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2014 will reportedly introduce to the U.S. a car that many Volkswagen fans have been eagerly awaiting – the Golf “GTD” TDi. Basically a GTi with the turbo diesel in place of the 2.0T, the GTD looks great, drives wonderfully and gets some fantastic mileage. But go back a few years and we basically already had the prototype here; the short lived 2010 Jetta TDi Cup Edition. What you got for your hard earned bucks was a basically a Jetta GLi with it’s heart yanked out and replaced by the thrifty and torque-laden turbo diesel. But this wasn’t just a styling exercise for Volkswagen – they had actively engaged in racing the Jetta TDi in the “TDi Cup” to help promote the TDi brand, so this car has some racing heritage as well. Only 1,500 were produced in black, white, blue, or today’s Salsa Red:
Unlike some of the other rare iron that made the list for ready to import this year, the Volkswagen Polo is just a neat little car that we never got here in the U.S.. Similar to the original Scirocco, Audi 50 and original Golf that inspired its styling, the Polo Coupe was a slick looking hatchback that offered a little sport and a lot of economy. Indeed, as early as 1983 Volkswagen was experimenting with start/stop technology that would shut the engine down on the Polo to help save even a little more gas at red lights; technology that is just making its way to these shores today. The GT didn’t have that feature but gained a slick plaid interior, some neat alloys and a 4 headlight grill similar to the A2 GTi. Though a fairly basic car overall, it made good use of its light weight for a little sport and some style to many German’s commute. Today there is a nice condition 1989 for sale in Germany, ready to import:
In order to satisfy the desires of Porsche enthusiasts seeking something a bit more hardcore than a standard 964 Carrera 2, in 1993 Porsche released the RS America, a limited run lightened model that came without such features as power steering, A/C, and even a radio, but included a whale tail and sport suspension. A radio, sunroof, limited-slip differential, and A/C could be optioned onto the car, but it still came in at a lower weight than a standard Carrera 2. While the RS America remains a far cry from the much more potent and lighter 964 RS available in Europe, it still provided modest gains in an effort to improve driving dynamics for those buyers seeking such things. These cars remain relatively rare but do pop-up from time to time for sale and here we have a 1994 Midnight Blue Porsche 911 RS America located in California. This one is fully optioned and has seen 112,500 miles.
Sport Utility Vehicle. The term is a bit overused in modern vernacular. Most vehicles that fall under this category offer little sport and if they do, utility is compromised. However, Volkswagen really captured a niche in the late 1980s and early 1990s with the Vanagon Syncro. The number of vans that have offered four-wheel drive throughout history are few, but the Vanagon had a rugged air about it, something that hasn’t been lost on lovers of the great outdoors to this day. A trip to Montana might not be on everyone’s agenda during this extremely cold winter, but if you’re on the hunt for a good T3 Syncro, your search might take you there.
One of the cars I’ve most loathed while writing up was an E36 with a GM V8. That horrendous Frankenstein belonged in the bottom of the Florida waters, but this BMW/GM combo is done with a bit more professionalism, and perhaps taste. By shoving a Corvette engine and strapping a supercharger on top, this shop has taken one of the best-handling cars ever and turned it into a rolling-burnout monster. The exterior is show-car loud, but, all things considered, I actually kind of dig the graphics. Considering the performance of this thing, it’s not a bad fit.