I worked for VAG in the UK from 1988 to 1990 I sold a load of Corrado´s. I called up all my clients who had GTis and went round to see them in the new Corrado. At one point, I was told that I had sold more then another VAG salesman. (That may have just been my sales manager bigging me up) But it ended up with me being nicknamed "The Corrado Kid" They even gave me one to use as my personal demonstrator/company car. I loved the Corrado.
Corrado is a stunning car, timeless design, premier build quality by Karmann Coachbuilders. It only had one major overcoming, it was expensive and it still is.
@Aryan A I preferred the look of my Scirocco. A bit more squared off but I like that look. The larger and more rounded body style just didn't appeal to me.
@@MasterMalrubius I test drove one of the last Sciroccos left on the dealerships and liked it well enough but not enough to sign on the dotted line. I really wanted to love it but just did not click with me. Fast forward about a year and I test drove a brand new Corrado. I took it home and kept it for nearly 7 years. It was more comfortable, rare and incredibly spacious inside. Do I think it's any uglier or prettier than the Scirocco? Not at all, I like the styling on both equally.
A buddy of mine went looking for one about 15 years ago He was quite a fan of the car, being a VW mechanic for 15 years (4 years when this car was released) He told me he had quit looking after about a year By then, what he found was mostly examples that were either totally worn out by young kids that could buy them, but not have the money to maintain them (most commonly the G-laders.. They were somewhat expensive to keep fresh, but in no way as expensive as replacing them because they'd been worn out by not maintaining them) or Corrado fans that kept them in perfect condition, but tried to sell them at higher prices than sold originally
I have never heard of an VW fans ever talk down about the Corrado. Truly a great car at the wrong time. In the early 90’s, my mom wanted to trade in our Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser wood panel wagon, much to my 6yo protests. I had always been a fan of Herbie, so I said if she was gonna trade in “my car” (because I had the whole cargo area of that huge Oldsmobile to myself) then she needed to get a Volkswagen. I lost the argument, and she instead bought a base model, white, 1990 Ford Escort wagon. It looked like a white dog turd, and drove like it looked. No power anything! Not even a tape deck! That was the first time I got so mad at my mom, that I didn’t talk to her for over a week. Luckily, it was a first-year-redesign Ford, so it was in the shop all the time. Even being 6yo, I had mastered my, “your new car breaks down a lot more than our 1983 Oldsmobile, doesn’t it?” face. It would eventually turn into my “I told you so” face. She told me years later that she regretted getting that horrible Escort wagon and said that she should have listened to me and gotten a Volkswagen. I said, “I knew you would regret it.” She always takes me car shopping with her now.
I had one.a white 90’ g60 I found sitting in a field.it had sat for 5 years.I dumped 2 gallons of fresh fuel in it,and it fired right up.the G60 was a good motor,but suffered from bad design of the supercharger,complicated by the complex system of obd1 analog sensors.pushed forward 5 years with modern sensors and a better supercharger,it would have fit in perfectly with the mk3 golf/Jetta era
My dad bought his first new car around 1990, and he and I took the train/ferry to Osnabrück where the Karmann factory is. We were treated to a visit to the museum and saw some of the Corrado's and their trademark VW campers being put together, before OUR Corrado G60 was rolled out, someone still polishing the dark green metallic paint. My dad was like a small child when he was given the keys and we drove off, north on the Autobahn with the sunroof open to catch that evenings ferry to Scandinavia. As a little treat I was given a model Corrado in the same green colour as the real one. Ten years later I bought it off him and drove it in Northern Bavaria, Germany where I was working. My future wife and I would whizz down the Autobahn (yes, north of 125Miles/Hr sometimes..!) to Nürnberg to have dinner and catch an english-speaking film at a cinema there which showed films in the original version. Those were the days.. I got so little for it when we sold it, I wish to this day I'd've kept it. Life's full of regrets.. It was a lovely car to drive, and the thing I remember the most was the wonderful mid-range torque; on the Landstraße there was never a need to use the gearbox; just floor the pedal and it would surge forward to overtake effortlessly. At high revs it sounded a little strained but still went like a bat outta hell. Best car I've ever had.
I always thought that platform and running gear of the Corrado was also from the Passat and not the Golf. I am sure that the dashboard /interior was completely taken from the Passat
@@martinxxxmartin It was, i had both. I had a 88 Passat GT 8v, and a Corrado 16v. They were identical, even the pattern on the wool seats was identical. As for the person above, it was nothing like the Golf dash, Gezzz.
@Siebenstern i live in brazil, here we have a restrict regulation about importing used cars, in theory you can only import them for colection. It has to be 30+ years old and you have a limit of km to drive in a year. (Sorry if my english is not correct, i am trying my best)
@@rarenium2500 the SP2 is indeed a very cool car, but is more comparable to a air cooled porsche And this things are so fucking rare, i have never seen one
The “automatic” seat belts were briefly used in the U.S. by several manufacturers as a temporary substitute for airbags had been mandated by the government.
@@vinnydaq13 My 93 TBird SC. Same thing. Got used to them quickly, and just doing the lap belt was quicker and easier. I kind of missed it when I bought a new car, but having airbags was a bonus. 😁
Correct, it was basically to make things difficult for carmakers so they ended up quickly going to airbags. It wouldn't have been difficult for him to find out the reason behind VW's decision to use them, but I guess there would have been less chances for the "comedy" then.
Erratum: The G-Lader's displacer depth was 60mm, not 60cm. Also, a few people noted that the motorised seat belts were to get around US legislation that required an active safety device, and instead of air bags they introduced these as a stopgap. The whole "wind" vs "sport" naming for the Polo & Golf is contentious. Road & Track says it's winds, German Stern says it's sports. If anyone has a definitive answer from VW, please let me know. www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a24487598/volkswagen-golf-jetta-passat-polo-name-origin/ www.stern.de/auto/service/volkswagen-die-macht-der-namen-3359124.html
Chap, you have another one here (0:14) in the SUBTITLES. I do believe the values for Euros and USD were INVERTED (more or less as of 12/2020 GBP 20K = 22.5 EURO or U$ 27K)... Just want to help here....
