Corrado - a real sportscar?

[Redfox 10]

Hi all,

was just thinking a little about the Corrado.

 

Is that a real sportscar?

 

What does it take to be a real sportscar?

 

Let's have a quick look:

 

-The British made quite small, at least very compact, often two-seaters, in the 1950's and 1960's which were, with some exceptions, quite slow, but were called real sportscars. I mean slow by modern standards. But because of that there must be more to it, than just outright speed. It must have a special feeling driving it, and the looks to go with it as well.

Although arguable, the small British sportscars certainly have a feeling when driving one. Even the MGB which is quite slow, and were even produced in the 1970's, have a dramatic influence on the person driving it. And most people would say they have the looks too. The Frogeye, the Healey, the MGB, the TD and TF, the Morgan's, the Lotus Elan and many more.

But Britain was not alone in this. Certainly other countries in Europe made their offerings available too, such as the Alpina's, the the Renault Alpine, the Alfa spider, and many more. Not all fast, but with a carisma, and generally better driving capabilities than the ordinary family car.

 

So, a sportscar must be relatively fast, have good looks, a special feeling to the driving, and is often relatively compact, apart from some very old times cars, and the modern supercars.

 

Does a Corrado fullfill that?

 

Let's have a look at why it was made:

Volkswagen once made the ghia, an oldfashioned and slow car, but with an unbeatable charm. Low, compact, and relatively okay driving.

When VW gave up the 924 project, Porsche made the car, which indeed was driving very fine. Many said it was slow, but that particular bar is raised all the time. And as it's now been demonstrated, the sportscar is not all about speed, but also encompassed other characteristics.

Porsche finished the project by making the 944, which became a great success, by sportscar standards. All in all 163.192 944's were produced, which seen in the light of it's production period is notmany cars, but many for being a sportscar. Think of the Golf. The worlds most produced car ever. That shoould set the perspective.

The 944 being a success, and having made a car that caught on people's minds and also wallet, and remember that VW had stopped production of the sporty Scirocco, the flattened and faster Golf, also the Mk. II Scirocco which had all the spoilerkits on, and after having had really great success with bringing a compact family car with sports potential to the people, the Golf GTI, VW desperately needed to thrive on the interest in compact sportscars, and bring in some needed uplifting of their image as a huge carmaker.

They needed a sportscar. A real sportscar.

 

In history there have been a number of exotic cars, more or less, that have been made at a special factory, be that a small one. Think of Alpina, a registred independant carmaker, although made on the BMW, makes outright sportscars, or used to.

Karmann - again that name is synonymous with exclusivity. And Volkswagen, meaning the peoples car, does not exactly shine sports car, wisely chose to have Karmann build the Corrado. Although it at forst had another name, hte Corrado was the final name made for production.

 

Can the Corrado fullfil the critireas for a sportscar?

Well, the Corrado is certainly light, by newer standards, where as bigger sports, with few exceptions, are heavy.

The design is slender, sleek and still maintain a curve throughout it's length. It has hips, an agressive stand, looks mean and fast even when parked. Hence the Corrado name - the fast wind, loosely translated from Spanish.

But that is not all. It must be compact, not a family saloon car. And that it certainly is, being a true 2+2 car. Only very small persons, or not too big vhilfren can travel in the Corrado. And because of the design, with the flat rearscreen and c-pillar design, the luggage compartment is surely worth mentioning. There's a little GT - Gran Turismo, to the theme, meaning a fast traveling car for two.

Even more than that, the Corrado introduced the brilliant G-ladder, which gave the car a good punch from a small engine, by the standards in the 1980's.

Rememner that most of the british sportscars of earlier date, had a small engine.

As Porsche had a straight inline four on 2,5 Liter, Volkswagen had to do this to compensate. And they came out on top of the Porsche.

The Corrado is faster, lighter, and as well handeling. Both topspeed and acceleration is a notch better than the standard 944. Of course Porsche had many reasons to revive their 944 into something even better, but still. VW had the triumphcard in the VR6. A masterpiece of an ebgive, being a V6, but still lighter and much more compact than the competition.

Handeling wise the Corrado is a little mix of all things. It has the trackarms in front, and the funne mounting of them like the Golf MK. II, and the rearbeam is a simple and primitive thing. But the package as a whole is a brilliantly made car, that drives very sporty, and feels very sporty to drive. Also together with the 944. I personally feel the 944 drives better than a 911 of similar age, but that is of course debatable. The Corrado does it's job effectively as the 944.

 

So, to sum it up: Is the Corrado a real sportscar?

