RE: Shed of the Week: VW Scirocco
Discussion
I've had two - a 1984 GTI which was a great car, I really loved the way it handled and went and it had no unnecessary frippery or bodykit tolug round. Fantastic car. Like this, in this colour:
Also had the cool SCIROCCO across the rear window
The second one I had was a 1.8 carburettor Scala with 90hp (I think). It was nothing like the GTI. It was soft and rolled and the engine just felt lethargic.
I decided to make it look like a Burago toy car and this is how it ended up (actual car). The funny thing was that it had obviously had a nudge, at some point as someone had replaced the number plate so it said 225 on the front and 255 on the back and only years later did I spot in in photos.
Anyway, I sold it to some guy who i believe sprayed it back to the original colour, including the awful silver and red wheels.
The overall point here is that you should never confuse a cooking VW with a GTI. Two different animals.
Also had the cool SCIROCCO across the rear window
The second one I had was a 1.8 carburettor Scala with 90hp (I think). It was nothing like the GTI. It was soft and rolled and the engine just felt lethargic.
I decided to make it look like a Burago toy car and this is how it ended up (actual car). The funny thing was that it had obviously had a nudge, at some point as someone had replaced the number plate so it said 225 on the front and 255 on the back and only years later did I spot in in photos.
Anyway, I sold it to some guy who i believe sprayed it back to the original colour, including the awful silver and red wheels.
The overall point here is that you should never confuse a cooking VW with a GTI. Two different animals.
Edited by LuS1fer on Friday 10th August 19:15
Few years ago went to see a Scirocco with a mate, saw the ad in the back of a paper and went up to see it in Glasgow, was a Mk1 storm. When we got there we got the story, was her husbands hed wanted a wee treat and bought it new cash. he had it a week and dropped dead with a heart attack, his widow kept it in the garage for years and years. only ever took it out for an mot and service and couldn't bear to sell it, anyways she was going to a nursing home, none of the kids wanted it and put it up for sale.
mate bought it, smelled like a new car was less than 1500 miles on the clock and was mint. this was back in 2016 that he got it. Absolute time machine. lovely it was.
mate bought it, smelled like a new car was less than 1500 miles on the clock and was mint. this was back in 2016 that he got it. Absolute time machine. lovely it was.
kambites said:
Some of VWs RHD conversions were properly hokey in those days. 
I didn't know. I've seen some 1970s and 1980s and even early 1990s AMC and Jeep RHD conversions that made me laugh, but that VW one was new to me. I've little experience with VW That said, it's no worse than RHD Jeep YJ Wranglers cracking their chassis because of shifting the pedal box at the docks!
ruggedscotty said:
Few years ago went to see a Scirocco with a mate, saw the ad in the back of a paper and went up to see it in Glasgow, was a Mk1 storm. When we got there we got the story, was her husbands hed wanted a wee treat and bought it new cash. he had it a week and dropped dead with a heart attack, his widow kept it in the garage for years and years. only ever took it out for an mot and service and couldn't bear to sell it, anyways she was going to a nursing home, none of the kids wanted it and put it up for sale.
mate bought it, smelled like a new car was less than 1500 miles on the clock and was mint. this was back in 2016 that he got it. Absolute time machine. lovely it was.
Great story, although with unfortunate circumstances for some there.mate bought it, smelled like a new car was less than 1500 miles on the clock and was mint. this was back in 2016 that he got it. Absolute time machine. lovely it was.
The only mk1 Sciroccos I've ever looked at in the past were rotten, so he's very fortunate to land himself a mint mk1 Storm (my dream car when I was starting out on the roads)!
What did he pay for it?
Wow this is my old car . Was lovely when I had it and still looks great . When I bought it I was the 3rd owner first was a female lawyer and the rear seats had never been used . The second only had it for a few years unused in his garage .
When I got the car I got not even 5 miles and broke down . Luckily I made the 30 mile drive home to find the fuel system full of crap , so it was all redone by myself . A little tune up and I would say it was good for another 170000 .
When I got the car I got not even 5 miles and broke down . Luckily I made the 30 mile drive home to find the fuel system full of crap , so it was all redone by myself . A little tune up and I would say it was good for another 170000 .
I had a 1983 1.8 GTi, and loved it. To this day, best car I've ever owned. More fun than my Clio 182. Why? Charismatic famous 1781cc engine, and very low slung driving position. Much lower than a modern Scirocco, or BMW 1 series coupe.
