One beauty of Colorado junkyards is you can nonetheless discover examples of long-forgotten four- or all-wheel-drive automobiles as you stroll their rows. Keep in mind the Toyota Previa All-Trac? Simply noticed one with a 5-speed. The Mercury Topaz AWD? Nonetheless reveals up within the Denver boneyards. The bewildering Eagle Summit AWD? Actually. The strange-O Nissan Stanza 4WD wagon? Hai! Each outdoorsy Subaru you possibly can ever think about? In fact! Volkswagen acquired into the AWD sport fairly early right here, quickly after the AMC Eagle offered higher than anticipated and Audi developed the Quattro system, with the Passat wagon getting a Quattro drivetrain beginning in 1984. You possibly can get a type of automobiles on this aspect of the Atlantic, for just some years, and I’ve discovered a uncommon ’87 GL5 in Denver.
The North American-market Passat was often known as the Dasher (1974-1981) after which the Quantum (1982-1989), previous to getting the European identify over right here. The GL5 model of the Quantum acquired the Audi five-cylinder engine.
Nevertheless, all US-market Quantum Syncro Wagons acquired this five-cylinder engine, so the trim-level badging appears redundant (although it is sensible on the sedan model, for which the 5-banger was an extra-cost choice). This one made 115 horsepower when new.
Audis have at all times required conscientious upkeep, so those that get abused and/or uncared for have a tendency to finish up discarded earlier than their time. This automobile made it previous the 150,000-mile mark, which is respectable by mid-Eighties requirements. Quantum Syncro house owners appear to like their automobiles, and so I do discover the occasional junkyard instance with amazingly excessive last mileage studying (although nothing approaching what Eighties diesel Mercedes-Benzes get).
Have a look at that, a five-speed handbook transmission to go together with that Syncro-badged-Quattro drivetrain! In contrast to the Toyota, Honda, and Subaru four-wheel-drive wagons of this period, this automobile has a real full-time all-wheel-drive system that requires no driver enter when switching from the slippery stuff to dry pavement. As soon as Subaru went to true AWD a couple of years later (and AWD on all US-market automobiles beginning in 1996), gross sales skyrocketed in Colorado.
It seems that Curbside Classics acquired to this automobile earlier than I did (I believe Jim Klein and I photographed it days aside), and you’ll be taught much more about it right here.
