Volkswagen Scirocco Mk2 | Spotted
Here's a blast of super-cool wind from the past...
Now, some (many) people have said that I am full of hot air. I am not sure if they meant metaphorically, in that I talk a lot of guff, or literally, but, you know what? I do talk a lot of guff and I like baked beans – and we’ve all seen the camp-fire scene in Blazing Saddles to know what they do to your constitution. The truth it’s probably both, then, but when it comes to hot air, I am certainly partial to a Volkswagen Scirocco. If you’re like me, you’ll have a collection of cars in your head that you always thought you would own at some point, but, somehow, the stars haven’t aligned. Well, this is one of those for me.
While I admired the later Corrado, it never really grabbed me like the Mk2 Scirocco did. The Mk2 looked fantastic from the moment it appeared in 1981 and was still looking tidy when, over a decade later, production ended after a near-300,000-unit run. And unlike all the cars that seemed pretty in their day but look ungainly now, the Scirocco still hasn’t succumbed to the ravages of time. It’s never looked anything other than sensational. Just look at it for a moment: do you, like me, see the silhouette of a DeLorean in there? Just without the flappy doors and a flux capacitor? Is this one taking you blissfully back to 1985? It is me.
Weirdly, despite the uncanny resemblance to the DeLorean, the Mk2 wasn’t styled by Giugiaro. Giugiaro penned the Mk1 Scirocco, but in the early 80s Herbert Schäfer was installed as the head of Volkswagen’s newly formed design studio at Wolfsburg. Rumour has it he didn’t much appreciate Giugiaro’s original effort so he decided to pen the Mk2 himself. Like the Mk1, production continued over at Karmann, but the Mk2 was a big improvement over the original in a few areas. It was much more refined, had more passenger space, a bigger boot and it slipped through the air better, thanks to its lower drag coefficient.
While it’s a mini-DeLorean to look at, finding bits will be a hell of a lot easier than it is for anyone with one of those stainless steel rarities. Underneath the Scirocco’s sexy lines sits the everyday front-wheel-drive A1 platform and running gear from the Mk1 Golf GTI. As a result, you’ll almost certainly be able to keep this Scirocco going for buttons. Fair enough, we’re talking the price of antique silver buttons, but if it needs a new exhaust, Euro Car Parts will sell you a centre section for £80. A clutch or an alternator is less than a tonne, too, while a new radiator is your for under forty quid.
Because it’s Mk1 Golf GTI underneath, it’s also a proper car to drive. By modern standards the Scirocco weighs about the same as a handful of fabric buttons, so it’s as agile as an in-form winger. This also means it doesn’t need bundles of power to feel peppy. Even though this isn’t one of the most powerful 16-valve iterations, its 112hp, roused by a five-speed gearbox, is plenty – providing it hasn’t lost too many horses over the years, we’re talking rest to sixty in about eight seconds. That's all you need really.
So, let’s reflect on this for a minute: what you are getting here is DeLorean looks and Mk1 Golf GTI performance and handling. Yet, as it’s not a DeLorean or a Mk1 Golf GTI, this car’s yours for less than half the price of a half-decent Mk1 GTI. Just under £8,000, which is remarkable when you think it’s usually the coupé versions of something that have everyone clamouring. It does rather make me feel that the Scirocco is undervalued, and the market may well wake up to that at some point in the future. If it does, that'll leave the buyer of this one sitting as pretty as the car does. Being a GTX it comes with all the right bits and bobs, including the tasteful rubber wheel arch and sill extensions, a chin spoiler at the front spoiler and spoiler on the boot to balance that out. The alloys look the part, too, as do the bolstered seats with stripped inserts. From the photos, it all looks like it’s in smart order as well.
According to the advert it’s just had a service, cam belt, water pump and tyres, which points to it being mechanically sound, and it comes with an MOT well into next year. I had a trawl through this car’s MOT history, and I think there’s potentially more good news lurking there. Back in 2016, at 114,000 miles, the car failed its MOT on a few items, but the list of advisories was eye-opening – it read like the terms and conditions for a nuclear sub. Many of those things were still being reported on in 2018, but since then the list has been cut to couple of easy fixes. Now, call me Sherlock, but that points to all the work being done. So, to sum up, then: here’s an often-overlooked car that’s based on a very sought after car that looks like a rare, 80s supercar. And it appears to be in fine fettle. I don’t know about you, but in my book that means it has an awful lot going for it.
Specification | Volkswagen Scirocco 1.8 GTX
Engine: 1,781cc, four cylinders, naturally aspirated
Transmission: 5-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 112 @ 5,800rpm
Torque (lb ft): 111 @ 3,500rpm
MPG: N/A
CO2: N/A
First registered: 1985
Recorded mileage: 124,000
Price new: N/A
Yours for: £7,995
£8k puts you well into the territory for much more interesting things. An excellent 924s would be about the same mark, or a half-decent 944 for that matter.
I hear it said all the time but the prices of the 'featured' cars on here are often nuts. Advertorial in disguise I sometimes wonder.
Brakes were made of chocolate
Massive boot and tiny rear seating area
Handled nicely
Not particularly quick but really enjoyed my time with it.
Looked like this one
https://www.carandclassic.com/car/C1465972
t. £8k puts you well into the territory for much more interesting things. An excellent 924s would be about the same mark, or a half-decent 944 for that matter.
The folks I bought it from spent a fortune on it, twin webers, balances to 7k, quaife lad. 1/2 Ss cage, oil cooler etc.
It was quicker than the e39 535i I had at the same time, unless you wanted to stop, then it was quite a bit slower...
The lines have stood up to the test of time pretty well, I think.
The era of very shiny steering wheels & no PAS.
IIRC, the Corrado was a much better take - they made the two concurrently.
Comparisons with the Corrado are interesting- I seem to recall that VW carried on making Sciroccos after the Corrado was announced because there was so much demand for the older car. That may have just been rumour though.
I know we are in a crazy world at the moment but it does not seem that long ago that this would have been a £1500 car, I think for £8k I would buy a Corrado.
IMO the Mk2 is a better car overall though, more comfortable, better interior - much in the same way as a Mk1 v Mk2 Golf.
And whatever you think of the asking price, it is considerably better value than an equivalent Golf GTi.
Forums | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff