One great detail about Colorado junkyards is that you can nevertheless obtain examples of lengthy-neglected four- or all-wheel-generate vehicles as you walk their rows. Keep in mind the Toyota Previa All-Trac? Just spotted just one with a 5-velocity. The Mercury Topaz AWD? Still shows up in the Denver boneyards. The bewildering Eagle Summit AWD? Definitely. The odd-O Nissan Stanza 4WD wagon? Hai! Every single outdoorsy Subaru you could ever picture? Of training course! Volkswagen received into the AWD game really early right here, before long following the AMC Eagle offered much better than predicted and Audi formulated the Quattro method, with the Passat wagon obtaining a Quattro drivetrain starting in 1984. You could get 1 of all those automobiles on this side of the Atlantic, for just a handful of several years, and I have discovered a unusual ’87 GL5 in Denver.
The North American-marketplace Passat was acknowledged as the Dasher (1974-1981) and then the Quantum (1982-1989), prior to finding the European identify about in this article. The GL5 edition of the Quantum acquired the Audi 5-cylinder engine.
Nevertheless, all US-industry Quantum Syncro Wagons received this 5-cylinder motor, so the trim-level badging would seem redundant (though it helps make perception on the sedan model, for which the 5-banger was an more-expense possibility). This a single created 115 horsepower when new.
Audis have generally essential conscientious servicing, so the types that get abused and/or neglected are inclined to stop up discarded in advance of their time. This motor vehicle designed it earlier the 150,000-mile mark, which is decent by mid-1980s requirements. Quantum Syncro proprietors seem to be to appreciate their autos, and so I do discover the occasional junkyard instance with astonishingly high closing mileage reading (although practically nothing approaching what 1980s diesel Mercedes-Benzes get).
Search at that, a 5-velocity guide transmission to go with that Syncro-badged-Quattro drivetrain! Not like the Toyota, Honda, and Subaru four-wheel-push wagons of this era, this vehicle has a authentic entire-time all-wheel-travel technique that demands no driver input when switching from the slippery stuff to dry pavement. After Subaru went to legitimate AWD a handful of several years later on (and AWD on all US-current market automobiles starting in 1996), revenue skyrocketed in Colorado.
It appears that Curbside Classics bought to this car just before I did (I imagine Jim Klein and I photographed it times apart), and you can find out even far more about it in this article.