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bshell

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Newly registered to this site (found it in a google search) and thought I would introduce myself. I have owned several VWs over the years. My very first car was a 1979 Scirocco followed by a 1986 8v and then a 1988 16v. I fell in love with the Corrado the first time I saw it in a issue of European Car. I bought my current 'Rado from a Bahn Brenner Motorsports employee back in 2003 and absolutely love it!

My wife is in the navy (as was I) and we live in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The Corrado is currently being looked after by my in-laws in Arizona. You have no idea how much I miss that car! I have a 99 Firehawk that I use to get to and from work, but its just not the same! My Firehawk has adjustable Koni shocks, aggressive lowering springs, bigger sway bars, 350 whp, and runs a consistant 12.xx 1/4 mile. Even after all of that, I still find myself wishing I had my Corrado over here!

I will be moving back to the states in 6 months and plan on giving the Corrado some much needed love. It needs new shocks (coilovers?) and other minor maintenance items. I would love to supercharge it eventually, but we'll see!

By the way, you guys / gals have some of the nicest looking C's I have ever seen. And some of the mods you take on (R32 swap!) are just unreal! Keep up the great work!

 

Brian

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You guys are fast! Thanks for the welcome!

 

A firehawk is a modified Pontiac Trans Am. It comes from GM as a regular Trans Am and is then sent to SLP (Street Legal Performance) for suspension upgrades, better limited slip rear, fiberglass hood with integrated heat extracters, and decals / badging. Mine is serialized as #589 out of 719 produced in 1999. Its also got a 5.7l v8 (same as corvettes) and a 6spd manual. I've added full length exhaust headers, bigger intake manifold, and 4.10:1 rear end (stock was 3.42:1). I have a set of high flow cylinder heads and a mild cam in my garage to install. After that I should see 420+ whp. Its a very fun car to drive! Here's a pic of it before the Konis went in (lowered it a little bit).

 

Firehawk.jpg

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Yup, still missing her...The difference between the two cars is night and day. The firehawk is all muscle, fast, and loud. The Corrado is fast also, but so much more poised when it comes to twisties. The hawk can corner too, don't get me wrong, but it just doesn't give the driver the confident feeling like the corrado does.

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Welcome.

 

Looks like you are reinforcing the classic 'American cars don't do corners very well' stereotype. Mean looking beast though.

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Welcome.

 

Looks like you are reinforcing the classic 'American cars don't do corners very well' stereotype. Mean looking beast though.

 

I can make the hawk corner better, but it will come at the expense of ride quality. There are still some suspension bits I do not have that would help. The physics would remain the same though: heavy car (3600#), solid rear axle, and alot of hp.

As an example of the handling differences:

I was driving the C on the hwy between LA and San Diego a few years back. Traffic was heavy but moving about 50mph still. I was in the fast lane following about 2 car lengths behind the person in front of me. I glanced down to change radio stations and when I looked back up, the cars in my lane had all slammed on their brakes. There was a gap in the lane next to me and I whipped the wheel over to change lanes (no time to hit the brakes). The C never skipped a beat (stock suspension). If I were to do the same maneuver in the hawk, the back end would have come out and I would've had to correct. Both cars would've avoided an accident, but I was glad I was in the C!

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