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…
Comments closedCategory: Volkswagen
Though it was never available in the U.S. until this coming model year, all-wheel drive in a standard Golf is nothing new. In fact, it’s been around since 1986.
If you follow me around the internet, and I don’t expect you to, you might have caught my article for The Truth About Cars about all-wheel drive Golfs which predated the R32. Though the idea sounds simple enough since parent company Audi had an all-wheel drive system that was ever so popular, mounting that longitudinal transmission and drivetrain into the transverse engine Golf was impossible. Instead, Volkswagen contracted Steyr-Daimler-Puch to design a viscous coupling setup for the Golf with a new independent suspended rear. Like the contemporary Quantum and Vanagon setups, it was dubbed “Syncro”, though outside of all-wheels being driven the three systems shared almost nothing.
The result was a few fan-favorite models. Performance types love the Quattro-inspired Golf Rallye, Golf G60 Syncro and Golf Limited models. But undoubtedly the most recognizable Golf to wear the Syncro badge was the jacked-up Golf Country. Utilizing an already heavily modified Golf Syncro, Daimler-Steyr-Puch installed some 438 unique pieces to create the light offroading Golf way before the Outback was conquered by Subaru:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1991 Volkswagen Golf Country Chrome Edition on eBay
10 Comments
A little over a week ago, I took a look at a 1992 GTI 16V. One of my absolute favorite cars, it was worth a look outside of the inherent appeal because of the survivor status and the prove-my-theory-right dirty pictures. I figured that it was about a $4,500 car, but was surprised that the bidding pushed upwards to $5,300.
Today we have another Volkswagen to consider. It, too, confirms many of my prejudices about the Volkswagen market. It, too, is a second generation water-cooled car. The asking price is right where I pegged the value of the last Mk.2 at $4,500. And it, too, has 16 valves under the hood – although in this case, it didn’t start there.
Speaking of not starting, it also doesn’t run.
Is this modded Jetta GLI worth a roll of the dice?
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1986 Volkswagen Jetta GLI on eBay
1 Comment
The internet has again been ablaze with indignant enthusiasts frustrated with VWoA’s decision to cease importation of the 2-door GTI. Of course, the GTI is still available in more practical (and some would say better looking) 4-door configuration, and the decision wasn’t without basis as that model outsold the dual portal example many times over. Nevertheless, there’s always a big conglomerate of fandom that actively shouts about all of the things they can no longer or were never able to have.
Why this is somewhat surprising to me is because if you go back a few decades, we lost something even cooler. The Corrado represented the end of a 20 year reign of really cool 2-door coupe Volkswagens. Go back even farther, and another two decades of Karmann Ghia represented great looks and a sportier platform (in theory) with affordable underpinnings. While there are a few fans who call for the current Scirocco to be imported, nearly as many seem to say “Why?”, when the GTI is available alongside. Perhaps now that the 2-door GTI has been killed off to the U.S. market, more attention will be levied on these slinky coupes? Every Corrado, then, gives us pause to consider an entire market segment that was effectively eliminated in the mid-1990s after being some of the most appealing options in the catalog. They sure went out with a bang, though:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1993 Volkswagen Corrado SLC on eBay
Comments closed
9A. It’s a term most enthusiasts don’t know. Unlike most pedantic BMW owners that have memorized every signal chassis, engine and option, Volkswagen’s various iterations of the EA827 motor can get a quite esoteric even to lovers of the brand. But the 9A was something a little special, because that was the high-revving 2.0 liter 16V that was stuck into the GTI, GLI and Passat models in the early 1990s. Down on power to the more famous and ubiquitous VR6, the 9A was the VW’s equivalent of the S14. Like the E30 M3, the GTI and GLI wore special items to denote the racey motor under the hood; BBS wheels, wider flares, foglights, Recaro seats and special trim to help set them apart from the more pedestrian lineup. This was the period where a blacked-out VW badge really meant something. While the 9A might not be a name most remember, the “GTI 2 liter 16 valve” still is a magical formula to lovers of the hot hatch in the late 1980s and early 1990s: