Tag: German
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Post-Scirocco VW Sport Coupe Goodness
Off and on, Volkswagen has played in the sport coupe arena in the US. The Scirocco replaced the very long-lived Karmann Ghia in 1974 and lived through two fairly long generations before being replaced by this, the Corrado. Early Corrados, like this one, featured a supercharged I4 engine and were called G60s. Later, the highly-regarded…
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M Coupes are the Stuff of Legend. This isn’t One.
Most enthusiasts know about the BMW Z3 M Coupe, which is a performance legends known for amazing handling and superb, M3-based engines. What some don’t realize is that there were more pedestrian versions of the Z3 Coupe. Today’s feature is a 3.0i, which means it has 330i performance in a lighter, smaller coupe. This…
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Der alte BMW
Most enthusiasts are well aware of the BMW 2002, which has always been sought out for its driving experience. The 2002 was basically the ultimate version of the “BMW New Class”, which started with the 1500 in 1962. Before that, though, BMW had the 700, which was a rear-engined, near-microcar. Despite the rear engine, the…
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Turbo Rat Bug
Here we have an interesting, rat rod-inspired ’61 Beetle. If you look at some of the images, along with the all-new interior, you’ll see that the vehicle was gone through and the rusty patina is intentional. More significant here is the turbocharged 2.3L four with dyno results showing 213 HP in this tiny beast. Beetles…
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Oil Burning MkI Jetta
No, this one doesn’t necessarily have bad rings, this one is an oil-burner in the sense that it’s diesel-equipped. Here in California, that means no smog testing ever, although it also means this accelerates like a school bus. Could that be cured with a swap? We’re big fans of the original Jetta, and this one…
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VW Type 4 x 2
The Type 4 (411 and 412) was Volkswagen’s mid-sized offering in the late 60s and early 70s and was offered in three body styles: four-door sedan, two-door coupe and three-door wagon. Interestingly, the 411 was VW’s very first four-door sedan, although we are featuring the other two body styles today. This family of cars had…
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Brand Whores Unite! Yet Another Tasteful and Classy Choice
In the automotive world, nothing says “brand whore” like a Mercedes Benz. This doesn’t mean they don’t make some excellent cars, it just means that the public is in such a sad state that I think the Smart FourTwo would have sold ten times the volume if they’d just put a Mercedes badge on it.…
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A Somewhat Special Seventies Scirocco
The Scirocco was Volkswagen’s sporty car offering after the retirement of the long-lived Karmann Ghia in the mid 1970s. It was based on the same platform as the Rabbit, so it offered front-wheel drive and four-cylinder engines; but the Giugiaro-styled body was unique and the chassis had many upgrades to offer a more sporting drive.…
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V12 + 6MT = Greatness
Many of you could guess what this is by the title, but I should specify that it’s not a modified XJS or an expensive Italian car. It was once an expensive German car and now it’s in the category of temptingly cheap, yet frightening, from a maintenance perspective. The 850 was the replacement for BMW’s…
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How About a REAL Fiesta?
Not too many years ago, I could search “Fiesta” and only find these quirky euro imports from the late 70s. Now, with the (welcome in ST form) return of the Fiesta, things are more complicated. Luckily, these cool little cars still come along from time to time, although sometimes horribly overpriced, like this one. The…