Volkswagen has endlessly tried (still is) to replicate the brilliant success of the gen1 Scirocco. Ironic too, since they can’t really take full credit for its existence. Success has many fathers, but VW’s paternity is limited to lending its new Golf’s genes; a sperm donor of sorts. It took a bit more to actually develop and put the Scirocco into production, some major risk taking on the part of its progenitors. The Scirocco is one of the most compelling examples of how the world was very different then: while Detroit was padding vinyl for landau roofs and Broughams, the Europeans were folding steel into some of the most brilliant designs ever. At least some of them made it here, thankfully. In the case of the Scirocco, it was a close call.
We covered VW’s protracted labors that finally birthed the Golf here. What is often lost in that story is how the Scirocco came to be, or almost didn’t. Giorgetto Giugiaro had the contract to design the original Golf, and approached VW’s board about a sporty coupe version. Given that he already had a very similarly sized coupe on the drawing boards for Alfa (see related Alfasud Sprint post), that certainly made sense. And Karman certainly saw the light at the end of the Ghia tunnel.
At least according to this (German language) source, the VW board turned down the sporty coupe proposal, given the company’s very precarious state at the time. And accordingly, Karmann fully took on the risk and investment of the Scirocco’s development costs. Karmann did need to keep their factory humming, which was always a challenge that finally overtook the firm in 2009. Since its bankruptcy, it’s a de-facto protectorate of VW. And now VW owns Giugiaro’s Ital Design. The days of the small independents is waning. But in 1974, the results were brilliant.
Another little detail that’s often overlooked too is that the original European Scirocco had large rectangular headlights, perhaps to distinguish it a bit from the very similar Alfasud Sprint? Or too replicate the Passat’s look? But the most significant of the Scirocco’s milestones is that it appeared some six months before its donor Golf, in Europe anyway.
I remember vividly reading auto motor und sport’s excited review of the new Scirocco, not so much for what it was on its own terms, but in that it was the ultimate sneak preview of the upcoming Golf, itself the most anticipated car of the times. And the press was most encouraging indeed: the Scirocco’s handling chops were there from day one, even if its performance potential was still a couple of years off.
I don’t remember ams using the Das Skateboard to describe the Scirocco’s love of carving, but it seems that everyone ever since has. Is there another competitor to having that analogy used so consistently? It does it justice, especially from the perspective of the times. The whole “hot-hatch” segment hadn’t really been properly birthed yet, and except for the original Mini’s inadvertent handling prowess and perhaps the Fiat 128, most FWD small cars up to that point were more about practicality, function and even comfort, like the Simca 1204. Of course there were exceptions, like the Saab Sonnet, but that was hardly mainstream.
The Scirocco previewed the Golf formula, that would soon be replicated endlessly across the globe: struts in front, a twist-beam semi-independent rear suspension with coils, and of course the transverse engine-transmission layout. Lower the body (and center of gravity) a bit, stir in a dash of suspension firmness, and you have a skateboard. Just supply a bit of extra kick, unless you had the right engine available. In Europe, there were always choices. In the US, not so much so.
If you had strong (European) legs, you could get a Scirocco came with the 50 hp 1.1 L EA111 four from Audi 50. The EA827 was available in 70 and 85 hp 1.5 L trims, the top version being reserved for the TS model, which also carried the tell-tale round headlights. The 85 hp was pretty zingy for the times (0-60 in 11.0 sec) , and a nice preview of coming (GTI) attractions. In the US, only the 70 hp version made the EPA cut, with its problematic carburetor. That makes the ’75 versions less than ideal. Road & Track’s ’75 took 12.7 seconds for the zero to sixty. But help was just a phone call to Robert Bosch away.
A larger 1588 cc engine fitted with the injection not only upped the rating ti 76 hp, but made a world of difference in its driveability. The Scirocco had arrived, and it arrived at sixty in 10.5 seconds (Road Test). Pretty heady stuff for the times, considering that while German cars were improving their performance in the mid-late seventies, American cars were totally losing theirs.
