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MODEL HISTORYK COR RADO G60

Above left: Corrado's luggage capacity was less than that of the Scirocco, compromised further by use of a full-size spare wheel

Above:

Corrado's rear spoiler was electrically operated, rising

automaticaily at speeds jibove 45mph

Club contact: Corrado Club of Great Britain, 20 Melford Drive, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 2TW.

WWW. vw-

corrado-club.

co.uk

operated rear spoiler, which was raised automaticaily when the speed reached 45mph and could b© operated manually at lower speed by pressing a switch. It was sard to reduce the aerodynamic lift at the rear by up to 64 per cent; combined with the Corrado's drag coefficient of 0.32. it madę the car very stable at high speed.

The Corrado was about the same length as a Scirocco. but an inch wider and 1.5in. taller. There was a smali gain in rear legroom, but this was at the expense of luggage capacity, which was less than that of the Scirocco, and the use of a full-size spare wheel caused an awkward hump in the boot floor.

'A very dislinctive combination, the Corrado G60 madę yellow popular again'

Standard equipment included power steering. ABS. central locking, electric mirrors. fog lamps. a split-folding rear seat. height-adjustable steering column, rear centre armrest — housing a first-aid kit — seat height adjuster. heated washer jets. rear wash/wipe and MFA trip Computer. The origma! UK brochure specified an oil pressure gauge and voltmeter, but, as far as we know, these were never fitted as standard

An electric sunroof and electnc Windows became standard equipment on right-hand-drive G60s, while leather upholstery and Recaro seats were listed as optional extras.

Initially. the only cołours listed were Tornado red, Alpine white, Helios blue metallic, Quartz grey metallic and black, but a much wider rangę soon became available This included Nugget yellow. which was well publicised because, unlike yellow pamt of the Seventies. it contained no lead. A very distinctive combination, the Corrado madę yellow popular again.

Upholstery, with a tasteful paltem of squares. was in Platinum grey or a dark blue-green cłoth known as Petrol. The sports seats were very comfortable and provided good support for fast comering during our road tests. We were happy with the Passat-style facia and switchgear, but criticised the steering wheel. Although leather trimmed, it was the same as that in a run-of-the-mill Passat or Golf and Volkswagen's fastest and sportiest model deserved better

The Corrado was launched in Europę in 1988, but didn't go on sale m Britain until autumn 1989.

The G60 was listed from the beginning as availab!e with left-hand dnve to special order, but did not arrive in Britain until 1990 Right-hand-dnve G60s became available in 1991. but. the following year, the G60 was discontinued and replaced by the VR6

The UK price for the left-hand-dnve model was announced as £19.337. but rosę to £19,907. When the G60 became available with nght-hand drive, the price was reduced to £18,851, only £1,000 morę than the 16V

We expect secondhand values of the G60 to remain strong as this continues to be one of Volkswagen's most sought-after models. The Corrado has a healthy following in Britain. with a thriving owners' Club, and is likefy to gain increasmg recogmtion as a collectable classic, not only within the Volkswagen sector. but among classic sports car enthusiasts in generał 4F

OWNER’S

OPINION

'I HAD wanted a Corrado, a yellow one, after visiting the Motor Show and seeing one of the display cars in yellow, which I thought suited it, although not everyone may agree. I had read various reports in the motoring press, all of which praised rts performance and handling; one article even compared the G60 to a Porsche 944.

'It wasn‘t until late 1996 that funds permitted my purchase of a 58,000-mile example, which, although in need of some tidying, was suitably priced.

'After a trip to GTI International in 1998, and a talk with the guys at TSR, it seemed prudent to get the supercharger overhauled, and desirable to have the ECU rechipped and a motorsport pulley fitted. Apart from that, all maintenance work has been carried out by local mechanic Steve Harvey, with parts from GPC, at Luton, and service items from G8tS.

'My G60 is kept as a second car, which has enabled me to keep the mileage down to a reasonable 84,500.1 have also attended the track days at Castle Combę for the last three years, enabling me to test the car*s handling to the fuli, and to compare the performance to that of a VR6 (much less difference than I had expected).

'All in all, my G60 has proved a very enjoyabfe car to own, while being reliable and reasonable to run, too, the only major expense being a new power steering pump.'

Graham War der Rickmanswortłi, Herts

50 V01KSWAGEN DRIVER N0VFMB£R 2000