RideLust

Coolness. It’s a factor that only applies to certain places, people and automobiles and sometimes you either have it, or you don’t. Steve McQueen for instance, is cool. The pyramids of Egypt and the city of Venice are cool, and yes… even this rare little 1991 Volkswagen Golf Country is cool. It’s a total oddball of a car and one that looks to be more of a backyard build then an actual production piece. It was also never sold here in North America, which makes the fact that I saw one in person even more amazing. This 1991 VW Golf Country uses VW’s Syncro 4-wheel-drive system and was designed for light off-road duties. It possesses greater suspension travel than a stock VW Golf, a full-frontal push bar, skid plate and externally mounted rear spare tire with power coming from a 1.8-liter 4-cylinder that produces 114 ponies. Obviously you wouldn’t want to tackle the Baja 1000 with this thing, but you can bet your ass that this little bugger would be the highlight of every Volkswagen gathering you attended.
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There aren’t many cars in existence where you can drive the same model, spaced 74 years apart. In fact, short of the VW Beetle, only the Jeep Wrangler comes close (and that’s only 70 years old). Back when Volkswagen launched the original Beetle in 1938, it was meant to be a car for the masses (in fact, “Volkswagen” translates from German as “people’s car”), priced on par with a small motorcycle. Then, it was all about basic transportation, with no thought given to safety, performance or even comfort. Want A/C? Roll down the window. Want heat? Roll up the window. See Jay Leno’s take on the two cars in the video below. Read More…

When you think of automakers who give the single-digit salute to environmentalists everywhere, who comes to mind? Clearly Hummer is the obvious choice, but they’re out of business. Who’s next on your list – Ferrari? Lamborghini? Bentley or Rolls-Royce? If you’re Greenpeace, the automaker in your crosshairs is Volkswagen, who Greenpeace accuses of overstating their environmental record and resisting attempts to make cars like the Golf more fuel efficient (um, Golf TDI, anyone?). Read More…

Whether you admit to it or not, we all have some sort of a bucket list. There are things in our minds that we have to do, regardless of whether or not we’ve put them down on paper. When it comes to cars, there are certain models you have to drive at least once in your life; some are sports cars, some aren’t, but all have a certain amount of hype about them. The good news is that most can be snapped up on the used car market for blue-collar wages, as long as you’re willing to do some digging. I’ve driven all of the cars below and have even owned most of them, so I’m well versed on why they’re included. Read More…

There’s been some changes in my garage lately, thanks in part to the economy but thanks also to changing vehicle needs. I sold the bike a few months back, and just last week I got rid of my 2006 Acura TSX and my 2006 Mazda MX-5. Of the two, it was much harder to see the MX-5 go. The car was, hands down, the best handling ride I’ve ever owned. As a weekend toy, it was second to none, and it never failed to put a smile on my face each and every time I got behind the wheel. It had its limitations, too, like doing track days without adding an expensive, heavy and less-than-elegant supplemental roll bar. If money were no object, I’d still have the MX-5 in my garage. Sadly, money is very much an object these days, and downsizing from three cars to two was as much about economic survival as it was about anything else. Read More…

If you’re a VW or Audi fan, chances are you’ve heard of Wörthersee. It’s a lake in southern Austria, but it’s also home to the largest annual gathering of VW and Audi fans in the world. It’s best described as “Sturgis meet Sprockets”, if you get the reference to the old Saturday Night Live skit with Mike Myers. Picture thousands of heavily drinking Germans, Austrians and other Euros, turning their collective freak knobs up to 12, and you get the picture. It’s fun for families, too!

VW and Audi typically roll out some impressive new cars and concepts at the event, and this year was no exception. VW launched their 35th anniversary GTI, which comes loaded and packs 235 horsepower instead of 200. Audi rolled out their A1 clubsport quattro concept, and we salivated. Who wouldn’t jones over a car the size of a shopping cart, with 500 horsepower and quattro AWD? Don’t expect to see it in showrooms any time soon, but just knowing it exists is good enough for me. Enjoy the video below. Read More…

If you liked the lines of VW’s latest Beetle and want to be the first on you block with a Beetle Turbo, here’s some good news for you: VW has announced a Black Turbo Launch Edition variant of the new Beetle Turbo, and a $495 deposit is all it takes to reserve one of your very own. VW is only building 600 copies, and all will come well-equipped with a 200 horsepower, turbocharged 2.0 liter engine and DSG dual-clutch transmission, 18 inch alloy wheels, larger brakes with painted calipers, a rear spoiler and foglamps. Inside, the special edition comes with Bluetooth connectivity, iPod integration, three-color ambient lighting, sport cloth seats, an eight speaker sound system and alloy pedals. Read More…

The fact that someone has access to a welder and a junkyard doesn’t give them the right to create heinous stuff like the Frankenbus you see here. Made up from what looks to be five different Volkswagen’s, this suckers got 24 windows, six wheels and seven doors. Granted you can probably fit 15 people in this thing, but my bet is that unless the builder upgraded the stock 1,700 cc 70 horsepower flat-four that they’re not going anywhere. The Frankenbus is the answer to the question that nobody asked and proves that just because you can do something, it doesn’t mean you should…

Source: VWVortex.com

Recently, I attended the Carlisle Import and Kit Nationals show at the Carlisle Fairgrounds in Pennsylvania. Held every May, this show features a vast array of meticulously maintained classic British, European and Japanese cars, exemplary examples of their more modern kin, as well as a beautiful collection of kit cars.  As far as sheer variety in makes, models and years, hands down, this show can’t be beat.

This has become something of an annual treat for me as I can think of few better ways to spend a weekend than by gazing at a gleaming sea of jaw-droppingly stunning automobiles, many of which I guarantee you won’t find at other shows. Plus, participation is open to anyone with an import or a kit car – all you have to do is register, make your car pretty and show up. It’s a great opportunity to display your cherished ride and meet other aficionados of your favorite marques.

I used to come down to show my Saab and hang out with the Saab contingent that makes it out every year. But even though I have a Subaru now, it’s just so much fun that I continue to make the trip to Carlisle (my WRX was parked over by the lone DeLorean, if you happened to be there). Volvo, BMW and Audi clubs also traditionally have a large showing so the weekend is packed with the cars you love, cars you haven’t seen before, your friends from the forums, barbeques – it’s a good time for everyone.  So, if you’re not too far out from Pennsylvania, I definitely recommend heading out there next May to check out the Carlisle Import and Kit Nationals. To tide you over, provided for your viewing pleasure are some of my favorite cars of the weekend. Enjoy!

 

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If you’re a VW fan, I’ve got good news and bad news for you. On the plus side, buying a 2012 Passat will cost you substantially less money than buying a 2011 Passat would have cost you last year. How much less? The starting price for a stripped, base model 2010 Passat was $27,945; the price of admission for a 2012 base model Passat is just $20,765. That over $7,000 less expensive, which brings me to the bad news: VW applied the same logic to the Passat as they did the the new Jetta. Read More…