The Volkswagen Scirocco is a sport compact car sold in two generations from 1974 to 1992 and in a third from 2008 until 2018, which ended without a successor. It is a three-door hatchback with a front engine and front-wheel drive, named after the Mediterranean wind. Volkswagen began work on it in the early 1970s as a replacement for the ageing Karmann Ghia coupé, using the Golf platform but restyling almost every part in a sleeker, sportier shape by Giorgetto Giugiaro.
Volkswagen Scirocco at a glance
| Maker | Volkswagen |
|---|---|
| Production | 1974–1992; 2008–2018 |
| Internal code (first generation) | Typ 53 |
| Styling | Giorgetto Giugiaro |
| Debut | 1973 Geneva Motor Show |
| On sale | Europe 1974, North America 1975 |
| Bodies | three-door hatchback coupé |
| Engines | four-cylinder 1.1 to 1.7 litres in the first generation |
| GTi | summer 1976, 1.6-litre with mechanical injection, 81 kW (109 hp) |
| Name | the sirocco, a Mediterranean wind |
| Third generation | 2008 to 2018, no successor |
| Special editions | Sidewinder, Champagne Edition, S, Storm |
History of the Volkswagen Scirocco
Volkswagen began work on the car in the early 1970s as the replacement for the Karmann Ghia coupé, designating it the Typ 53. Although the Golf platform underpinned the new Scirocco, almost every part was re-engineered around a new and sleeker shape by Giorgetto Giugiaro. The car debuted at the 1973 Geneva Motor Show and went on sale in Europe in 1974 and in North America in 1975, six months before the Golf, so that any teething troubles could be sorted out before production of the high-volume hatchback began. First-generation cars used four-cylinder engines from 1.1 to 1.6 litres, with a 1.7 for North America, all with a single overhead camshaft and two valves per cylinder.
The shape and the lack of approved rectangular headlights meant that cars imported into the United States had four round headlights, two for low beam and all four for high beam, while European cars with smaller engines often had their two rectangular lights swapped for four round ones to look like the faster models. The European TS version, with 85 PS, was easily told apart from the 50 and 70 PS L and S versions, which had only two rectangular headlights. An automatic transmission arrived in January 1975 and was rare outside North America. The Scirocco GTi went into production in the summer of 1976, before the Golf GTI was unveiled that autumn, with a high-revving 1.6-litre engine of 81 kW (109 hp) and mechanical fuel injection, 175/70HR13 tyres, a larger duckbill spoiler, a red grille frame and ventilated front discs instead of solid ones, plus anti-roll bars front and rear.
Through the life of the Type 53 there were small changes to body and trim: from the 1976 model year a single wiper parking on the passenger side replaced the two-wiper system, along with lighter steering linkage, and air conditioning became an option in Germany in August 1975. From 1978 the separate front side marker and turn signal became a wrap-around orange lens, the B-pillar went from body colour to black and the chrome bumpers with rubber end caps gave way to a one-piece plastic-coated bumper, and in 1979 the one-piece flag mirrors became a two-piece shrouded design. Special variants included the Sidewinder, Sidewinder II, Champagne Edition, Champagne Edition II and S, and a run of 250 Storm cars in each of two colours. In Japan the Scirocco was sold from 1976 through the Yanase dealerships, at first as the TS with the 1.5-litre engine, and the second generation arrived in March 1981 in Europe. The third generation of 2008 ran until 2018 and ended without a replacement.
Design and features
- Giugiaro shape: a sleeker body than the Golf on the same platform.
- Before the Golf: on sale six months earlier so that faults could be found first.
- GTi of 1976: 109 hp and mechanical injection, predating the Golf GTI.
- Limited editions: Sidewinder, Champagne Edition, S and Storm versions.
- Three generations: 1974–1992 and 2008–2018, the last without a successor.
Volkswagen Scirocco versions
- Scirocco Mk1 (1974–1981): the Giugiaro car on the Golf platform.
- Scirocco GTi (1976): the 109 hp injected version.
- Special editions: Sidewinder, Champagne Edition, S and Storm.
- Scirocco Mk2 (1981–1992): the second generation.
- Scirocco Mk3 (2008–2018): the modern coupé.
The Scirocco replaced the Karmann Ghia coupé and shared its platform with the Golf. More cars are in the Volkswagen collection.
Video: 2014 VW Scirocco R – Fahrbericht
Video by Ausfahrt.tv on YouTube.
Sources
- Volkswagen Scirocco, English Wikipedia: origins, launch, GTi, running changes, generations
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