Unfortunately, the brilliant 110 hp European GTI version of the 1.6 motor, that appeared in the Scirocco for the 1977 MY (over there), never made it stateside. It has to be the ultimate VW of that whole era. We paid quite a price for our clean air, and when the Federalized 1.8 L GTI finally appeared with all of 90 hp, it was too late for the gen 1 Scirocco, which ended its career with the 1981 MY.
Of course, that’s all largely irrelevant now, since EA827 swaps of every possible permutation have been SOP for VW enthusiasts for decades. This particular Scirocco has a 1.8 SOHC, and with a few mods to give it a nice snarl but its a totally tractable daily driver. The enthusiasm for these cars is still high, but its low roof makes it something I’m now more inclined to enjoy mentally from the outside. That gives quite a bit of scope, as I never get tired of letting my eyes glide over the lines of that superb folded-origami style that Giugiario perfected. That’s hardly the the case for its unloved successor (designed by VW itself). Some things are just irreplicable.
This was an abolutely beautiful car. So simple and done so well. The only thing I would have changed if I could would be the amount of front overhang.
One of my roommates in Colorado had one his parents bought him back in 1978. It seemed to me at the time to be an expensive car he had some problems with regarding it’s transmission. My other roommate at the time had a Saab sedan, so considering my old Valiant roots, both cars were heads and shoulders above what I experienced on the road. Both the Scirocco and the Saab were outstanding vehicles, especially for racing around the back roads of the Rockies.
I was especially shocked at how roomy and breezy the little VW was. With the huge sun roof, racing around on a sunny day was “geil”.
A beautiful car that VW wasn’t had much success replicating.
My college roommate had one in the early 80′s (probably a 79′ or so). It was one sexy ride and a kick to drive.
Road Test Magazine’s first test (1975) of the Rabbit and Scirocco concluded that the Rabbit offered better handling. Their Rabbit had higher cornering limits and was more controllable due to a better driving position. The Scirocco, ironically, got better gas mileage, if I recall correctly.
I miss Road Test magazine. They had the courage to call the Mercedes Benz 450SLC a “Mercedes Thunderbird”, or to compare a Rolls Royce, unfavourably, to a Pontiac, during the same period that Road and Track was getting all dizzy and breathless in its praise for the Chevy Monza
Someone here in Tawas has one almost identical to this one. It shows up around town every summer. It’s a sharp little ride…
My first car was a 1980 Scirocco. God I loved that car. I want to find another one someday, but put in a proper modern engine and transmission.
When I was about 9 or 10 there were no Sciroccos anywhere to be seen. But there where rumors. Us boys being fans of German cars were sure to spot out every Bug and Rabbit around. One day we saw a Scirocco in a parking lot. We nearly bowed before it in auto-adoration.
Much later in life I finally owned a Scirocco. I did all sorts of mods and upgrades to it. It was a great car and most of my most frightening driving moments happened in it.
I will never forget rounding a 90 degree, 25mph corner at about 60mph and the look I saw on my friend’s face. I was showing off as usual and came into the corner far to fast. By the time I realized that fact it was far to late. As we started to plow strait toward the curb I looked over and saw my friend in the passenger seat. he was holding onto the dash with white knuckles and his face was the color of this webpage. I knew I was going to strike the curb but decided to try and power out anyways. I pointed the front wheels the direction I wanted to go and planted the gas pedal. To our shock we missed the curb, must have been by an inch. The tail swung around and kissed the curb and then swung back, I counter steered, pedal still floored and we came out strait and alive.
I drove that car until it began to smoke like a Siberian chimney and then I traded it strait across for a rusty 1968 IH Scout. I still love that car, but I would never buy another.
I always wanted a ’79 Scirocco, never got one, but I did buy a new 1987 16v Scirocco. A really great driving experience, IMHO the last great VW.
