There were lots of popular things to do in the 1980s. For car enthusiasts, one of those things was copying Ferrari Testarossas. Pickup trucks got side strakes. Alfas got 5-spoke star wheels from the factory. And plenty of cars got pop-up headlights, though the Testarossa was not the only one influencing this trend. Tuner cars got wide, boxy fenders with wheels to match and louvers over their tail lights. For a taste of some (questionable) 1980s aesthetics blended with some updates, check out this 1988 VW Scirocco 16V for sale for $3500 in Portland, OR.
The white-out paint job and the repop BBS wheels are so very 1980s, though the grey centers should really be white if you want to take things all the way here. As they sit, they’re very “now” in grey with stretched tires over a protruding lip. Oddly, the seller says the car has been stanced, which implies significant lowering and negative camber, but here the car seems to have its natural settings. Hurry and get some tires with fat sidewalls on the car and you’ll have a chance of looking period.
Ahh, white-louvered tail lights, how did we ever let that trend fade? While showsing some of its 190,000 miles of wear, it does look nicely kept, needing a few minor touch ups to sort some parking scrapes. In its favor, the car comes with all service records since new, only 11,000 miles on a rebuilt engine, and while the seller purchased it in non-running condition, it’s since had new wiring to the harness, battery and starter, chipped ECU, MAF, wideband oxygen sensor, and stainless exhaust.
It’s also said to have had a full complement of suspension, intake, exhaust, shifter, and brake modifications, upgraded stereo, and a crack-free dashboard. The engine does look pretty clean, but shows some bare metal corrosion that suggests salt exposure at some point in the car’s life. Among the issues are non-functioning windows, stereo system troubles, missing sunroof headliner and broken luggage compartment cover strap.
Corrado front seats are currently installed in the car, while the original seats are said to be decent and in storage. The stereo installation won’t be everyone’s taste, particularly where wires are hanging down from the dashboard and door speakers are not subtle, to say the least. The red shift lever, Audi A4 floor mat and carpets pulling away at the sill plates all raise questions, but with a bit of work, it looks like the basics are there. Would you take in this lost child of the 1980s?
Rusty But Trusty 
March 5, 2016 at 5:57 am |
Looks to be a lot to work with here for a nice entry price. A good cleaning up, and undoing of some of the “mods” and this could be a good looking, fun, autocross burner. Finding some new door panels without the extra speaker holes shouldn’t be too hard, although with a little creativity, that entire lower panel could probably be recreated without too much trouble. Those sure are some giant bumpers. But, I dig it.
March 5, 2016 at 5:38 pm |
Nice 16v ! These are becoming a little thin on the streets so seeing one in this condition is nice. Even with mods that dont appeal to everybody it’s obviously been cared for and enjoyed. I don’t know if I would be quick to undo all the changes because it’s kinda awesome in a totally 80’s way. I would go with a different profile tire for sure and de-louver the tail lights but I think some of the other things would grow on me