In the EU we got the 2.9l (ABV engine code) vr6 (190bhp), in the US they got the 2.8 (AAA engine code) Still a nice story video. Still have my Corrado vr6 after 10 years. Even managed to find a Volkswagen Motorsport VSR intake manifold. (All vr6's were supposed to get that, but it was deemed too expensive)
This car was my 1st car purchase out of college in 1991 in NY. I absolutely loved it and gave me a smile everytime I drove it for the 6 years I owned it. Everytime when I drove it, and without fail, people would race around to give me a thumbs up, or approach me in the parking lot to ask me what type of car it was. That was Fahrvergnügen...😏
@@ys_a1659 It was the only engine available in the US at that time, the 1.8L Supercharged G60. It also came standard with some awesome factory standard BBS Rims. It looked exactly like this, and same color, Tornado Red. www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C512572
Keep it going! Absolutely worth it. I'm owning a 89 G60 since 14 years, and i still love that car! Never had major issues, just repairs due to wear. It has 220.000km on the clock...
When I first saw this car I was wowed. It looked so modern compared to most contemporary designs. Then I heard about its legendary handling. Definitely one of my top 10 dreams cars.
VW enthusiasts love the corrado, but I've never seen the attraction myself. My grandfather had two mk2 VW Sciroccos and they hold a special place in my heart. He got them up to near enough 400,000 miles
They had that covered, it went up before reaching 60 (50 from memory) and didn’t come down until something like 30mph. So loads of wiggle room and reasons it could be up at say just 40mph.
@@jeremyclark7866 Not only that, there's a switch inside so you can put the spoiler up and down to your heart's content (and for the first few weeks after you buy one, that's exactly what you do :D )
They were really expensive back then hence there’s not as many around now I’ve had mine almost 6 years and seems they are creeping back up in value again now
From an article I read from Car & Driver, they said the Scirocco successor was going to have the Vr6 going into explanation of this strange new engine. I took from the g-60, that VW didn’t have the quirks worked out yet on rhe Vr6 when they released the Corrado.
A friend of mine actually has a MKII Storm, brilliant car. He also has a VR6 Corrado. The engine was busted and couldn't be fixed. So now he has a 1.9 TDI Corrado.
Thank you. A car i always admired. Have seen it in the flesh in yellow, red, white, and in this gorgeous vw mauve chocolate brown that suited it so well. Needless to comment that it was outrageously expensive in Greece in the era. It was in dream territory, can not figure who the owners could have been. German quality + not a BMW + big engine + fwd + coupe + taxes relevant to engine size, all these could not fit ensemble. Expensive sports coupe meant alfa or other italian products.
After a string of golf GTIs I had a red 2.9 VR6 corrado with cloth seats. Absolutely loved it. Thanks for putting this video together, very informative and interesting and brought back great memories
Right now i looked up from an old auto magazine from 1990. Corrado price was nine million drachma. Divided with 340 equals 26.500 euro. Price of G60 1.8 litre 160 hp at the time.
@@badgerjim71 That sucks big time. That's a big fear of mine and stay away from busy places when I'm out in it, I hope that lotto winds comes for you mate. Good Luck
The 2.9l VR6 was Europe only, in the US due to emissions regulations we were stuck with the 2.8 for the life of the VR6 engine, up until the R32 was launched.
In-period, the VR6 Corrado was the darling of the British motoring press. It was the benchmark against which all other coupes were measured. Yes it was expensive, but it handled fabulously, was as sharp as any front wheel drive car had any right to be and frequently saw off the competition in any group test. The fact that the Americans didn’t think that much of it and even thought the Ford Probe was better, is well, probably entirely irrelevant.
I had a buddy with a Corrado 20 years ago. He would race up and down neighborhoods and had a huge smile on his face each time. I loved the look of the car, and always wanted to get one.
I want one of these for the Calibra. When I was a kid The Corrado and The Calibra were the coolest cars around. They were not new by any means 15 years ago, but the designs of these 2 in particular was so captivating for me.
Weird. Usually 2.8 litres is chosen to avoid draconian European laws that tax engines based on displacement (where above 2.8 litres was taxed much higher).
@@seshelbow336 There was also a 2.9 VR6 version Golf with Syncro AWD. At least in Germany and Austria. I don‘t know if you guys in the UK had that one too 😉
Regarding the automatic seatbelts on the US market, this is because US laws at the time mandated a "passive restraint" system in new cars sold. This was meant to be airbags, but automatic seatbelts were allowed as a lower cost alternative. By the late 90's, this ~~loophole~~ legislative compromise solution was closed.
I'm here in the US and wanted to get a Corrado SLC but it's difficult to find a clean and mostly stock version at a decent price. I ended up getting the next best thing (IMHO): A fairly clean and totally original 2005 Audi TT 3.2 Quattro. Oh, that VR6 sound!
Another great, well researched video, thanks. Surprisingly I have never owned or even driven a VW in my long driving life, maybe it should be on my personal list of cars to drive "Before I die".
When the g60 came out it was lhd only and one of the car magazines in the U.K. had a yellow one on test and a person in his street had one aswell The only 2 lhd yellow cars in the U.K. in the same street My cousin had a 2.9 and it was a fantastic car to drive, nice looking aswell imho
In Canada. When I was 10 I seen the Corrado for the first time, it was a G60,..a few years later came the 172hp vr6 12v, the vr6 24v. I was in love but never was able to afford one. If this car went on sale today I would buy it. Now We have a 2018 Golf R,..vw is in my blood,..i had a 87 jetta, 90 jetta 93 gti, 2015 golf, 2017 gti, and now 2018 golf r. That corrado is so beautiful.
Great video. Yet, a supercharger doesn´t have the turbolag, it started spooling up already way down in the revs. Plus the sound is amazing if you take out the plastic pipe in the airfilter. I drive a VR6 now...............I will always love these cars.
I got to ride in a new Carrado VR6 in 1993. It felt very...German. Hard seats. Rough ride. It was quick though and the boxy shape had a certain appeal to it. I think there were sexier and more interesting competitors though, like the Prelude and Talon. The Japanese were on top of their game at the time. VW is a small niche brand in the US and I honestly haven't seen a Corrado on the roads in at least a decade.
