Manual W8 Passat

[Kees 594]

No Volkswagens have ever really caught my eye except for a select few such as the W8 Passat. While its not a BMW I thought this deserved a special mention due to its rarity and cool factor in the non-BMW section of Bimmersport. 

Anyway, I came across this MANUAL W8 Passat on Facebook MarketPlace. I've kept an eye on W8 Passats for sale for a number of years and I have never seen a manual one come to market in New Zealand. To make this one even more special, its NZ NEW! Whoever ordered it from new must have been quite the baller by going against the grain and ticking the box for a manual. Honestly it would not surprise me if there are less than 5 manual ones in the country. 

The W8 engine is certainly a special one with an extremely unique sound thanks to two VR4 engines mounted at an angle of 74 degrees from each other on a common crankshaft. (shoutout to Wikipedia for the info) 

The W8 Passat is also the only production car to date to have a W8 engine, although other production cars with the W configuration include the Veyron and Chiron with their 8.0 Quad Turbo W16 and a variant of the Continental GT with its 6.0 Bi-Turbo W12. 

Not sure how fun it would be to drive considering its probably quite a heavy engine and it doesn't make much power even though its 4.0L in displacement (only 274hp). Also has 4 motion which would further limit fun. But as a technical marvel, its certainly very interesting. 

Not sure it's worth 15K considering you can get an auto one for like 5K, plus the wheels are absolutely hideous, but I guess seeing as a Veyron is probably $1.5 million, half a Veyron engine and minus a few turbos with a manual gearbox, doesn't sound too bad... 😂

 https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/190639909850553 

(Photos taken from the marketplace ad)

 

Edited October 1, 2021 by Kees

[Breaker 980]

Why would you put those wheels on, they are awful on this car, it’s whole point is understated 

[Kees 594]

1 hour ago, Breaker said:

Why would you put those wheels on, they are awful on this car, it’s whole point is understated 

Completely agree! If I bought that car the first thing I would do about 30 seconds after taking possession is jack it up and put some factory wheels back on! The stock W8 wheels are a really good looking wheel imo. 

[aja540i 1906]

1 hour ago, Breaker said:

Why would you put those wheels on, they are awful on this car, it’s whole point is understated 

Because you still had them from when you sold your Commodore??

[Kees 594]

9 minutes ago, aja540i said:

Because you still had them from when you sold your Commodore??

That is the most accurate statement I have read all day. Pure gold 😂

[KwS 2425]

Cant even advertise it right, its not a bloody V8 at all. The W8s are cool cars, but have some really gross common failures that are a sh*t to fix due to the packaging. Even doing things like changing the air filter is a nightmare due to the cramped engine bay.

[Kees 594]

2 hours ago, KwS said:

Cant even advertise it right, its not a bloody V8 at all. The W8s are cool cars, but have some really gross common failures that are a sh*t to fix due to the packaging. Even doing things like changing the air filter is a nightmare due to the cramped engine bay.

Yeah lol as part of my search for W8 Passats I always do a cheeky "Passat V8" search because there is always at least 1 idiot advertising their one as a V8, thats how I found this one.

And yeah would be a headache to own especially since the engine design and platform is limited to that car. Probably not worth all the fuss for only 270hp unless you are fanatical about one especially since the R36 exists.  

[318Touring 40]

Even the plates give a hint of what's under the bonnet.

 

[Kees 594]

1 hour ago, 318Touring said:

Even the plates give a hint of what's under the bonnet.

 

Its a very clever plate!