Legendary 1980s VW bullet proof build quality means it is one of the few modern classics I'd happily buy again. Felt unbreakable, despite weighing only 925kg - another reason why it was such fun.
Some have mentioned RHD compromises. I can confirm this was true. Unlike the later GTXi, my GTi had just one windscreen wiper which missed most of the top right (driver's side) corner, and swept all the way across the left. Basically, they just left LHD wiper on the RHD cars, reducing driver's side visibility by around 20%. Also, many 1980s Vee Dubs kept the brake servo in front of the passenger side (LHD driver's side) and just attached an elongated rig up all the way across to the driver's side. So, when you pressed the brake pedal, the money saving lash up made it very difficult to judge how much welly to give the brake pedal, causing reduced pedal feel.
Weirdly, the car also suffered from slight oversteer, despite being FWD. I actually liked this, though
Legendary 1980s VW bullet proof build quality means it is one of the few modern classics I'd happily buy again. Felt unbreakable, despite weighing only 925kg - another reason why it was such fun.
Some have mentioned RHD compromises. I can confirm this was true. Unlike the later GTXi, my GTi had just one windscreen wiper which missed most of the top right (driver's side) corner, and swept all the way across the left. Basically, they just left LHD wiper on the RHD cars, reducing driver's side visibility by around 20%. Also, many 1980s Vee Dubs kept the brake servo in front of the passenger side (LHD driver's side) and just attached an elongated rig up all the way across to the driver's side. So, when you pressed the brake pedal, the money saving lash up made it very difficult to judge how much welly to give the brake pedal, causing reduced pedal feel.
Weirdly, the car also suffered from slight oversteer, despite being FWD. I actually liked this, though
Jimmy Recard said:
Haddock82 said:
Also the clutch cable has to cross over the entire engine bay to the gearbox on the N/S of the vehicle, which results in the clutch cable eventually chewing its way through the bulkhead....!
Wow, proper amazing design from Volkswagen. Nice to see some consistency, at least. But that must be the silliest design fault I've heard until now!Edited by Haddock82 on Friday 10th August 18:15
The E39 and E60 5 Series, I’m sure the wipers still go the ‘wrong’ way on them.
I have a 1982 1.5CL here that I am going to break for spares. I got it from a friend who bought it new in 1982 so it’s badicallt 1 owner and he was going to restore it but never got round to it. Taking the engine as nipper has a mk2 Golf he is learning to drive in but it has decent bonnet, tailgate and glass others panels and sills are too far gone dash is cracked and interior very poor.
Jimmy Recard said:
I don’t want it at all, but I can certainly see the appeal. The later Sciroccos look better than ever, I think. They look about a million times better than any Corrado, at least
Ouch, not much of a Vw fan then? . I like the Scirocco and Corrado, both have 80s flair to them and there are a fair number of similarities.
My younger brother had a 1.6GT Scirocco in red just the same as the Shed. the two tone red an black looked great and suits the shape of the car, same as the spoiler... im not a fan of de spoilered ones!
A 1.9l bottom end and wild cam were fitted to my brothers car and it was a proper riot, certainly as fast as my mk2 Golf gti 8v with around 125hp
edit, found a pic - D45 CAJ - however that plate lives on an Austin Mini now .
Edited by aka_kerrly on Saturday 11th August 23:57
I had 2. Mate had a CL with a fabulously tacky interior with a full-width green coloured dash from the factory in the early 90s, and always liked the look of them.
First was a GTX. 112bhp GTI engine. Uprated suspension & brakes. Don't think I've driven a 'standard' Scirocco now I think of it.
This GT-S came later. Was used for sprints/hillclimbs. Test drove it sitting on an egg crate as it didn't have a driver's seat at the time... Road-legal (eventually). Got it MoT'd and used it as a daily driver. No interior, race seat bolted to floor, 4-point harness, full cage, Weber carb that just dumped fuel and money into the engine, a cam that gave no performance until about 5000rpm then it went berzerk... Ideal for commuting. Frustrating on-track as it had crap in the fuel from the aforementioned rusty fuel filler and would occasionally baulk at full-throttle.
The above mate with the Scirocco CL bought a GT, then a GTX identical to mine, the GT-S above, then finally one of the 10 Bell & Colville 16v imported Roccos. It never ran properly and was eventually scrapped.