I lucked into a great deal on a used G60 in '92 and drove it way too fast all over the Midwest. When we had kids I traded it for a SAAB 900 Turbo - guess I like cars from the Island of Misfit Toys. Anyway, in addition to being quick and nimble, the Corrado was quite comfortable. The back seat was pretty useless for passengers but with the seats folded down I could get my whole drum kit in the thing.
Great vid! I used to own one (wish I still had it). A few additional random points: 1) In the US market, the name sounded too much like Corrode. And despite the added rustproofing, this was a subliminal reminder of past VW issues. 2) In the US aftermarket, a smaller G60 pulley and ECU chip could be had for $150. It bumped power by 50 extra hp, which massively transformed the car. 3) There was relatively little marketing done for the car here. And it was still about $5k more 20 years ago than what I’ve paid for new daily driver coupes today.
I drive a G 60 sinc May 91.It took me to half of europe,mostly Britain and a lot of driving on the GDR motorways.The best car I ever owned,a true Karmann.More aegile than the VR6 and not much slower consuming 8,7 ltrs/100 km on average..No problems in 317000 km,only the drivers door handle had to be replaced.Even on it`s last tour to britain with me,GF and some luggage it ran in the rev limiter between Dunkirk and Calais.(Of course at night).Nobody wanted to buy it with more than 280000 km on the clock,so I kept it until today.Truely a beast.
I’ve had my Corrado 6 years now and still love it. I’m currently half way through a restore awesome car to drive I have no issue chasing much newer hot hatches on windy roads
I had always wondered where the Corrado went ....I had been driving an 82 Scirocco and looking to upgrade when the Corrado came out. I test drove a red with black leather model which I really liked. Eventually i went for a really nice used white 16v Scirocco for a way less money which I drove for about 10 years afterward, it was a great decision. I still have the Corrado brochure from the dealership though ! Thanks for the video I really enjoyed it.
Had a 1993 2.8L for 7 years. Still regret selling it. It was one of the cars I have not lost any money on sold it for more then I bought it for. Only reason I sold it is I needed 4 doors. Driving 3 series ever since. That was in 2001. This car brought me through college my first job. Landed me my wife. Will own one again.
I turned 16 in ‘96. I went looking for cars and a used dealership in my town had a metallic green Corrado VR6 with black leather. They looked so good in person. 🤤
'Scirocco' - beautifully pronounced in this post! I crabbed at you about the See sound (not Shee) in its titular episode, so I owe you the honour of praising that change.
I wanted a Corrado G60 sooooo bad, but high prices and limited availability made it impossible. I had a coworker who owned one with an aftermarket supercharger and a chipped ecu...that car was a beast. The motorized belt was a stopgap to meet US knee-jerk "passive restraint" requirements until airbags became ubiquitous...because we in the US couldn't be trusted to buckle our seat belts.
i had three Corrado. the Corrado 2.9 VR6 remains, after thirty years, the best car I've ever owned and even the best I've been able to test (and i had or tested many sport cars)
Finance boss at my old company in the 90s had the VR6. Always wanted one as I thought the styling was very cool. I still like them today although you don’t see hardly any around now. Stay safe fella!
I've owned 3 G60s. First one was crashed into, second burst into flames and the third I had to sell due to me moving country. I also put a 1.8t 225 into it and mated it with a mk3 diesel gearbox. OEM ecu and harness and was remapped over 300 hp/300 torque and could fo 170 mph. It was a handful, I loved it
Another great Big Car vid! I was in my early-mid 20s when I fell in love with Corrado in about '93-'94. I went to the VW apothecary and found myself in sticker shock. Ended up with a used '93 Stealth which I also loved and drove a good 10 years with zero issues. I never equated Corrado with Golf. I figured yes they were closely related but it's not like I shopped [boring] Golf instead. My co-worker from that time bought a used Corrado and loved it. I do remember it had a lot of $$$ mechanical issues, though. Still, what a beautiful ride, looks great even 30 years on!
My wife’s parents have a 24v Vr6 Winnebago Rialto. The huge truck muffler that Winnebago installs on that’s RVs make them sound insane. Line a performance exhaust on a Golf. Sounds like Chewbacca.
@@robv1139 I liked all of them inc Celica. What I meant was loved that decade for affordable coupes. PS Corrado’s worth a hella lot more than the aforementioned these days.
I've come close, but never pulled the trigger. The Corrado is the red headed stepchild of VW world. They don't share a lot of parts with other models of the time. That tends to make parts more expensive and a little harder to find. They are really fun to drive and more upscale then your typical VW. Personally video and pictures don't do it any favors, but in person it's a good looking car.
I am proud to say i have owned a 16v corrado, and it was a genuinely great car to own. Such great handling and such a confident drive in the snow. Would i buy another one......yes
I started buying/leasing VWs in 1990. I started with a 90 Fox and 2 years later moved to a Jetta. I REALLY wanted a Corrado VR6, but I was always a bit hesitant because of the price and my income was still low at the company I worked. Had it been available several years later, I would have had one! Would still love to fine one in relatively sound condition, though most I see for sale online are not in very good shape. It's was a lot of fun to drive the couple of times I did a test drive.
I was in my early 20s when the Corrado was released in the U.S. I test drove a VR6 model and loved it! Unfortunately, the salesman trusted the fuel gauge too much and we ran out of gasoline about a half mile from the dealership. That gave me the excuse to walk away before we talked numbers. The car was expensive!! And, I was happy with my 1986 Mustang GT 5.0 5 speed.
I had one for years but.. the insurance in Germany was so high for this car, 3.500 DM Deutsche Mark in one year... with a bloody heart I sold him after 4 beloved years of driving. It was one of my dream cars when I was young and... I realized this dream! Fantastic speed, very low consume of gasoline, good performance. There was a little bump in the A 5 highway from Karlsruhe to Baden-Baden which I drives often in this time. When you had before so around 190 km on the Speedometer you ar able to make a little jump 😎👍with the Corrado.Top speed was 220 km on the highway, and his abilities to takeover are incredible for this time. I loved it so much but the insurance was to costly.
The bonnet curve, that was mirrored in the rear flanks of the car, is to my opinion a sculpture in metal. Very subtle and toned down, germanic, a lot more discrete that it could have been. It is clearly explained in the video. The car had potential that was not exploited, the public did not react, poor sales. Thank you for the video.
