29,326 views
The recipe for a successful sports car is simple: great looks, a fancy name, and a loud engine. VW’s Scirocco replacement had great styling and an Italian-sounding name. But the supercharged G60 was a disappointment. Slower than the Scirocco 16V it replaced, the Corrado’s new tech-savvy four-cylinder G60 failed to win over fans. Resurrecting an engine design first developed by Lancia in 1922, VW created the VR6 – originally called the RV6 internally – which was a 2.8-liter, 15-degree narrow-angle V6/straight-six hybrid that slotted into the space of the previous four-cylinder. The original 12-valve VR6 is one of the best-sounding engines in a production car, combining the smooth, sultry note of an inline-six with the warble of a Wookiee. No V-6 harshness, though. It was a revelation then and now – and when combined with the suspension components of the third Golf GTI, the Corrado SLC outperformed the supercoupe class in every performance metric. Including price. It was easily the most expensive car in its class, which meant weak sales. Which is the fourth and final point in the recipe for a special collector's car. The one-of-a-kind original • The Volkswagen Corrado VR6 sounds lik...