 

Yes, it certainly is.

 

Why?:

 

Because, it's compact,

it's light,

It have a great engine, advanced, and strong,

It's a true 2+2,

It's fast or faster than it's competitors,

It bears strong design from the Scirocco, but still have classical sportslines,

It's fun and very sporty to drive.

It's exclusivity is assured by being made by Karmann,

And finally it's rare, only two thirds of hte numbers compared to the Porsche 944.

 

Oh, I forgot to mention that it was also extremely expensive. 20 years ago my Corrado G60 costed more than double of todays Scirocco III.

 

The Corrado, in my humble view, is a true sportscar. The only one made by Volkswagen.

 

What is your view on the subject?

 

Cheer's,

Redfox ;)

[carter711 0]

It's a tricky subject, but put simply any car built with performance as its main objective is a sports car. VW didn't put a 2.9 6cyl engine in the Corrado for economy did they!

 

Some will say that a sports car needs to be rear wheel drive but this rule does not apply to all, the Lotus Elan for example.

[TanVr6 0]

Nice interesting read! Im sure someone else has written something about the history of the Corrado on the forum! I just bought a VR and its the best car iv ever owned! Dont kno why it took me so long to get one! was in love with GTI's too much! especially the Anniversary edition MKIII that i had! which was great! But this is just in another league!

I think i want another 1!!!

[Pete 0]

I think it also depends a lot on which C you have.

 

I think the VR6 isn't a sports car personally, as it's too nose heavy and more of a German muscle car in my opinion.

 

The G60 possibly is more a sports car, while the 16V's are more like hot hatches?

 

My VR certainly mixes it with royal blue blooded sports cars. 2 mates with Elises and I used to do mega blasts when I had my 111R, and now I have the C I still take them on :) Not on track admittedly but on the real road it's pace at med-high speeds is enough to keep up no worries...

 

Interesting topic!

[Alex_G60_Fanatic 0]

Hmm.. i would call it sporty... not a sports car

 

It goes that one step beyond the Golf, the "hot hatch". Family orientated car... that WAS sporty and fun to drive but you could still pop your shopping in the back.

 

The Corrado just misses out by being that little bit more practical than say a MG midget or similar. It was speed and performance focused but not at the compromise of comfort and/or usability.

 

But then... that just makes it a better car in my eyes :D

[Portent 0]

I'd say it's a sports coupe or a GT. But not an out and out sports car. As above, one of the advantages in my eyes is the fact it's slightly more practical than a true sports car. I can comfortably get my young kids in the back.

[aide 0]

Agree with others, not a sports car and not the classic shape of one either, i think the designation rides a lot more on looks than feel/ performance. Always a coupe in my eyes, its too small for grand tourer, and its competetors were almost exclusively coupes also - prelude, integra, calibra etc - this is how it was received by the motoring press of the time.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Some will say that a sports car needs to be rear wheel drive but this rule does not apply to all, the Lotus Elan for example.

 

Indeed. It's a very subjective question. The narrow minded "Wrong wheel drive" types will always only consider RWD to be a 'sports car' but have these people seen the Renault Megane 265 achieve an 8.06 second Nurburgring lap time? I know a certain Mr May has a bee in his bonnet about the 'ring, but come on, it's a tough yardstick to be measured against and that lap time is absolutely incredible for a chassis format many so called 'car fans' consider to be crap.

 

Anyway, imo, the very description "sports car" is dated now. Back in the 50s/60s it was more about the looks and regular cars were clearly distinguishable from 'sports' cars, such as the E-Type, SpitFires, AC Cobra etc etc. But as the OP said, many of these supposed sports cars were poor handlers, so I think back then, the wind in your hair, 2 less seats and a noisier exhaust constituted 'sportiness' :D

 

These days there are far too many niche markets and 'cross overs' and sports car doesn't really sound special anymore. Anything with a clip on spoiler and a sticker is considered a 'sports' car these days. And it's a stupid word for a road car any way since 'Sports' means competetive group activity, which you can only do on a race track.

 

Oh and yeah, back on topic, I personally don't consider the Corrado to be a sports car. My definition of a Sports car for the road would be an M3. A car that mechanically bears no resemblance to it's lesser siblings. The Corrado is basically a Passat Coupe....

[Fulltimejunglist 0]

Id say it was a sports car but as time continues other brands and Volkswagen bring new products to the market which are faster...

 

With an R36 in it im sure it would be a good modern day sports car or r32... (Or turbos : )

 

If it handles as well as the 944 and other cars of that ages which were race/sports cars then id say its a sports car.

