 conversion frenzy which left many Corrado’s stolen or salvage. Recent conditioning of the vehicle includes new tires, H&R Springs, oil and filter service and refinish of the front clip and rear bumper cover. A truly astounding and unmolested example of the most legendary front driver the world has ever known!
Even with a starting bid of $28,000, this car has a reserve. That was a bit of an eye opener and certainly wins the trophy for highest priced Corrado in recent memory. Even when they were new, the Corrado was not a cheap car, as MSRP in the US for a 1994 Corrado SLC 5-speed was just over $25,000. Is something like this worth it over, say, a Porsche 944 or BMW 3 series coupe of similar vintage? It really depends on what it is you’re looking for in a sports coupe. For me, the chunky styling of the Corrado brings me right back to my youth, to a time when there were a plethora of German cars I lusted after. Sadly, as I scan the showroom floors today, I can’t say I’m finding much to get excited about.
-Paul
Having owned three VR6 Corrados from the earliest to the latest (Serial number 00069) to two 95’s, I can say that they are great cars. One negative about the 95’s is that the steering has quite a bit more boost than the earlier models. That cloth Recaro interior is fantastic. I had an earlier cloth Recaro car and then two leather ones. (One stolen , one wrecked). Cloth is better. The biggest improvement that one can make to a Corrado is to acquire European headlights. Still probably my favourite car. Did everything well and was fun everyday I drove it. My 95’s had quite a few electrical issues and needed complete suspension rebuilds every 60K. If one is after exclusivity, 95’s are very rare (87 sold in Canada). I think I’d be after a 94 with the Black Recaro interior though. 28K is getting up there in price.
$28,000 are you kidding me! this is a base model VW while I love the car the price put coffee out my nose.