I've been watching your videos for a while (and thoroughly enjoy them btw!) and they now come up regularly on my home YT page, and to my sheer disgust, I realised I hadn't subscribed, I can only apologise!
That's fine. I'm increasingly wondering if it matters - as I get notifications for channels I haven't subscribed to, and don't get notifications for channels I have subscribed to. UA-cam is a law to itself!
I owned a 1990 Corrado. The G60 wasn't a powerhouse, but it was a great engine that loved to run. I remember driving at 130mph miles on end on a road trip once and it never hiccuped. The best part of the car was the handling. It was a sweet handler and a real joy to drive. It even had that VW characteristic of lifting the rear inside wheel in a turn.
VR6 stands for “verkürzter Reihensechszylinder“ (please not „Reinen“) which means shortened inline six cylinder. It is said that the G60 was much stronger but the power had to be put down because there was a company wide decision to make use of an engine with bigger volume and more cylinders - VR6. Chip tuning and other tuning kits were famous for the G-Lader engines. VW also had a G40 Polo and a G90 somewhere. I never understood why VW tried to place this hatchback model as a Coupé. This just doesn’t make sense especially if you are the manufacturer of the state of the art hatchback class defining Golf.
Wanted a Corrado as a kid in the 90s, was a dream car for me. At 43, I finally have a 90 g60. It's broken a lot, but I still love it.
They used to be some damn cheap not too long ago.
We had a guy in our club who had a G60. He had a front plate that said, "Grenade".
@@MasterMalrubius mine granaded itself last November. I'm still gathering things for a VR swap. It'll be road ready one day.
I have a 92 Corrado VR6 & absolutely love my car. It’s the weekend car.
G is for grenade 60 is 6000 and is what the Tach says when the charger does it.
Although, I did have the party pulley on it.
I worked for VAG in the UK from 1988 to 1990
I sold a load of Corrado´s. I called up all my clients who had GTis and went round to see them in the new Corrado.
At one point, I was told that I had sold more then another VAG salesman. (That may have just been my sales manager bigging me up) But it ended up with me being nicknamed "The Corrado Kid" They even gave me one to use as my personal demonstrator/company car.
I loved the Corrado.
Ha ha, that’s my eBay name, chosen by a colleague back in 2001 when I bought my VR6 Storm, which I still have, now in Australia with me 😊
Corrado is a stunning car, timeless design, premier build quality by Karmann Coachbuilders. It only had one major overcoming, it was expensive and it still is.
And it was ugly and wasn't a Scirocco.
@Aryan A I preferred the look of my Scirocco. A bit more squared off but I like that look. The larger and more rounded body style just didn't appeal to me.
@@MasterMalrubius I test drove one of the last Sciroccos left on the dealerships and liked it well enough but not enough to sign on the dotted line. I really wanted to love it but just did not click with me. Fast forward about a year and I test drove a brand new Corrado. I took it home and kept it for nearly 7 years. It was more comfortable, rare and incredibly spacious inside. Do I think it's any uglier or prettier than the Scirocco? Not at all, I like the styling on both equally.
A buddy of mine went looking for one about 15 years ago
He was quite a fan of the car, being a VW mechanic for 15 years (4 years when this car was released)
He told me he had quit looking after about a year
By then, what he found was mostly examples that were either totally worn out by young kids that could buy them, but not have the money to maintain them
(most commonly the G-laders.. They were somewhat expensive to keep fresh, but in no way as expensive as replacing them because they'd been worn out by not maintaining them)
or Corrado fans that kept them in perfect condition, but tried to sell them at higher prices than sold originally
Really? I thought it would be cheap as a GTI?
Drove mine as a daily for 13 years and loved every minute. 1 car I will always miss.
I have never heard of an VW fans ever talk down about the Corrado. Truly a great car at the wrong time.
In the early 90’s, my mom wanted to trade in our Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser wood panel wagon, much to my 6yo protests. I had always been a fan of Herbie, so I said if she was gonna trade in “my car” (because I had the whole cargo area of that huge Oldsmobile to myself) then she needed to get a Volkswagen.
I lost the argument, and she instead bought a base model, white, 1990 Ford Escort wagon. It looked like a white dog turd, and drove like it looked. No power anything! Not even a tape deck! That was the first time I got so mad at my mom, that I didn’t talk to her for over a week. Luckily, it was a first-year-redesign Ford, so it was in the shop all the time. Even being 6yo, I had mastered my, “your new car breaks down a lot more than our 1983 Oldsmobile, doesn’t it?” face. It would eventually turn into my “I told you so” face.
She told me years later that she regretted getting that horrible Escort wagon and said that she should have listened to me and gotten a Volkswagen. I said, “I knew you would regret it.”
She always takes me car shopping with her now.
Being VW fans they wouldn't talk it down, would they?
I had one.a white 90’ g60 I found sitting in a field.it had sat for 5 years.I dumped 2 gallons of fresh fuel in it,and it fired right up.the G60 was a good motor,but suffered from bad design of the supercharger,complicated by the complex system of obd1 analog sensors.pushed forward 5 years with modern sensors and a better supercharger,it would have fit in perfectly with the mk3 golf/Jetta era
Too bad she didn't buy a 1991 escort GT
127hp 1.8, 5 speed, Mazda chassis
The 90 with the cvh was a totally different animal
@@robv1139 Objective fans of any group do; see it frequently from enthusiasts of other makers.
My dad bought his first new car around 1990, and he and I took the train/ferry to Osnabrück where the Karmann factory is. We were treated to a visit to the museum and saw some of the Corrado's and their trademark VW campers being put together, before OUR Corrado G60 was rolled out, someone still polishing the dark green metallic paint. My dad was like a small child when he was given the keys and we drove off, north on the Autobahn with the sunroof open to catch that evenings ferry to Scandinavia. As a little treat I was given a model Corrado in the same green colour as the real one. Ten years later I bought it off him and drove it in Northern Bavaria, Germany where I was working. My future wife and I would whizz down the Autobahn (yes, north of 125Miles/Hr sometimes..!) to Nürnberg to have dinner and catch an english-speaking film at a cinema there which showed films in the original version. Those were the days.. I got so little for it when we sold it, I wish to this day I'd've kept it. Life's full of regrets.. It was a lovely car to drive, and the thing I remember the most was the wonderful mid-range torque; on the Landstraße there was never a need to use the gearbox; just floor the pedal and it would surge forward to overtake effortlessly. At high revs it sounded a little strained but still went like a bat outta hell. Best car I've ever had.
