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Category: Volkswagen

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Tuner Tuesday: 1992 Volkswagen Corrado SLC VR6

Published September 16, 2014 by Carter

As we’ve previously covered, the Volkswagen Corrado has been since new a popular tuning platform. Whether in supercharged G60 early form or the later VR6 model, avid enthusiasts snap these cars up and generally quickly set about customizing and personalizing the sporty coupes. On paper, the Corrado reads effectively just like a GTi – but to Volkswagen faithful, the coupe’s name carries so much more weight. Like a sports hero entering a local bar on game day, Volkswagen fans gasp, smile and utter expletives when they see a Corrado in any shape. Expensive when new and always holding more value than their brethren, they’ve remained somewhat elusive compared to the more mundane GTi and GLX models that ran alongside them. So, even if you find a model that isn’t 100% to your liking it may be worth investigating to see if you can re-customize it to your taste:

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2002 Volkswagen GTi 337 with 6,700 Miles

Published September 10, 2014 by Carter

I have to admit that when I initially heard the details of the 337 Edition GTi, I was very excited. To me, it seemed like Volkswagen had finally gotten the message and brought us a modern interpretation of the car that I loved, the 1990-1992 GTi 2.0 16V. After a period of low performance 4-cylinder variants, the pokey 1.8T was now pumping out 180 horsepower and matching torque – finally, the car had the go to match the show. While the VR6 had continued into the fourth generation GTi, the accompanying weight, luxury items and electronic throttle meant that while horsepower numbers went up, the seat of the pants kick and thrill that was the hallmark of the original and 16V GTi – and even the Mk.3 VR6 – had been replaced by a stout highway cruiser. As if to answer critics and revisit the original formula, in 2001 Volkswagen introduced a stripped down, turned up version of the GTi called the 25th Anniversary edition, celebrating the original 1976 launch. For me, it was a return to form for the original hot hatch with some great updates. Unfortunately, it wasn’t heading to the U.S., because of course we didn’t receive the GTi until the 1983 model year. But U.S. fans were taken care of too when the nearly identical GTi 337 was launched. Outside, it got some awesome shot-peened BBS RC wheels that looked stunning compared the the rather bland wheels styles that had adorned the GTi since the BBS RMs on the 16V. Behind those wheels were beefed up brakes and red calipers, because red is of course faster (or, slower in that case?). It also sported a new body kit that highlighted the lower stance – hunkering the GTi down over those great wheels. After a period of hidden tailpipes, a polished exhaust tip emerged from the rear valance – a nice change for sure! Inside, special details like brushed trim, red-stitched shift boot and special “Golf Ball” knob for the 6-speed manual and some awesome Recaro seats greeted you. And to keep weight down, no sunroof was offered. This was a sporty car that went like it looked for a change! Limited to 1,500 examples, it was an instant hit and apparently a good bet for a future collectable:

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Tuner Tuesday: 1978 Volkswagen Scirocco Sidewinder II Turbo

Published September 9, 2014 by Carter

If the Mk.1 Scirocco is already a rare car to see, finding a period modified one is even more rare – especially when it comes to a well known example, such as the New Dimensions turbocharged example we see here. On top of being a fairly rare car already, this particular example is also one of the even more rare “Sidewinder II” editions that came out in 1978. What did the Sidewinder II get you? Well, according to this letter to dealers from Volkswagen, the Sidewinder got a special air dam, special seats, speedometer backing, decals, and black trim. I love, too, how Volkswagen likened the pose of the rattlesnake to the engine layout in the Scirocco; reaching, considering the 71 horsepower accelerated the “sports” coupe to 60 m.p.h. in a semi-leisurely 11.6 seconds. To fix that, this New Dimensions example has a 1.8 turbocharged motor fitted along with some fairly rare parts:

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Duocorns: 1987 Volkswagen Quantum GL5 Syncro Variant and 2003 Volkswagen Passat W8 4Motion Variant 6-speed

Published September 8, 2014 by Carter

In yesterday’s Audi project post, I wrote up two more-rare Audis with potential, though both would require some work and dedication to get to daily driver status. Today, I’ve got two more “project” cars – though, if anything, these two are considerably more rare these days than either of the two Audis. Both are all-wheel drive wagons from Volkswagen, but if you can quint and see a family resemblance, that’s about all that links them together. The first is the B2 Audi-derived Quantum Syncro – essentially, an Audi 4000 quattro with Volkswagen hubs, wheels and brakes and a unique rear suspension under the Quantum body. The Passat W8 also shared Audi A4 all-wheel drive components but essentially was a completely different offering, from the 6-speed manual transmission this model sports to the unique W8 motor stuffed into the discreet Passat Variant package. While there were considerably more Quantum Syncros produced than W8 6-speeds, finding one today can be quite hard – many succumbed to poor residual value, rust and neglect; though not complicated cars, the were more expensive to work on than the standard 4-cylinder models. The W8 is at the verge of falling into the same fate, with the exception of original production numbers – with only a handful of W8 Variants imported originally, both of these cars are serious unicorns these days. Which is your style?

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1967 Volkswagen Beetle

Published September 7, 2014 by Paul

During the first few years of my life, there were two cars in my parents’ garage. My mother’s 1978 Fiat 131 2-door and my father’s commuter workhorse, a 1967 Volkswagen Beetle. This was a big year for the venerable People’s Car, with a number of upgrades on tap. For starters, a new 12 volt electrical system replaced the old 6 volt system. A larger engine with more horsepower could be found under the hood and a few refinements such as rear backup lights, two speed wipers and a external passenger side mirror were included. If one looked closely, they would notice a slightly different face on the Bug, with sealed beam headlamps to meet ever tightening US regulations.

The green 1967 Beetle I grew up with wasn’t my father’s first Bug, nor was it his first 1967 model. He was a fan of this model year and often waxes poetic about the ’67 Beetle he had when he was a bachelor, with a bored out engine, painted white with the chrome trim blacked out. It was a purposeful looking little thing, but sadly after he got married and moved to San Francisco, that locale wasn’t the best place for my mother to learn how to drive a manual gearbox. I’d like to think if he had to do it all over, a 1967 Bug like this one for sale in South Carolina would be at the top of the list.

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