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Feature Listing: 1998 Volkswagen GTi VR6 Turbo

Feature Listing: 1998 Volkswagen GTi VR6 Turbo

Published March 11, 2016 by Carter

When I was getting into the “Volkswagen Scene”, it was a game of brinkmanship. And by Volkswagen scene I mean my smallish group of friends who owned Volkswagens and all congregated at the local European fixing spot, and by brinkmanship I mean whatever we could afford at the time for modifications. I outfitted my “GolfTi” with a GLi interior and GLi-spec BBS RAs, my friend with his GTi got a Techtonics Exhaust and coilover suspension. One traded a Jetta Carat for a 8V 91 GTi in Tornado Red. Another (after more or less wrecking the mint 2.0 16V GLi he was given!) bought a G60 supercharged swap first generation Scirocco. That move gave this particular individual the trump card in the group, even if that G60 never ran right. The point is, we were all small potatoes, and that was made pretty clear to me when I ran into someone with an actual budget.

That person had a then brand new 1996 GTi VR6. An A2 chassis fan, I derided the A3 as fat and too luxurious. But how quick the VR6 could be was made pretty evident to me one day as I hounded the rear bumper of his GTi down a country road. Finally, he succumbed to my goading and lay hard into third gear. At the end of a quarter mile straight, it was enough to pull probably 10 car lengths on my clapped out Golf, but it might as well have been a mile – I was utterly defeated and my opinion of the VR6 changed in 15 seconds time. Since then, A3 GTi VR6s have always held a certain fascination for me and my time owning a ’98 Golf K2 left me tempted to consider a late VR6 as a daily driver. But what if you had one and your group of friends also tried the same game of brinkmanship, but had better resources?

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2008 Volkswagen Passat 3.6 4Motion Variant

2008 Volkswagen Passat 3.6 4Motion Variant

Published March 2, 2016 by Carter

When it comes to sporty wagons in the mid 2000s, your only options were really Audis and BMWs, right? Well, wrong – because Volkswagen dropped one pretty hot sleeper on our shores before elimination of the Passat wagon from the lineup. Granted, Volkswagen’s hottest entrant into the sport wagon market – the R36 – wouldn’t come here, but the normal 3.6 4Motion was darn close. With 280 horsepower on tap from the enlarged narrow-angle VR6 channeled through all four wheels, the unassuming Passat was the second most powerful wagon offered on these shores from VAG. Unless you spent another 50% to opt for the Audi S4 V8, this was as quick as U.S. bound German wagons got. Unlike the B5/5.5, the B6 chassis returned to the Golf-based platform, which was both a blessing and a curse. From a performance standpoint the change was a good one, as many of the items intended for the R32 model worked on the Passat now. However, the change to transverse engine placement from the inline Audi setup in the B5/5.5 meant that the “true” quattro drivetrain in the earlier 4Motions was replaced by the Haldex setup found in the R32 and Audi TT. Is this the end of the world? No, not really, and in fact because of this change you can opt to alter the power distribution with aftermarket control units. These 3.6 models were expensive and fully loaded, so they’re somewhat infrequently seen and generally unknown and unappreciated even in the German-specific realm:

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Feature Listing: 1993 Volkswagen Corrado SLC

Feature Listing: 1993 Volkswagen Corrado SLC

Published February 12, 2016 by Carter

We have a tendency to look at older cars through rose-colored glasses. Today, by all accounts, the Corrado SLC is a modern classic – but was it always so? In fact, if we go back to the original tests of the cars, as with most Volkswagen products it wasn’t the fastest, quickest, best turning or braking. It didn’t turn the fastest lap times and yet was usually the most expensive. As such, in comparisons like Car and Driver’s 1992 Sport Coupe comparison, the Corrado finished only mid-pack. But as with other Volkswagen and Audi products, there was an intangible element to the Corrado that made it somehow more appealing than the competition.

By 1992, the supercharged Corrado G60 was underpowered compared to the competition given its relatively high weight. Volkswagen solved the problem with the introduction of the awesome narrow-angle VR6 motor, rated at 178 horsepower and 177 lb.ft of torque. New wheels mimicked the design of the of the outgoing 1991 BBS wheels on the G60, but were subtly different; underneath hid now 5 bolts and a redesigned suspension, brakes and electronic traction control system. Subtle changes were new clear signals and a re-sculpted hood, along with new nomenclature – the VR6 model was now dubbed the SLC. Further changes were rolled out in 1993; a change of wheels again to the more purposeful 15″ x 6.5″ Speedline 5-spoke design was most notable outside, while inside a revised dashboard had mostly new and more upscale switches, dials and gauges. A fair amount of the 1993-1994 Corrado SLCs were shipped fully loaded, now with a price a staggering $10,000 more than the 1990 base price at a lofty $28,000. That meant few sold, but even though by the numbers these Corrados weren’t the best deal, much like the contemporary Porsche 968 the SLC proved more than the sum of its parts. Even a decade ago some like Richard Hammond from Top Gear were declaring the still fairly new Corrado a future classic, but more recently established collector organization Hemmings tipped the Corrado as a great potential collector. Great! Now, where to find a nice one? That’s a larger problem; the Corrado was so expensive that few were sold here, with low thousand numbers in each 1993 and 1994 production which would be the last year of offer in the U.S.. We’ve got quite a great example to feature today, though:

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1992 Volkswagen Corrado SLC 6-speed

1992 Volkswagen Corrado SLC 6-speed

Published January 9, 2016 by Carter

Following up on the 2.0 16V GTi from earlier, the car that perhaps draws wider appeal as the best 1990s Volkswagen product – and, in part, the argument against paying a lot for a late Mk.2 GTi – is the Corrado VR6. As I talked about in the 1990 Corrado write up from the other day, the G60 was a bit down on power and finicky, leaving the GTi as the more desirable choice until 1992 for many. But in 1992, Volkswagen changed the game by introducing the narrow-angle VR6 motor into the sport coupe. Compared to the European-spec model, North American cars were detuned; Europeans enjoyed a 2.9 liter mill with nearly 190 horsepower, while North America made due with about ten less from a 2.8 variant. Subtle upgrades to the exterior made the Corrado look a bit more finished and upscale to match its pricetag. Performance was also where it should have been from the get-go, and the result was the package that many consider one of the best front-drivers ever made:

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1995 Volkswagen Corrado

1995 Volkswagen Corrado

Published December 27, 2015 by Paul

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.

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