Run, Corrado, Run!

Today’s car was spotted while I was venturing into my sister’s new neck of the woods to help her paint the gargantuan house she bought that I like to refer to as the Gatsby Mansion (25 gallons of interior primer into the project, and we still have to do the 3rd floor and the basement -yikes!).  Low and behold, what should I see but a Volkswagen Corrado sitting in a driveway just blocks from her house.  It seemed like an appropriate car to feature today following yesterday’s VW/Porsche Car On A Stick.

The Corrado is a really captivating compact front wheel drive sport coupe that VW offered for sale in the US in the early 1990’s (1990-1994) with a 3 door hatch configuration.  Europeans had the Corrado years before they were offered in the states, and for a year after the Corrado left the US market.  The base price in the US for a Corrado was right around $18,000, which was a decent chunk of change for a little hatchback in 1990, and could swell to thousands over that depending on engine and feature options.  But you did get something for your money.  In addition to being an aesthetic darling with its stocky yet sporty style, the Corrado offered a decent bit of power for its size and handled fantastically for a front wheel drive car.  On top of that, there were little bonuses like a power rear spoiler that automatically raises up at 45 MPH to help hold the rear end to the road (which doesn’t totally seem necessary on a FRONT wheel drive car, but it’s neat anyway).

  Like the Porsche 914 discussed yesterday, the Corrado was originally dreamt up as a replacement to the Porsche 944, but instead of swinging in Porsche’s direction, this time, it came out wearing VW badges. You could get one with a 5 speed manual or a 4 speed automatic transmission and with engines offered during the course of its production that ranged from a 1.8L inline 4 cylinder that made 115 HP, to a supercharged version of that same engine that made 158 HP, to a 2.9L V6 that pumped out 178 HP (more than that, even if you got the European version). 

The Corrado gets its name from the Spanish verb, “correr”, which means “to run”, and it replaced another lovely little VW called the Scirocco , whose name is derived from the greek word “sirokos“ which is a name of winds that originate in the Sahara and blow into the Mediterranean, sometimes with hurricane speeds.  Scirocco sounds a little cooler than Corrado to me, but if the choice is between a car that runs and a car that blows, I’ll go for the Corrado.

Back in its day, the Corrado was lauded as a car with phenomenal handling.  It was a desirable vehicle due to that and its added practicality of the hatchback and 2+2 seating arrangement.   The more powerful VR6 model (the V6 with 178 HP was the one to get, as it provided the most power while still keeping the car light and handling well.

Alas, the Corrado never hit struck the right chord in the US market, and elsewhere too, eventually.  Car buyers in the US differ in their wants and needs from car buyers in Europe, because the driving experience differs so much.  Rather than having a car that focuses on narrow passes, winding roadways, hills and valleys, cars in the US tend to focus their aim on the vast arteries of Interstate highways and wide open spaces with room to roam, without needing to zip about energetically and with spirited agility.  Think of the difference like boxers in a ring.  In general, the Euro car tends to be the little fighter who bobs and weaves, dancing around and wearing down his opponent, whereas the American car tends toward being a big ol’ bruiser, light on the footwork, but heavy on the brute force, who is more likely to stride right up and knock the opponent out with one powerful punch.

The spirit of both designs have their merits and their places in this world of streets and roadways to travel.  The Corrado was a muscular, fleet-footed little fighter, ready to take on the brutes and bullies of the US roadways, but between a price point that was a bit off-putting, and being kind of in a class of its own, it never quite found a niche that was big enough to support its survival.  The good news is that VW revived the Scirocco name for the European market back in 2008, so maybe, just maybe, the Corrado can make its way back also.  The car market is different now in the US, with buyers who are realizing the value of having a nimble little hatch that can move people and some stuff while performing well and only sipping gasoline.  In the meantime, a Corrado is a rare little beast among the automotive animals you’re likely to see while out and about.  This makes it collectible and valuable.  Should you have a chance to get your hands on one, you should give it serious consideration. Get a Corrado in good shape for a good price, and it may prove to be a good investment.