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Tag: Rare VW

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1975 Volkswagen SP2

Published December 23, 2023 by Carter

As Volkswagen in Germany switched to water-cooled designs, Volkswagen do Brasil attempted to extend the life of the basic Beetle platform in two ways; the Brasília created a new hatchback rival to the Golf, and the SP models were a leap forward for the Karmann Ghia coupes (of which Brazil already had their own special version – the TC).

‘SP’ referenced São Paulo where the SP and SP2 were produced. The early model had a 1.6 liter flat-4, while the SP2 moved up to a 75 horsepower 1.7 air-cooled flat-4 mounted in the rear. The proportions of the body styling seemed to suggest the opposite though, with the long, low hood and hatchback GT profile looking more like a traditional sports car than any VW had before. Other period designs were borrowed – the Volkswagen 411, the Porsche 924 and Audi’s 100 Coupe S all had similar angles.

Only about 11,300 of these ultra-rare, Brazil-only SP2s were produced. They’re about as legendary as air-cooled VWs get in the U.S., so when one pops up for sale it’s worth a look:

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1991 Volkswagen Jetta GLI 16V

1991 Volkswagen Jetta GLI 16V

Published May 21, 2023 by Carter

Volkswagen of America’s new “Fahrvergnügen” sales campaign in the early 1990s was, while a marketing ploy and a totally made up neologism, underscoring sporty changes at Volkswagen. The more serious 2.0 16V GTI I’ve already covered recently, but the same motor was available in the more fun-to-drive Passat here, too. Then there was the Corrado, which while it only had 8 valves sported a supercharger. You could get that G60 in the Passat in Europe and even Canada, too.

Volkswagen’s popular smaller sedan had a healthy dose of upgrades though, too. In ’89, the Jetta GLI 16V had a special Wolfsburg Edition which had added the deeply bolstered Recaro Trophy seats and BBS RA alloys. These were color-matched to the Helios Blue Metallic paint outside. The seats and BBS wheels would carry over for the 1990 model year, but like the GTI the Jetta received the new 9A 2.0 16V and revised bumper/trim of all the A2s. Brakes were updated to 10.1? and dual tailpipes emerged from the new ‘big bumper’ A2 refresh. Central locking and a cassette player were standard, while you could opt for many power options including windows, mirror, anti-lock brakes, trip computer, cruise control, and of course a sunroof.

Although the package was essentially quite similar to the GTI, I’ve never quite taken to the 2.0 GLI 16V in the same way. But it’s still very nice to see a clean example hit the market:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1991 Volkswagen Jetta GLI 16V on eBay

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2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDi Cup

2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDi Cup

Published April 30, 2023 by Carter

Long before “Dieselgate”, Volkswagen teased us with a performance version of their super-economy car; the short lived 2010 Jetta TDi Cup Edition. What you got for your hard-earned bucks was a basically a Jetta GLi with its heart yanked out and replaced by the thrifty and torque-laden turbodiesel, and for good measure they popped on VW “Thunderbunny” body kit. 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, red, blue, or today’s white:

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Spring Project: 1980 Volkswagen Scirocco S

Spring Project: 1980 Volkswagen Scirocco S

Published April 9, 2023 by Carter

I’m going to get a bit gushy for a moment, if you’ll allow me. I love the original Scirocco. Considering I’m a huge fan of the similarly Giugiaro-designed Audi Coupe, that should come as no surprise. Both the GT and the Scirocco have some odd angles, and there is no argument here that they aren’t the prettiest designs ever to be penned by the Italians. However, it’s that awkwardness that adds to their appeal for me – they stand out not because they’re perfect, but because simply they stand out and not in a bad way. It’s something that the second-generation Scirocco wasn’t able to pull off, in my mind. The short and squat original model, though it lacked the performance of many of the top-tier Volkswagen products, has to go down as one of the prettiest Volkswagens ever made. While they were a popular coupe and in many ways helped to spawn the sedan-based 2-door market that was the rage in the 1980s and early 1990s, not many of the original Sciroccos remain thanks mostly to rust and electrical issues. To me, the best looking of the original models are the infrequently seen “S” models, such as the 1980 which popped up this week for sale. The S was mostly an appearance package but featured a front spoiler, some cool stripes, a 5-speed manual, and Recaro seats; it was also only available in three colors in 1980 – black, Alpine White, or today’s Mars Red:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1980 Volkswagen Scirocco S on eBay

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1984 Volkswagen Polo SP

1984 Volkswagen Polo SP

Published November 14, 2022 by Carter

The Polo isn’t a model often featured on these pages because 1) they never came to the United States and B) if you’re going through the effort of importing a European car, let’s just say the Polo probably isn’t top of your list. In 1981, the second generation debuted on the A02 platform – a standalone for the model and its betrunkened twin, the Derby (also not sold here). These super-minis were intended to be cheap and efficient; very basic equipment was met with very basic engines. The SP was marketed as the “sportier” Polo with slightly better equipment and a cool color pallet, though you’d be hard-pressed to call it either fast or luxurious. Still, it’s neat to see one here and worth a look:

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