 

Thats why i liked them since i was a child i supose.

[Rustynuts 0]

Sports car, I am afraid not. The term sports car is purely British and in my mind derives from country sports, it fitted into an era of shooting, tweed and interbreeding. Certain motors were brought in for this era that has mostly gone now.

[Tempest 0]

What is your view on the subject?

 

Volkswagen once made the ghia,

 

Erm, totally wrong, I´m afraid :lol:. It was purely and 100% Karmann who designed and built this Ghia. VW were just used for their dealership network, which Karmann as coachbuilders did not have. They still wanted to fulfill their dream of building their own car, which they did with the Ghia.

 

Hence the Corrado name - the fast wind, loosely translated from Spanish.

Sorry to be a smart-a**e :lol:

 

Corrado, stems from the Spanish word Correr, to run. The wind theme was applicable to the Scirocco (warm Sahara desert wind) and the Passat. Allegedly the name Corrado was given by the then VW boss´ wife, much even to Karmann´s surprise, who had initially called the car the Mk3 Scirocco (pictures of prototypes still sporting the Scirocco badge exist on the web), followed by the name Taifun (EA 494, EA standing for Entwicklungsauftrag = German for development order).

 

Back to topic :)

 

Erm sports car or not, personally I couldn´t care less, I just love the shape, the way it handles and rides :) That´s sporty enough for me.

 

Tempest

[Toohottotrot 10]

It's a coupe and not a "hot hatch" as it has a sloping back, it's built for performance no matter which engine is fitted. So it's a sports coupe, what else could it be?!!!!

[Pat_McCrotch 0]

'Hatchback Coupe'?

 

I like the term Passat Coupe to be honest. It's a seriously comfy car but it's sporty when you need it to be.

[Redfox 10]

Thanks for correcting some things.

 

I think as time passes by, the term sportscar changes, but that does no change the concept from which a car was built at it's time.

In my view a sportscar does not have to be less than 104cm high, have more than 600 Hp, and be a copy of a formula 1 car.

 

In more modern racing there's a sports cars class, and those bear resemblance to it's sisters on the streets.

Likewise many racecars have had to be built in certain low production numbers to be accepted for race, because it was not allowed to be a one off.

 

Think of the old Ford Escort Mk I RS2000. Is that a sportscar? Certainly it have a far better performance than it's streetcousins. And that is the purpose of the sportscar. To be slender, sleek, faster and better handeling and more exotic that the practical familycar or the lorry.

 

An old Spitfire Mk. I or II is by many people deemed nice but ill-handeling and slow, but it's still a sportscar. To me at least there seems to be a constant moving of the sportscarperformance into the familycar segment. And I am not allways a fan of that. What on Earth does the ordinary family transportator do with 300 or 600 hp? Or tires so low and wide, that it cannot drive on an ordinary road and the max load on the wheels is far less that originaly planned?

 

No, a sportscar is a compact, faster, better handeling, either two-seater or 2+2 car, that is built in a limited number, and have great design (arguable to everyones taste), and is not a family transporter with all it's practicality and lastly is not ordinary.

 

I think, shoot me or not (preferably not), that the Corrado fullfills that idea ;)

 

Cheers,

Redfox.

[Wullie 1]

It's a Corrado! A vehicle which carries a contagion, buy one and you are infected and compulsively spend money on it, weep when it's broken and have breakdowns when you sell them followed by an uncontrollable impulse to find another one.

 

In my humble opinion "Sports Car" is a generic term for a quicker than average car of it's period, some with a low slung design others "sports", or faster, versions of standard production models. For example the Wolseley 1500 was a four seater family car while the Riley one point five was the exact same car but with a different badge and an extra carburettor and was classed as the "Sports" version.

 

When I was a kid any open topped vehicle was a sports car. I suppose you have to define sport first and sport suggests competition therefore a sports car should be a car that is used in competition which kind of rules out any vehicle that is only used on public roads.

 

The following are from the Wikipedia definition of a sports car.

A sports car is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for high speed driving and maneuverability.^[1] Sports cars have been either spartan or luxurious, but good handling, minimum weight, and high performance are requisite

 

A car may be a sporting automobile without being a sports car. Performance modifications of regular, production cars, such as sport compacts, sports sedans, muscle cars, hot hatches and the like, generally are not considered sports cars, yet share traits common to sports cars. They are sometimes called "sports cars" for marketing purposes for increased advertising and promotional purposes.^[5] Performance cars of all configurations are grouped as Sports and Grand tourer cars or, occasionally, as performance cars.

