What makes a sports car? According to Jason Cammisa in his latest Revelations episode, you can apply a pretty simple formula: Great looks, a great (ideally Italian-sounding) name, and an engine that makes a fantastic noise.
By that definition, the Volkswagen Corrado VR6 lands squarely on the mark. Styling is, naturally, a subjective subject, but the Corrado’s stocky, handsome form is easy to appreciate. The name might be meaningless but it certainly sounds exotic, and once Volkswagen packed its clever VR6 engine in the nose, the soundtrack was dealt with too.
And as Cammisa notes, the overall package was already great – it was just in search of the engine to do it justice, the standard four-cylinder engines not quite cutting the mustard compared to its Scirocco predecessors, thanks to that heavier 1990s shell.
The clever part was designing an engine that gave the desired characteristics without the downsides. A conventional V6 would be too bulky, expensive and complex, and a straight six far too wide in a transverse application. VW’s response was the VR6, narrower than the V6 and shorter than an inline six, packing a 15-degree vee under a single head.
You can watch the video to find out what made the engine so great – and enjoy a ride with Cammisa as he extends the unique-sounding ‘six – and if you’re like us, you’ll then be drawn to the classifieds to find out how much a Corrado VR6 is going for these days.
Rest assured we’ll be adding it to the Hagerty Price Guide in the near future too, as this era of Volkswagens becomes increasingly popular with both enthusiasts and collectors.
Read more
The Porsche 924 wasn’t born a Porsche. It became one. | Revelations with Jason Cammisa
Vorsprung Durch Technik: Five ways Audi has advanced cars in five decades
The Mk3 Volkswagen Golf GTI is not as bad as we’re told