As a Lancia owner, I appreciate the effort in pronouncing it correctly. Well done.
As you can see in the bloopers, I do try to get it right!
@@BigCar2 when talking about cars, knowing some italian is a must hehe
The starter car of the very first installment of the forza horizon series
Really? I don't remember
Still have mine.
Was in love with it since I first played it as a kid. Yeah I'm a zoomer.
for me its from the *Juiced Eliminator* PSP Game
The Corrado's interior was actually from the Passat of that era, namely the Passat GT.
And the B4 passat too
I always thought that platform and running gear of the Corrado was also from the Passat and not the Golf.
I am sure that the dashboard /interior was completely taken from the Passat
@@martinxxxmartin Yes Martin it was exactly the same as the 1990 GT estate I had at that time
The heating / ventilation system was taken from the Golf mk3
@@martinxxxmartin It was, i had both. I had a 88 Passat GT 8v, and a Corrado 16v. They were identical, even the pattern on the wool seats was identical. As for the person above, it was nothing like the Golf dash, Gezzz.
The Corrado is still one of the most beautiful cars ever designed. I just wished they sold it in South Africa
same here, i would've loved to drive this, but SA doesn't sell it :/
I live in south america so i understand you, no cool car ever got to be sold here
@Siebenstern i live in brazil, here we have a restrict regulation about importing used cars, in theory you can only import them for colection. It has to be 30+ years old and you have a limit of km to drive in a year.
(Sorry if my english is not correct, i am trying my best)
@@matheus_ps You already have it in brazil, but its called Volkswagen SP2 ;)
@@rarenium2500 the SP2 is indeed a very cool car, but is more comparable to a air cooled porsche
And this things are so fucking rare, i have never seen one
The “automatic” seat belts were briefly used in the U.S. by several manufacturers as a temporary substitute for airbags had been mandated by the government.
Yes an OEM needed to make cars with airbags or motorized belts.
I had these belts in my 1991 Thunderbird. I rather enjoyed them.
@@vinnydaq13 My 93 TBird SC. Same thing. Got used to them quickly, and just doing the lap belt was quicker and easier. I kind of missed it when I bought a new car, but having airbags was a bonus. 😁
Correct, it was basically to make things difficult for carmakers so they ended up quickly going to airbags. It wouldn't have been difficult for him to find out the reason behind VW's decision to use them, but I guess there would have been less chances for the "comedy" then.
Yes. And that shows that BigCar here lacks a lot of knowledge for a "car guy". 😒
I've always thought the Corrado was a fantastic looking car. Especially the VR6 model.
funnily enough, theres an episode on wheeler dealers dedicated to the VR6
Erratum: The G-Lader's displacer depth was 60mm, not 60cm.
Also, a few people noted that the motorised seat belts were to get around US legislation that required an active safety device, and instead of air bags they introduced these as a stopgap.
The whole "wind" vs "sport" naming for the Polo & Golf is contentious. Road & Track says it's winds, German Stern says it's sports. If anyone has a definitive answer from VW, please let me know.
www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a24487598/volkswagen-golf-jetta-passat-polo-name-origin/
www.stern.de/auto/service/volkswagen-die-macht-der-namen-3359124.html
Chap, you have another one here (0:14) in the SUBTITLES. I do believe the values for Euros and USD were INVERTED (more or less as of 12/2020 GBP 20K = 22.5 EURO or U$ 27K)...
Just want to help here....
Also, only the plebs got the 2.8 VR6 :P
@@syxepop Thanks - I made the correction.
In the EU we got the 2.9l (ABV engine code) vr6 (190bhp), in the US they got the 2.8 (AAA engine code)
Still a nice story video. Still have my Corrado vr6 after 10 years.
Even managed to find a Volkswagen Motorsport VSR intake manifold. (All vr6's were supposed to get that, but it was deemed too expensive)
@Billy Beheler Thanks Billy!
Unpopular opinion here but I would love to have that breadvan corrado thing!
It would be perfect for your wieś and you could transport worki z ziemniakami.
Quite the Volvo wagon look. And I love it. Boxy is Foxy.
Me too, those AUDI 100 taillights are fabulous !
Me too, I liked it . Maybe that was my Volvo nostalgia shining through again?
There’s one currently for sale for 50,000$ it’s one of 2
Let’s admit it: Today, we ALL want one.
No, not really. Sorry. I am not into VW, so yeah.
I have one, currently swapping a 3.2 VR6
I have a stock VR6 in pretty good shape...and well I want another one. :D
No I don't. The Corrado is an ugly duckling. I like the Scirocco both old and new .
@@shaunw9270 No it is not.
Worked alongside a mechanic who owned a Silver Corrado SLC w/ black interior. Thing was fire for sure!
Got my very own Corrado G60 in the garage. Just rebuilt my engine and g-lader. A proper drivers car.
Same here. Rebuilt the original 8v and g60! Can’t wait until spring/summer to drive mine. Drive save and spoilers up!
This car was my 1st car purchase out of college in 1991 in NY. I absolutely loved it and gave me a smile everytime I drove it for the 6 years I owned it. Everytime when I drove it, and without fail, people would race around to give me a thumbs up, or approach me in the parking lot to ask me what type of car it was. That was Fahrvergnügen...😏
Which engine option did yours have?
@@ys_a1659 It was the only engine available in the US at that time, the 1.8L Supercharged G60. It also came standard with some awesome factory standard BBS Rims. It looked exactly like this, and same color, Tornado Red. www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C512572
Bought a g60 corrado two years ago as my first car and ive been slowing fixing every on it! Has 112000 miles on it. My dream car
Keep it going!
Absolutely worth it.
I'm owning a 89 G60 since 14 years, and i still love that car!
Never had major issues, just repairs due to wear.
It has 220.000km on the clock...