My standard Mk2 Golf GTI was quicker round a race circuit than either of the cars above. The holy grail for me (at the time) was a Corrado VR6. It's all subjective, but I think the Rado looks great. I had this one for 3 years:
First was a GTX. 112bhp GTI engine. Uprated suspension & brakes. Don't think I've driven a 'standard' Scirocco now I think of it.
This GT-S came later. Was used for sprints/hillclimbs. Test drove it sitting on an egg crate as it didn't have a driver's seat at the time... Road-legal (eventually). Got it MoT'd and used it as a daily driver. No interior, race seat bolted to floor, 4-point harness, full cage, Weber carb that just dumped fuel and money into the engine, a cam that gave no performance until about 5000rpm then it went berzerk... Ideal for commuting. Frustrating on-track as it had crap in the fuel from the aforementioned rusty fuel filler and would occasionally baulk at full-throttle.
The above mate with the Scirocco CL bought a GT, then a GTX identical to mine, the GT-S above, then finally one of the 10 Bell & Colville 16v imported Roccos. It never ran properly and was eventually scrapped.
My standard Mk2 Golf GTI was quicker round a race circuit than either of the cars above. The holy grail for me (at the time) was a Corrado VR6. It's all subjective, but I think the Rado looks great. I had this one for 3 years:
I liked them, but never had one - I couldn't see the point of paying more for a Scirocco than a Golf with the same spec. that was also quicker!
But as I was always a fan of RWD in 1982 I had a MK2 Escort RS2000, that got replaced in 1984 by a Capri 2.8i!
Then fast forward to 1994 and I ended up owning a MK1 Golf GTi 1.6 and I loved it! Throttle response was amazing. I even went on to have a MK2 Gti 16V a few years later - brilliant car.
But the Scirocco (especially one as gutless as this) never did much for me.
But as I was always a fan of RWD in 1982 I had a MK2 Escort RS2000, that got replaced in 1984 by a Capri 2.8i!
Then fast forward to 1994 and I ended up owning a MK1 Golf GTi 1.6 and I loved it! Throttle response was amazing. I even went on to have a MK2 Gti 16V a few years later - brilliant car.
But the Scirocco (especially one as gutless as this) never did much for me.
aka_kerrly said:
Ouch, not much of a Vw fan then? . I like the Scirocco and Corrado, both have 80s flair to them and there are a fair number of similarities.
My younger brother had a 1.6GT Scirocco in red just the same as the Shed. the two tone red an black looked great and suits the shape of the car, same as the spoiler... im not a fan of de spoilered ones!
A 1.9l bottom end and wild cam were fitted to my brothers car and it was a proper riot, certainly as fast as my mk2 Golf gti 8v with around 125hp
edit, found a pic - D45 CAJ - however that plate lives on an Austin Mini now .
I actually think this is a really good looking car, although I thought they looked awful years ago. I still think the mk1 and mk2 Golf are incredibly ugly though.My younger brother had a 1.6GT Scirocco in red just the same as the Shed. the two tone red an black looked great and suits the shape of the car, same as the spoiler... im not a fan of de spoilered ones!
A 1.9l bottom end and wild cam were fitted to my brothers car and it was a proper riot, certainly as fast as my mk2 Golf gti 8v with around 125hp
edit, found a pic - D45 CAJ - however that plate lives on an Austin Mini now .
Edited by aka_kerrly on Saturday 11th August 23:57
I think the Corrado is awfully ugly too - something about the way the bonnet line flows through the body looks terrible to me. Also the grille and lights just look like someone literally had 30 seconds to draw them before sending off the drawings. Although I think the Corrado is ugly, I quite like VR6 Corrados
speedtwelve said:
I had 2. Mate had a CL with a fabulously tacky interior with a full-width green coloured dash from the factory in the early 90s, and always liked the look of them.
First was a GTX. 112bhp GTI engine. Uprated suspension & brakes. Don't think I've driven a 'standard' Scirocco now I think of it.
This GT-S came later. Was used for sprints/hillclimbs. Test drove it sitting on an egg crate as it didn't have a driver's seat at the time... Road-legal (eventually). Got it MoT'd and used it as a daily driver. No interior, race seat bolted to floor, 4-point harness, full cage, Weber carb that just dumped fuel and money into the engine, a cam that gave no performance until about 5000rpm then it went berzerk... Ideal for commuting. Frustrating on-track as it had crap in the fuel from the aforementioned rusty fuel filler and would occasionally baulk at full-throttle.
