Minneapolis Street Sighting: Volkswagen Quantum

Growing up in the early 1990s, Volkswagens other than the common Jettas, Golfs and classic Beetles were pretty scarce to me; maybe it had something to do with the fact that I lived in Northeast Kansas, but I never saw many VWs outside of those three nameplates. As I got older, though, I began to notice a variety of Volkswagens I hadn't seen before. I've heard of them, yes, but it wasn't until much later that I knew much about them.
I've been a longtime staunch fan of the Volkswagen Passat, and it remains one of my favorite Volkswagens to this day. In 2012, a multitude of versions are--unfortunately all sedan because Americans apparently don't understand the concept--or the ideology-- behind a good station wagon.
Originally offered in both a sedan and a wagon, the Quantum offered something that only Subaru and the more copact Toyota Tercel and Honda Civic wagons had at the time; 4 wheel drive. Sure, it was available on Audis too. but they were much more expensive that even the Quantum.
 In 1990, the Quantum finally became known as the Passat in the US, like it had been known as outside of the US; the rest is history, and proof that once you stick to a good name, do not change it. Volkswagen seemed to have forgotten that when they horribly attempted to rebadge the Golf as the Rabbit once again. I would laugh if VW renamed the Passat the Quantum again after its next redesign.


I've always been a fan of obscure German cars--obscure cars in general, too, but.. hey.. who's counting. I don't think I have ever seen a Quantum in recent memory on the road; the only one that stands out was spotted in U-Pull-It a few years ago in the wintertime--and that one was a wagon. I don't think I've ever seen a sedan, so this one was a treat for me. Parked in a shitty neighborhood that also housed random GM H-bodies, I had to do a double-take to be sure I was, indeed, seeing a Volkswagen Quantum.
As far as niceties go, I have no idea how this one fares; its the first one I've seen, and it's in okay shape; obviously the paint isn't terribly glossy, and it has a few nicks and scrapes here and there, but its over 25 years old. What Minnesota vehicle won't show signs of age by then? Although, I can't bash it too much, this is a decent example. The wheels are still the factory wheels and all the trim is there.
One thing interesting that I noticed about all sorts of VWs is that before the days of the S, SE, SEL nomenclature, there were numbers designating special features. This particular car is badged as a Quantum GL-5, signifying the number of gears in the manual transmission. It also sports styled wheels similar to those on the much-loved GTi, once again signifying the GL-5 as the most sporting of the Quantum line. A sports car it obviously is not, but a sporty car it is--for 1980s standards. I guess the modern equivalent is the VW CC R-Line with a stick? I guess once a sporty four-door always a sporty four-door.
This is honestly one of the more mundane vehicles I've shot, blogged, and written about, but I guess since I'm a closet VW fanatic, it only makes sense, right? After it, this thing does count as a classic--and it isn't hellaflush or stanced either, thus rendering it one more stock Volkswagen roaming Minneapolis' streets.