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Volkswagen popularized the concept of the hot hatch in the 1970s with the GTI, but they moved the chains in the 1990s when they shoved the newly introduced VR6 engine under the bonnet of the Mk3 GTI. Mazda got the jump on Volkswagen in the six cylinder hatchback game by a few years with their MX-3, having a 1.8 liter V6 as an option. But the GTI VR6 had much more brawn and that famous, baritone exhaust note. This 1997 GTI VR6 for sale in Oregon is a two owner, unmolested car.
Sometimes the most unsuspecting vehicles in the lineup make for the most interesting tuning subjects. The introduction of the VR6 engine in the early 1990s got the enthusiasts’ minds racing, especially when it was dropped under the hood of the Mk3 GTI. Hot hatchbacks would never be the same again. Ever since, the VR6 has found its way into unsuspecting VWs, from Mk1 Golfs to drop top cruisers such as this Mk3 Cabrio for sale from our reader Daniel. Under the hood you’ll find a 2.8 liter VR6 with a shot in the arm by way of a Vortech supercharger and coupled to a limited slip differential.
It’s unfortunate that Volkswagen has held firm in its refusal to bring the Mk3 Scirocco stateside. They feel the GTI is adequate to fill the sports car gap in the US market, last filled by this car the Corrado, since it’s exit from the US market in 1994. The choice for lower priced sports coupes is a bit slim these days, especially if you’re in the market for a German manufactured one. Go back two decades, however, and you’ll arrive at the end of the Corrado production run, which found the newly introduced VR6 engine slotted under the hood. The Corrado SLC, as it was dubbed, solved many of the teething issues inherent in the G-lader supercharged 1.8 liter engine that preceded it. This Corrado with 112,000 miles on the clock is largely original with records stretching back over a decade.
I’ll get this right out of the way: at GCFSB, we don’t like “stanced” cars. Okay, so what is this Cabrio doing here? Well, as we’ve done before, occasionally there are cars worth taking a look at because perhaps they can be saved. This Cabrio is a good case in point; a lower mileage example with a clean VR6 swap, but riding a little too low for most people’s taste. No problem, it’s supported by air, so you can crank it up a bit:
This past week, I wrote up a heavily modded Corrado VR6 that pretty much universally was disliked. As Corrados go, I don’t even feel that car was too extreme, but in the highly individualized world of modified Volkswagens I also get that not everyone like what others have done. That’s why, for the most part, most enthusiasts would like to start with a clean slate; an original example of what drew them to the car in the first place. Today I found two better examples of original (or, mostly original anyway) Corrados, one each in G60 or VR6 form. What’s your flavor? Let’s take a look at the G60 first: