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Corrado
VR6
With nearly 200 bhp from the 2.9L VR6, superb handling and a Porsche like
spoiler that activates at 60 mph, the Corrado VR6 is a real sports car.
Bring in the factors of rarity and stunning looks and you can see why this
sports coupe is going to become a classic. I wanted this for a decade and couldn’t
believe the price they could be picked up for 2nd hand. The
Corrado VR6, along with the other Corrado models were put together in the
Karmann factory and partially built by hand. The VR6 was available from
1992 costing slightly over £21,000, which a lot of people found over
priced for a FWD Volkswagen. For country road blasting, I cannot imagine
anything that would give more pleasure to the ears for well under £10,000
at today’s 2nd hand values. The engine simply howls all the way
up to red line and just handles supremely. You really can tell why Evo
magazine gave this car 5 stars and many a critic voted this the best
handling front wheel drive car for it’s time. The fuel economy isn’t
fabulous, it cost me £60+ of Optimax to receive a measly 300 miles but
this was not even a considered factor into the purchase of this car.
Maintenance costs are quite satisfactory when you remember this car was a
contender for the Porsche 944 S2 and you can see why with 0-60 in 6.5
seconds, pushing 150 mph at the top end.
Condition:
I bought this mint example of a 1994 VW Corrado VR6 with 60,000 miles on
the clock from a CCGB (Corrado Club Great Britain) member who was the
second owner. It had a full VWSH up to 57,000 miles, when the
all-important 60,000-mile service was carried out at VW. There was
literally £1000's of receipts kept in a folder and a number of spare parts
including a set of very rare 17” BBS RS 301’s, which I refurbished myself
and some FK Konigsports.
Check:
The most important areas to look out for is the colour and level of the
oil (these cars do use a bit of oil but not as much as an RX8), chains/tensioners,
clutch, engine mounts (2 people required, put the car in reverse and
slowly release the clutch with the handbrake on and see if the engine moves), the condition of the shocks, exhaust and rust around
the wheel arches. I would advise against buying a heavily modified example
and anything without a FSH, try and find an example that has been looked
after by a specialist such as JMR, Stealth or Gwerks. To say I miss this car
would be an understatement and I certainly intend on owning a Storm at
some point.
Servicing:
The hefty work was carried out with JMR Racing who is a Corrado specialist
in West Sussex. Regular fluid changes and checks were carried out by
myself and a BMW mechanic friend of mine. Genuine VW parts were always
used purchased from Colbornes VW in
Guildford. Synta Silver oil, G12 coolant, Bosch plugs, Red Beru HT leads
are necessities in the running of these cars.
I have a bit of a problem when it comes to looking after my cars. Parts
get replaced whether they need to or not which makes a car like this
reasonably expensive to run. However the only parts I did have to replace
were the HT leads, water pump, exhaust, brake disks and pads. This for
nearly two years of ownership certainly isn’t bad.
Stats:
Engine: 2.9 VR6, 190bhp
Performance: 0-60 in 6.5 and 148 mph at the top
Time owned: 02/2004 – 11/2005
Bought and sold for: £7,500
Mileage owned: 60,000 – 73,000
Parts/Servicing costs: £4,000
Insurance:
£900 with 1 year NC
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