When I first saw this car I was wowed. It looked so modern compared to most contemporary designs. Then I heard about its legendary handling. Definitely one of my top 10 dreams cars.
VW enthusiasts love the corrado, but I've never seen the attraction myself. My grandfather had two mk2 VW Sciroccos and they hold a special place in my heart. He got them up to near enough 400,000 miles
Corrado owner;”why did you stopped me officer?”
Policemen;” your spoiler was deployed, no more questions, goddamn street racers”
They had that covered, it went up before reaching 60 (50 from memory) and didn’t come down until something like 30mph. So loads of wiggle room and reasons it could be up at say just 40mph.
@@jeremyclark7866 Not only that, there's a switch inside so you can put the spoiler up and down to your heart's content (and for the first few weeks after you buy one, that's exactly what you do :D )
One of the best loved VWs
Nice man Putting 4 wheel drive in my Corrado G60 1992 Like the car so much I imported it to Australia 11 years ago with me and the family.
Great video. I was a massive Corrado fan until I watched this though; I never knew they were so over priced.
They were really expensive back then hence there’s not as many around now I’ve had mine almost 6 years and seems they are creeping back up in value again now
From an article I read from Car & Driver, they said the Scirocco successor was going to have the Vr6 going into explanation of this strange new engine. I took from the g-60, that VW didn’t have the quirks worked out yet on rhe Vr6 when they released the Corrado.
My favourite car of all time! Didn't expect to see a video of it pop up in my notifications, can't wait to watch it!
A friend of mine actually has a MKII Storm, brilliant car.
He also has a VR6 Corrado. The engine was busted and couldn't be fixed. So now he has a 1.9 TDI Corrado.
Thank you. A car i always admired. Have seen it in the flesh in yellow, red, white, and in this gorgeous vw mauve chocolate brown that suited it so well. Needless to comment that it was outrageously expensive in Greece in the era. It was in dream territory, can not figure who the owners could have been. German quality + not a BMW + big engine + fwd + coupe + taxes relevant to engine size, all these could not fit ensemble. Expensive sports coupe meant alfa or other italian products.
I've always liked that car. I actually had the chance once to drive a VR6 model, and it didn't disappoint.
Thank you for listening to me and making the vw corrado story. Very interesting video (even with some questionable Honda footage thrown in there too )
I had a mk2 Scirocco GT, loved it..
Loved it also.
Probably saved my life when I was shunted as it was so solidly built ... 'you should see the other guy' applied !
After a string of golf GTIs I had a red 2.9 VR6 corrado with cloth seats. Absolutely loved it. Thanks for putting this video together, very informative and interesting and brought back great memories
Drove one in Germany about 15 years ago, was a fine car. Never saw them here in Australia.
Right now i looked up from an old auto magazine from 1990. Corrado price was nine million drachma. Divided with 340 equals 26.500 euro. Price of G60 1.8 litre 160 hp at the time.
As a college kid getting this as my first car in 1993 (89 G60), it was an absolute joy. So much so that I've since used it as my nick 😂
I own a G60 and I smile every time I think about (when it's not broken)
I hear you man, fellow G60 owner here
15 years since I lost my G60 and still miss it. Had a late 92 one with the 3 spoke steering wheel in dragon green. Cracking car to drive,
@@badgerjim71 Sorry to hear that mate. I know the feeling with my MKI GTi that I should never have sold.
@@beendoneagain someone arse-ended me and wrote it off. If I win the lottery Im having another, and a Mk II 16v in Oak Green. One day Rodney.....:-D
@@badgerjim71 That sucks big time. That's a big fear of mine and stay away from busy places when I'm out in it, I hope that lotto winds comes for you mate. Good Luck
The 2.9l VR6 was Europe only, in the US due to emissions regulations we were stuck with the 2.8 for the life of the VR6 engine, up until the R32 was launched.
In-period, the VR6 Corrado was the darling of the British motoring press. It was the benchmark against which all other coupes were measured.
Yes it was expensive, but it handled fabulously, was as sharp as any front wheel drive car had any right to be and frequently saw off the competition in any group test.
The fact that the Americans didn’t think that much of it and even thought the Ford Probe was better, is well, probably entirely irrelevant.
I had a buddy with a Corrado 20 years ago. He would race up and down neighborhoods and had a huge smile on his face each time. I loved the look of the car, and always wanted to get one.
I want one of these for the Calibra. When I was a kid The Corrado and The Calibra were the coolest cars around. They were not new by any means 15 years ago, but the designs of these 2 in particular was so captivating for me.
Corrado VR6...one word....a beauty...!!!
I think that was the one car mags called the "Pocket Rocket" here in the States.
'One word...a beauty.' Er... maths was something that just happened to other people, wasn't it?
I owned a 92 VR6 Corrado. Loved the car and miss it.
Great video, however the VR6 is only 2.8 in USA & Canada. In Europe it's a 2.9 (190bhp)
Weird. Usually 2.8 litres is chosen to avoid draconian European laws that tax engines based on displacement (where above 2.8 litres was taxed much higher).
In the UK the Golf had the 2.8 and Corrado the 2.9
@@seshelbow336 There was also a 2.9 VR6 version Golf with Syncro AWD. At least in Germany and Austria. I don‘t know if you guys in the UK had that one too 😉
@@schonski7260 No and still salty about it!
@@MasterMalrubius I totally understand that pal!
My favorite car when I was little. Wish they still made these!
Regarding the automatic seatbelts on the US market, this is because US laws at the time mandated a "passive restraint" system in new cars sold. This was meant to be airbags, but automatic seatbelts were allowed as a lower cost alternative. By the late 90's, this ~~loophole~~ legislative compromise solution was closed.
Thanks - very interesting!
I'm here in the US and wanted to get a Corrado SLC but it's difficult to find a clean and mostly stock version at a decent price. I ended up getting the next best thing (IMHO): A fairly clean and totally original 2005 Audi TT 3.2 Quattro. Oh, that VR6 sound!
I drove the last RHD Storm produced on part of it's road trip back to the Wolfsburg museum, beautiful car
The vr6 was a 2.9 Liter with 192hp. Enginecode ABV.