I sold the Scirocco because our family was growing and we needed a 4 door, so I bought the first US Passat, then 2 more Passat GLXs, wagon and sedan, and a 2001 Jetta. All progressively crappier.
I always wanted one of those. Sigh….
My first girlfriend had one of these… in fact it was this very ugly brown colour — how 70s to use crap brown paint on a sporty/performance, right?
IIRC, it was a go-cart, but I can vouch for the cranky or lacklustre carb — but boy oh boy….I think I can actually thankful for that crappy carb as I believe I learned alot more when we were standing still
C’mon VW, get on with it & put together a new one !!!
For what it’s worth, here it is:
http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/volkswagen/scirocco-2008/
Bloat Much?
Several of my friends had these back in the day. My one buddy got one after his Fiat X1/9 gave out. He got whatever year was the first for fuel injection. It was generally a pretty nice little car, but the FI wasn’t too great and it made an immigrant Iranian mechanic a pretty nice living keeping it running. However, it was a much better runner than another friend’s Scirocco, that one had the carb and unending drivability issues. Just like my uncles and cousins contemporary Audis, I always liked the styling and overall handling of these cars. I just never wanted to own one. I was waiting for something called a GTI. But, by then, gasoline was cheap and I went right for the V8′s.
My roommate had a green one 78-79 i believe. It was so different from my ride 79 Cutlass Supreme Brougham we would swap rides if he wanted to impress a girl, 1st gear would stick and I’d take off in 2nd. It was very fun to drive. My Olds was black over silver with pinstripe black n grey seats,smooth gilded and cool it attracted attention everywhere. The VDub was sporty in every since, Racing green with tan pleather,5 speed,quick. European car drivers would nod approvingly at stoplights.Detroit in the early 80s was beginning to change…
I had a silver gen. 1 scirrocco. I wish I still had it!
The first new car I ever bought was a 1981 Scirocco in Brazil Brown Metallic – just like the one at the top of this article. God how I loved that car – I would often just stand and stare at it for 10 minutes after parking it in the garage
. Sad but true. It was simply an incredibly beautiful object.
It wasn’t the most trouble free car of course, and over the years I spent a small fortune in maintenance and repairs – electrical system, fuel system, CV joints, head gasket. I never sold it, but sadly it disappeared from in front of the house one night in September 1998, and never reappeared. With no rust and only about 160 000 km on the clock, I often wonder if it got chopped or exported (not uncommon in those days in Vancouver BC).
Wolfi, come home!
I owned ’78 and ’81 Sciroccos, the latter was a five-speed with slightly uprated power. Loved those cars, pure style and tossable fun, yet practical, with a hatch and the fuel injection that started it like a shot in the grim depths of a Northern Alberta (Canada) winter. I drove a tuner version in Germany also, even better. The only problem I ever had were those durn CV joints. The Sciroccos actually withstood our nasty rough roads better than the Audi 90 I drove for years afterwards.
Those cars, the original Golf and Scirocco, won the world for VW. After that, the bloat and world-car-itis set in, I suppose it was inevitable: you could just hear the North American dealers: “just make it a little bigger, a little cheaper”, a little whatever, and then it was gone. The Corrado was very nice, but a bit too expensive for the original Scirocco crowd. The only recent VW to recapture that old black magic was the Jetta IV, my son has one.
You all are forgetting the Scirocco’s finest hour: Ripping through a shopping mall full of zombies in George Romero’s classic Dawn of the Dead.
Maybe not as iconic as the Mustang in Bullitt, but it’s a start.
Forgot about that one…! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y548HsgOznY&feature=youtube_gdata_player
I’m sure there’s a story about how that VW ended up in the movie. Romero did everything on the cheap (the whole movie cost a half a million dollars, or about what Tom Cruise makes in a long afternoon) so it was probably his mother-in-law’s car or something. Maybe a local VW dealer lent it to him in the belief that people would see the film and automatically associate Volkswagens with a speedy way to outwit the undead.