Tuesday 23rd September

Impeccable VW Corrado VR6 for sale

The '90s are cool again; time to fully embrace the fact...

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You might have seen the Honda Prelude is back, and coming to Europe next year. Yes, it’s a little bit tame by two-door standards, but on the other hand, it’s really nice to see actual coupes back in manufacturer lineups. Who knows - the Honda could well spark a renaissance, however unlikely it seems right now. Imagine Alfa Romeo with a GTV back, Nissan with a 200SX, Mazda with an MX-6 and so on. Perhaps even a Probe and a Calibra, too…

No rebirth for the common coupe would be complete without a VW Corrado. Launched way back in 1988 as a replacement for the second Scirocco (which would actually soldier on for a few more years), it really was a high point for the brand in a very good era. The Corrado was solid yet stylish, blessed with a brilliant front-drive chassis and the sort of satisfaction behind the wheel that very few rivals could match. Despite the relative age of the underpinnings, the Corrado was very highly regarded. 

It was the VR6 that really brought the best from the car, though, with the sound and the power to do its sports coupe billing justice. The 2.9 saw the introduction of some Mk3 Golf bits, too, complete with a wider front track to make it look even better. It was a proper flagship that received rave reviews 30-odd years ago. Granted, it was expensive, at £20,000 in 1992. Or almost £45,000 right now. So while almost 100,000 Corrados were made before production wound up in the mid-90s, it’s reckoned only around 3,500 VR6s were sold here. Don’t forget a few of them will be automatic, too.

Three decades later, the number is dwindling, with half as many on the roads as in 2015 and SORN numbers not increasing by the same amount, according to HowManyLeft. So this one is a proper unicorn; unmodified, low mileage, manual, and not rusty. You seldom see Corrados now of any stripe, let alone ones seemingly this good. 

The ad suggests this VR6 has spent most of its life in Devon, with three previous owners since 1994. True, it was laid up for a 15-year period between 2007 and 2022, but crucially in a garage, so the bodywork still looks fantastic. It’s only covered a few hundred miles since then, so there might be some recommissioning in order for those who want to use the VW regularly, though it’s said to come fresh from a specialist checkover. So, in theory, you could just jump in and enjoy. 

Alright, so it’s £20k, or about exactly the same as it would have cost 31 years ago. In this condition - look at the boot floor! - and with fewer than 50,000 miles, it’s perhaps a bit too nice to frequently drive, however tempting the prospect would be. What a car for classic Vee-Dub meets up and down the country, though. And absolutely perfect if VW ever brings the Corrado name back from the dead…

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See the original advert

[Hairymonster]

Gorgeous!

[nismo48]

Crazy money for this.

[BigChiefmuffinAgain]

I remember taking one for a test drive at VW dealer back in the day. It was quite nice, but really not THAT special. Bought a 944 S2 instead. Would probably look to the same again now....

[kambites]

nismo48 said:

Crazy money for this.

Is it? You'd pay more than that for a good Escort XR3i these days and I know which I'd rather have!

[JJJ.]

Fond memories and nice cars too.

[Deerfoot]

Still hold my old Corrado VR6 in high regard.

Would love to have a go in one now to see how it feels. Back in 1997 when I owned it it felt like a revelation.

[Nik Gnashers]

Never really liked these even when they were new.
The rear end is quite tidy, but the front is ugly as hell imo.
Not very sporty, not very practical, not very fast, and not very premium build quality.
I just don't get it at all.
Still, I don't get why the absolute dogshyte XR3i's and RS Turbo's are worth so much either.

[yme402]

That’s strong money for a Corrado.
They were pretty underwhelming to drive from what I can remember, and looked a bit awkward with front end styling that seemed at odds with the rest of the car, and wheels that never seemed to fill the arches.

