Turn Signals and Side Markers

In the United States, the Department of Transporation (DOT) mandated certain items that had to be fitted to the Corrado when imported to North America. The US Spec Corrado differed in many ways both mechanically and in its outward appearance to its European equivalent.

One of those mandates was the installation of colored turn signal lenses and side markers. The DOT specified that those lights be colored Yellow/Orange to distinguish these lights from the other driving lights, fog lights, Headlights or markers. It is as if the DOT felt drivers won't know what direction a car is travelling without certain colored lights. White lights in front, yellow lights on the side and turn signals, and red lights on the back.  

Of course, drivers really don't need colored lights to help them determine which direction a car is travelling. 

To reverse this silliness, I set out on a quest to acquire some of the European alternatives to return my Corrado to its original appearance as the German designers intended. This would mean replacing those silly front turn signals and side markers with clear lenses. The OEM orange lenses clash with the overall color scheme and cause visual tension. They didn't match and seemed misplaced in an otherwise cohesive design. The orange lenses unbalanced the uniformity of appearance. 

When I set forth to find a source for these lenses, I realized that the front turn signals are difficult to procure and  expensive. The side markers I discovered are no longer available--even in Europe. 

However, I was fortunate. I sourced the front turn signal lenses from a

 fellow Corrado enthusiast in San Diego. He was gracious enough to send them to me as he already had another vehicle and no longer needed them. 

The sidemarkers were another challenge. By chance, my brother has a friend who fabricates VW replica parts. The Corrado turn signals just happen to be one of the products he was product testing. At the time, these weren't in production and could not be purchased. So I felt fortunate to acquire them. The prototypes fit perfectly and utilized a completely different bulb which was supplied. 

The removal of the orange lenses resulted in a more cohesive appearance. This is what the Corrado was intended to look like when it originally left the Karman Coach Builders factory in Germany.