 

I would class the Corrado as a Sports Coupe.

[Danny B 0]

 

I think as time passes by, the term sportscar changes, but that does no change the concept from which a car was built at it's time........

 

Agreed, I think that over time the term Sports Car has been diluted and in todays market a Corrado isn't really a sports car - but its not sold today, it was sold 20 years ago and back then I would definately call it a sports car.

 

I suppose we all define a sports car in a different way, but I define it as a 'reasonably' fast car that handles well through the corners and looks 'fast' even when standing still - to me at least thats a Corrado.

 

I suppose the same question could be aimed at the new Scirocco ...... is that a sports car or a fast hatch or a sports coupe - who knows BUT with todays niche market antics who cares. Manufactuers have flooded the market so much with cross over cars that 'do everything' we have lost the need/desire to catagorize a car like we use to - a shame in my opinion .......I mean once in side could anyone really tell the difference between a Q5/Q6/Q7 :scratch:

[Toohottotrot 10]

The Ford RS 2000 is a sports saloon! Corrado is a sports coupe. Triumph Spitfire is a soft top sports car, yes it's slow but not that slow at the time. Audi quattro turbo is a sports coupe, so is the S2.

Boot/trunk = saloon/ sedan

Sloping back with boot or hatch = coupe

Lift up tailgate = hatch back

Longer car with hatch = Estate/ station waggon

Any of the above with a performance engine......sports.......saloon, hatch, coupe, estate.......

 

That's the way I see it ;)

[TanVr6 0]

Corrado - sports car? Hmmm

Corrado - Better than a sports car!

[GCDG60 0]

It's a Corrado! A vehicle which carries a contagion, buy one and you are infected and compulsively spend money on it, weep when it's broken and have breakdowns when you sell them followed by an uncontrollable impulse to find another one.

 

perfectly TRUE. :-)

[tony_ack 0]

 

Sorry to be a smart-a**e :lol:

 

Corrado, stems from the Spanish word Correr, to run. The wind theme was applicable to the Scirocco (warm Sahara desert wind) and the Passat. Allegedly the name Corrado was given by the then VW boss´ wife, much even to Karmann´s surprise, who had initially called the car the Mk3 Scirocco (pictures of prototypes still sporting the Scirocco badge exist on the web), followed by the name Taifun (EA 494, EA standing for Entwicklungsauftrag = German for development order).

Tempest

 

Wasn't the Golf also originally part of the wind theme family, and the 'Storm' models an extension of it?

 

I vote for a sports coupe by the way - I pictured the Corrado as being designed for weatlhy couples to go on holiday to the Black Forest, the South of France or the Scottish Highlands, with a couple of cases in the back, arriving in comfort with a smile on their faces. It is designed for driver fun and comfort for 2 front plus an 'occasional' 2 rear passengers.

 

I don't think the Corrado was ever designed for the track or for motor sport

[Redfox 10]

Hi Tony,

That's exactly what I mean. A sportscar is meant for sportsuse, defined in this case as road use.

 

The track car is a whole different ballgame. Almost no sportscar can be competitive on a track, without being seriously rebuilt.

 

I think the word sport have different meanings here. And maybe many people today think of the word as the track car version, not the public road use.

But that was not the original meaning of making a sportscar in this particular sense.

 

A vague but still an analogy is the idea in running. Take a run of say 10 Km's every day as I do in the morning. To me, it's a sport that I practise, but still I am hopelessly slower than a pro runner on a track. I practise the sport, but am not a track user. And surely no matter who you are, there's allways someone who is faster than you.

 

That is also why to me at least, the 24 hour LeMans is a real race, not the F1 ditto.

 

Nice to be reading all of your comments on the theme.

Finally, I agree very much with the idea described of it's intended use by Tony in the last post: a road use car that can be driven faster and more secure because of better roadholding, faster speed and better brakes, and focuses on making the fun in it, for two persons.

 

Cheers,

Redfox.

Edited September 19, 2011 by Redfox

[Wullie 1]

I pictured the Corrado as being designed for weatlhy couples to go on holiday to the Black Forest, the South of France or the Scottish Highlands, with a couple of cases in the back, arriving in comfort with a smile on their faces.

 

I like this description, unfortunately only the last part applies to me. arriving in comfort with a smile on their faces

[Redfox 10]

HI Wullie,

Well, comfort to me at least is the very lack of comfort in exchange of handeling ;) But other that that, I agree with the description by Tony. Traveling with a credit card gives you more speed ;)

 

Cheers,

Redfox ;)