@@clintl1672 the Vr6 was in the Vito van. There are lots of Variante of the VR engines. But in the Corrado it was the 2.9 and not the 2.8.
@@clintl1672 ok. Never expected the 2.8 in Big Block Country. Thanks.
@@clintl1672 yes because the 2.9 needs at least 98 octane fuel. The 2.8 can run with 95 octane.
@@clintl1672 thanks you.
@@clintl1672 yes, the V5 was basically a VR6 with a cylinder taken off.
I bought a lightly used 93 Corrado SLC toward the end of 1993. To this day, it's still the most favorite car I've owned (probably will ever own)
Another great, well researched video, thanks. Surprisingly I have never owned or even driven a VW in my long driving life, maybe it should be on my personal list of cars to drive "Before I die".
Trying something new (so long as it's not destructive!) is always a good idea.
I loved these as a kid in the 90s and even as a teenager in the early 2000s, owning one was a dream I never realized :(
Having owned a breadvan Polo GT years ago I sadly quite like the look of that Corrado “estate”
I actually love the Polo breadvan look - and I wanted one in the 80s! But I'm not sure it worked as a sports car.
@@BigCar2 my H reg GT was great fun.
@@BigCar2 My first car was a 1991 Polo Breadvan Fox-Line in Caribbean Green...
When the g60 came out it was lhd only and one of the car magazines in the U.K. had a yellow one on test and a person in his street had one aswell
The only 2 lhd yellow cars in the U.K. in the same street
My cousin had a 2.9 and it was a fantastic car to drive, nice looking aswell imho
as usual for this channel - very high quality content!
Except for the old VW style door handles, everything in this car looks amazing.
In Canada. When I was 10 I seen the Corrado for the first time, it was a G60,..a few years later came the 172hp vr6 12v, the vr6 24v. I was in love but never was able to afford one. If this car went on sale today I would buy it. Now We have a 2018 Golf R,..vw is in my blood,..i had a 87 jetta, 90 jetta 93 gti, 2015 golf, 2017 gti, and now 2018 golf r. That corrado is so beautiful.
Great video. Yet, a supercharger doesn´t have the turbolag, it started spooling up already way down in the revs. Plus the sound is amazing if you take out the plastic pipe in the airfilter. I drive a VR6 now...............I will always love these cars.
I got to ride in a new Carrado VR6 in 1993. It felt very...German. Hard seats. Rough ride. It was quick though and the boxy shape had a certain appeal to it. I think there were sexier and more interesting competitors though, like the Prelude and Talon. The Japanese were on top of their game at the time. VW is a small niche brand in the US and I honestly haven't seen a Corrado on the roads in at least a decade.
I lucked into a great deal on a used G60 in '92 and drove it way too fast all over the Midwest. When we had kids I traded it for a SAAB 900 Turbo - guess I like cars from the Island of Misfit Toys. Anyway, in addition to being quick and nimble, the Corrado was quite comfortable. The back seat was pretty useless for passengers but with the seats folded down I could get my whole drum kit in the thing.
Excellent content as usual! Keep up the fantastic job
I remember seeing these cruising the strip during High school in the 90s. I'd prefer a Mk1 Scirocco S personally.
Great vid! I used to own one (wish I still had it). A few additional random points:
1) In the US market, the name sounded too much like Corrode. And despite the added rustproofing, this was a subliminal reminder of past VW issues.
2) In the US aftermarket, a smaller G60 pulley and ECU chip could be had for $150. It bumped power by 50 extra hp, which massively transformed the car.
3) There was relatively little marketing done for the car here. And it was still about $5k more 20 years ago than what I’ve paid for new daily driver coupes today.
I drive a G 60 sinc May 91.It took me to half of europe,mostly Britain and a lot of driving on the GDR motorways.The best car I ever owned,a true Karmann.More aegile than the VR6 and not much slower consuming 8,7 ltrs/100 km on average..No problems in 317000 km,only the drivers door handle had to be replaced.Even on it`s last tour to britain with me,GF and some luggage it ran in the rev limiter between Dunkirk and Calais.(Of course at night).Nobody wanted to buy it with more than 280000 km on the clock,so I kept it until today.Truely a beast.
Thank you for the DACIA video, greetings from Romania(I actually live 25 km from Dacia Factory)
Glad you liked it. I've had lots of great comments from Romanians who liked it, and I was worried it would be inaccurate.
@@BigCar2 well as a Yorkshire man I enjoyed it equally as much
Fantastic value for money here in the UK. :)
Started with VW and Audi in 88, loved the Corrado and went on the VR6 Course. So glad i did as the VR6 is still on the go
I’ve had my Corrado 6 years now and still love it. I’m currently half way through a restore awesome car to drive I have no issue chasing much newer hot hatches on windy roads
The automatic belt was mandated by law in the early days of airbags. Manufacturers had a choice of auto belt or airbag for a couple of years .
I had always wondered where the Corrado went ....I had been driving an 82 Scirocco and looking to upgrade when the Corrado came out. I test drove a red with black leather model which I really liked. Eventually i went for a really nice used white 16v Scirocco for a way less money which I drove for about 10 years afterward, it was a great decision. I still have the Corrado brochure from the dealership though ! Thanks for the video I really enjoyed it.
that boxy wagon concept looks so good, may as well put a VR6 on it if they didn't plan to produce it anyway
Had a 1993 2.8L for 7 years. Still regret selling it. It was one of the cars I have not lost any money on sold it for more then I bought it for. Only reason I sold it is I needed 4 doors. Driving 3 series ever since. That was in 2001. This car brought me through college my first job. Landed me my wife. Will own one again.
I once drove a friend's Corrado, and I was in love! Too bad that I was broke at the time, or else I would have been in the showroom that afternoon!
lovely looking car. Great work as always, thanks.
I turned 16 in ‘96. I went looking for cars and a used dealership in my town had a metallic green Corrado VR6 with black leather. They looked so good in person. 🤤
I was waiting for this story. I had several mkII Sciroccos (8 and 16v) inc one 82 factory Callaway, but always wanted a VR6 Corrado.
'Scirocco' - beautifully pronounced in this post! I crabbed at you about the See sound (not Shee) in its titular episode, so I owe you the honour of praising that change.
