The association of a brand with some sort of designer label is one of the more curious marketing exercises to emerge from the world of automaker and brand collaborations. This 1993 Volkswagen Cabriolet is one of just a few hundred made as an Etienne Aigner special edition. While entirely cosmetic in nature, these packages did yield pretty cars. Find this example here on craigslist for $5,500 in Florida.
Supposedly only 399 “Bordeaux Red” cars were sent to the U.S., which featured this unique matching cloth interior, along with a burgundy top. Mileage is low on this car at just 73,500, which explains why it remains so nice. With the Florida location in mind, there’s a chance this belonged to a snowbird or was used solely in Florida’s more seasonal fall and winter climates.
This MK2 Cabriolets are among the best looking versions of VW’s classic drop-top. The quad headlight grill, deeply bolstered bucket seats, and just-right proportions have made it into an icon of sorts among VW’s many years of producing soft-top variants of its most popular cars. This one shows no obvious sun or water, and the rare dress-up kit makes it a standout.
The seller’s asking price of $5,500 seems reasonable for a Cabriolet in such nice shape with the rare trim package some extra icing on the cake. The manual transmission is nice to see, as nothing spells “chick car” quite like a VW convertible with an automatic. If the seller provides records or some context on recent maintenance, this one has “buy” all over it. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Sunshine for the find.
Very nice. They had air bags in the US?! We didn’t over here.
Out of interest did they have air con too?
For passenger cars, driver side airbags effectively became mandatory in the US in mid 1989. Basically anything model year 1990 or newer had them in the US. For trucks its 1997.
As far as A/C goes… not sure on this specific car, but it was definitely available in VW Cabs. I don’t think there has been a mass produced model without it at least being available in the US since the late 70’s. I’m thinking maybe the 1980 MGB? Not exactly sure, but you would eliminate well over half of your market (the south and west) if it wasn’t available.
Note, the ad says this is a ’91 not a ’93.
This car very likely has AC. My ’92 Wolfsburg Cabriolet in the same bordeaux red is equipped with AC and heated seats.
These Etienne Aigner edition cars have upholstery which is not the most sturdy. Whoever buys this needs to take special care as it’s pretty much unobtanium to repair/replace.
Really fun reliable cars.
Interesting, thanks .. I love these.
Always wanted a Rivage version they did in the U.K.
They were not fitted with airbags here, even 92 ish when they stopped. No air con ever either I think I am right in saying.
The Walrus, technically it is not true that cars had to have airbags.
Cars did need to have a passive restraint system and some cars companies opted for the motorized seat belt system in place of the air bag.
That’s an Mk 1 Cabrio. Cabriolet was only built on Mk 1 and 3 chassis.
That’s lunch money for this. I can’t think of a better investment for a convertible.
why? really curious.
I agree with DRV. Someone jump on this. It’s too far away for me.
As for it being a “chick car,” when a person gets to a certain point in life, you just frankly don’t give a rats patoot what anyone thinks. I’d stuff my 6’2″ 190# body into this one for sure. Heck, I sold my 911 Turbo and drive a ’67 Beetle, plus enjoy it more, unquestionably. Having experience with 3 Rabbits, that would be an incentive to buy this, not a dissuading factor. The ’79 I drove ’til it had almost 500k rounds on the clock, and even then I only sold it because post-college, a new car was a viable option.
My wife and I have owned an ’87 model since new. These are great cars that are easy to work on and a lot of fun to drive. Ours is an automatic, but I’ve never been so insecure that I would be worried it was considered a “chick car.” I even bought back the salvage and rebuilt it after it was stolen in 1991.
The odometer gear on these cars break easily, so I would try to verify the mileage through records and general condition of the vehicle. These cars are very sensitive to bad grounds, so it’s worth taking the time to clean, tighten and/or replace them on a regular basis. Ours has had a tendency to eat front wheel bearings, but I haven’t had that issue with other Mk1s that I have owned. Could be the automatic; could be the extra weight of the Cabriolet; not sure… It’s also getting a little hard to find decent tires in the correct 185/60-14 size.
Any Cabriolet owner or prospective owner should familiarize themselves with the website http://www.cabby-info.com There is a great deal of knowledge to be learned there.