[Leins]

That s lovely

From memory, the Corrado wasn t a direct replacement of the Scirocco, but instead a slight move upwards to the market segment ftom where the Porsche 924 was about to depart

At the time of launch, the G60 was almost £20k, a 924S was £22k, whereas a Scirocco Scala was less than £12k. Even when the Corrado 16v joined the market a year later it was still the guts of £17k

[fantheman80]

Nik Gnashers said:

Never really liked these even when they were new.
The rear end is quite tidy, but the front is ugly as hell imo.
Not very sporty, not very practical, not very fast, and not very premium build quality.
I just don't get it at all.
.

We are all different, but I disagree with everything you have said. Its still a great looking car, even better lowered with decent aftermarket wheel, and my uncles G60 felt as solid and well built as a tank. Went ok as well with a different pulley and other bits.

[Richard-390a0]

What artists are on the tapes on the passenger side dash shelf & are they included in the sale as this could make or break the deal for me lol! An obviously well cared for vehicle & as someone else said cheap compared to Fords of a similar era.

[MrWideFit]

kambites said:

nismo48 said:

Crazy money for this.

Is it? You'd pay more than that for a good Escort XR3i these days and I know which I'd rather have!

Must be some serious rose tinted glasses to spend that for an old escort with 100 or so bhp, at least the corrado still has some modern performance figures but at the end of the day we all like what we like

[WPA]

Bonkers money, a late model Storm would be a much better option with leather etc

[boozyjay]

Deerfoot said:

Still hold my old Corrado VR6 in high regard.

Would love to have a go in one now to see how it feels. Back in 1997 when I owned it it felt like a revelation.

Unfortunately, you'd be disappointed. I used to own two Corrado's back in the 90's. One was a blackberry VR6 and I loved every minute owning it. About five years ago, I had the opportunity to buy a mint, low mileage (10,000 miles) Corrado VR6 Storm and jumped at the prospect of owning one of my favourite ever cars again. I wish I hadn't bothered as It drove like a dog. The engine was nothing like I remembered, and didn't sound that good, the crisp gearchange was now an awful long throw, the precise steering that I remembered was now heavy and it had an awful driving position. It also felt so underpowered, compared to how I remembered it back in the day, and this was a well looked after, low mileage example.

It dawned on me that this was an old 90's coupe and drove like one. I made my excuses and left, and was absolutely gutted that I would not be buying it.

Some great memories are best left in the past..

Edited by boozyjay on Tuesday 23 September 16:06

Edited by boozyjay on Tuesday 23 September 16:08

[DickyC]

Impeccable
Adjective
Theology
Not liable to sin

What good is that?

[Liberator65]

Beautiful looking thing.Stupid money.Try getting parts for it.No thank you.

[DickyC]

Liberator65 said:

Beautiful looking thing. Stupid money. Try getting parts for it. No thank you.

That's part of the enjoyment of owning old machines. Places you go, people you meet, research you undertake.

[Lotus Driver]

WPA said:

Bonkers money, a late model Storm would be a much better option with leather etc

Cloth Recaro seats and headlamp washers are highly regarded in Corrado circles.

[Taz73]

Looks absolutely stunning, I wasn't originally a fan as I always preferred the Sciroccos looks, but they grew on me, this looks to be worth every penny compared with how much is asked for so many 80s and 90s stuff nowadays.

Someone saying it effectively replaced the 924S? I think I'd go that way if I'm honest, pop ups always win for me, rwd and the slim line body of a 24 over a 44, plus having had a 2.0 924, which I loved, I would happily get another.

[_kitt_]

Crazy money in todays market. I have had 2 Corrados, I regretted buying the second as even after spending a lot of money on it (new suspension, bushes, steering rack and ends, top end refurb, chains, clutch, fuel system etc....) it still drove like a 90s car: rattles, steering "play" in the column, nose heavy, agricultural suspenion setup, certainly at the rear. It wasn't that quick after getting out of a modern diesel. Disappointing in 2024, but I bet in 1995 they were great.