I wanted a Corrado G60 sooooo bad, but high prices and limited availability made it impossible. I had a coworker who owned one with an aftermarket supercharger and a chipped ecu...that car was a beast. The motorized belt was a stopgap to meet US knee-jerk "passive restraint" requirements until airbags became ubiquitous...because we in the US couldn't be trusted to buckle our seat belts.
i had three Corrado. the Corrado 2.9 VR6 remains, after thirty years, the best car I've ever owned and even the best I've been able to test (and i had or tested many sport cars)
Finance boss at my old company in the 90s had the VR6. Always wanted one as I thought the styling was very cool. I still like them today although you don’t see hardly any around now. Stay safe fella!
I've owned 3 G60s. First one was crashed into, second burst into flames and the third I had to sell due to me moving country. I also put a 1.8t 225 into it and mated it with a mk3 diesel gearbox. OEM ecu and harness and was remapped over 300 hp/300 torque and could fo 170 mph. It was a handful, I loved it
Another great Big Car vid! I was in my early-mid 20s when I fell in love with Corrado in about '93-'94. I went to the VW apothecary and found myself in sticker shock. Ended up with a used '93 Stealth which I also loved and drove a good 10 years with zero issues. I never equated Corrado with Golf. I figured yes they were closely related but it's not like I shopped [boring] Golf instead. My co-worker from that time bought a used Corrado and loved it. I do remember it had a lot of $$$ mechanical issues, though. Still, what a beautiful ride, looks great even 30 years on!
Cool video, enjoy these kind of videos that cover details and reasonings behind designs/decisions more than just drag races.
My wife’s parents have a 24v Vr6 Winnebago Rialto. The huge truck muffler that Winnebago installs on that’s RVs make them sound insane. Line a performance exhaust on a Golf. Sounds like Chewbacca.
Such a beautiful car. I’d love a red VR6 one.
All the Forza memories.
Oh mate I loved the Corrado styling, in the time of the prelude , mx6 and the Calibra
Worst looking out of them all in my opinion. Sorry.
@@robv1139 No sorry, good taste is nor for everybody...👈
@@vwgolf499 Might of have been a good comeback if you had only checked your spelling. Anyway it's not really a large coupe really is it?
@@robv1139 I liked all of them inc Celica. What I meant was loved that decade for affordable coupes. PS Corrado’s worth a hella lot more than the aforementioned these days.
@@robv1139 really really? 😜
I've come close, but never pulled the trigger. The Corrado is the red headed stepchild of VW world. They don't share a lot of parts with other models of the time. That tends to make parts more expensive and a little harder to find. They are really fun to drive and more upscale then your typical VW. Personally video and pictures don't do it any favors, but in person it's a good looking car.
i bought a new one in 90. I loved it and wish I still had one. It was awesome!
I am proud to say i have owned a 16v corrado, and it was a genuinely great car to own. Such great handling and such a confident drive in the snow. Would i buy another one......yes
I started buying/leasing VWs in 1990. I started with a 90 Fox and 2 years later moved to a Jetta. I REALLY wanted a Corrado VR6, but I was always a bit hesitant because of the price and my income was still low at the company I worked. Had it been available several years later, I would have had one! Would still love to fine one in relatively sound condition, though most I see for sale online are not in very good shape. It's was a lot of fun to drive the couple of times I did a test drive.
I was in my early 20s when the Corrado was released in the U.S. I test drove a VR6 model and loved it! Unfortunately, the salesman trusted the fuel gauge too much and we ran out of gasoline about a half mile from the dealership. That gave me the excuse to walk away before we talked numbers. The car was expensive!! And, I was happy with my 1986 Mustang GT 5.0 5 speed.
CORRADO Is the most beautiful and beast car in his class. I owned 91 Corrado for 9 years so much fun to drive and tons and tons of attention hahaha
I had one for years but.. the insurance in Germany was so high for this car, 3.500 DM Deutsche Mark in one year... with a bloody heart I sold him after 4 beloved years of driving.
It was one of my dream cars when I was young and... I realized this dream!
Fantastic speed, very low consume of gasoline, good performance. There was a little bump in the A 5 highway from Karlsruhe to Baden-Baden which I drives often in this time. When you had before so around 190 km on the Speedometer you ar able to make a little jump 😎👍with the Corrado.Top speed was 220 km on the highway, and his abilities to takeover are incredible for this time. I loved it so much but the insurance was to costly.
Love the bloopers reel at the end
I love mine. Got a white g60. Not many left, so much character. Shape is timeless. Long live the corrado.
Liked - if nothing else because of the correct pronunciation of Lancia at 9:01!
I'm only 20 and this would be a dream car for me. This or an Audi coupe. Also a neighbour owns a Scirocco II, such a beautiful car as well.
The bonnet curve, that was mirrored in the rear flanks of the car, is to my opinion a sculpture in metal. Very subtle and toned down, germanic, a lot more discrete that it could have been. It is clearly explained in the video. The car had potential that was not exploited, the public did not react, poor sales. Thank you for the video.
I've been watching your videos for a while (and thoroughly enjoy them btw!) and they now come up regularly on my home YT page, and to my sheer disgust, I realised I hadn't subscribed, I can only apologise!
That's fine. I'm increasingly wondering if it matters - as I get notifications for channels I haven't subscribed to, and don't get notifications for channels I have subscribed to. UA-cam is a law to itself!
I owned a 1990 Corrado. The G60 wasn't a powerhouse, but it was a great engine that loved to run. I remember driving at 130mph miles on end on a road trip once and it never hiccuped. The best part of the car was the handling. It was a sweet handler and a real joy to drive. It even had that VW characteristic of lifting the rear inside wheel in a turn.
VR6 stands for “verkürzter Reihensechszylinder“ (please not „Reinen“) which means shortened inline six cylinder.
It is said that the G60 was much stronger but the power had to be put down because there was a company wide decision to make use of an engine with bigger volume and more cylinders - VR6. Chip tuning and other tuning kits were famous for the G-Lader engines.
VW also had a G40 Polo and a G90 somewhere.
I never understood why VW tried to place this hatchback model as a Coupé. This just doesn’t make sense especially if you are the manufacturer of the state of the art hatchback class defining Golf.