The above mate with the Scirocco CL bought a GT, then a GTX identical to mine, the GT-S above, then finally one of the 10 Bell & Colville 16v imported Roccos. It never ran properly and was eventually scrapped.
My standard Mk2 Golf GTI was quicker round a race circuit than either of the cars above. The holy grail for me (at the time) was a Corrado VR6. It's all subjective, but I think the Rado looks great. I had this one for 3 years:
I do like the Corrado VR6 out of thoseFirst was a GTX. 112bhp GTI engine. Uprated suspension & brakes. Don't think I've driven a 'standard' Scirocco now I think of it.
This GT-S came later. Was used for sprints/hillclimbs. Test drove it sitting on an egg crate as it didn't have a driver's seat at the time... Road-legal (eventually). Got it MoT'd and used it as a daily driver. No interior, race seat bolted to floor, 4-point harness, full cage, Weber carb that just dumped fuel and money into the engine, a cam that gave no performance until about 5000rpm then it went berzerk... Ideal for commuting. Frustrating on-track as it had crap in the fuel from the aforementioned rusty fuel filler and would occasionally baulk at full-throttle.
The above mate with the Scirocco CL bought a GT, then a GTX identical to mine, the GT-S above, then finally one of the 10 Bell & Colville 16v imported Roccos. It never ran properly and was eventually scrapped.
My standard Mk2 Golf GTI was quicker round a race circuit than either of the cars above. The holy grail for me (at the time) was a Corrado VR6. It's all subjective, but I think the Rado looks great. I had this one for 3 years:
Here’s mine. Daily driver since 1999. Best £250 I’ve ever spent.
The Scirocco’s are a mixed bag, really. The model featured, the 1600GT, was aimed at people who liked the look of the Scirocco but weren’t really interested in going anywhere quickly.
Unlike all other Scirocco’s, they didn’t have front or rear anti roll bars and the front discs were unvented. The 75bhp sounds terrible today but back then, was about average for a 1600 on a carb. What really holds them back is the very tall economy biased gearing. The gearknobs were marked 4+E. E was 26mph per 1,000rpm. Intergalactic, ‘back in the day’.
In general Scirocco’s are cheap and easy to run. If you’ve got a 10mm, 13mm and 17mm socket, a 6mm Allen key and a Phillips screwdriver, you can take the entire car apart in a day. No special tools or diagnostics for one of these!
The brake set up is a disaster with the master cylinder remaining on the left as per a lot of VW and BMW’s of the era. I’ve got bigger discs, pads, calipers and master cylinder on mine. It now stop like something from the mid 70’s.
Prices do seem to be on the rise but on the whole, they’re an entirely forgotten car these days.
I trawled How Many Left a couple of months ago and found there were just under 900 taxed which is a lot more than I thought! I’d estimate at least the same again parked up in sheds and gardens.
1985 onwards saw vastly improved rust protection. Coincided with the introduction of the space saver spare wheel and 55 litre fuel tank. Which is very handy.
The Scirocco’s are a mixed bag, really. The model featured, the 1600GT, was aimed at people who liked the look of the Scirocco but weren’t really interested in going anywhere quickly.
Unlike all other Scirocco’s, they didn’t have front or rear anti roll bars and the front discs were unvented. The 75bhp sounds terrible today but back then, was about average for a 1600 on a carb. What really holds them back is the very tall economy biased gearing. The gearknobs were marked 4+E. E was 26mph per 1,000rpm. Intergalactic, ‘back in the day’.
In general Scirocco’s are cheap and easy to run. If you’ve got a 10mm, 13mm and 17mm socket, a 6mm Allen key and a Phillips screwdriver, you can take the entire car apart in a day. No special tools or diagnostics for one of these!
The brake set up is a disaster with the master cylinder remaining on the left as per a lot of VW and BMW’s of the era. I’ve got bigger discs, pads, calipers and master cylinder on mine. It now stop like something from the mid 70’s.
Prices do seem to be on the rise but on the whole, they’re an entirely forgotten car these days.
I trawled How Many Left a couple of months ago and found there were just under 900 taxed which is a lot more than I thought! I’d estimate at least the same again parked up in sheds and gardens.
1985 onwards saw vastly improved rust protection. Coincided with the introduction of the space saver spare wheel and 55 litre fuel tank. Which is very handy.
A great shed, what its all about.
Underrated motors at a decent price that are worth a punt.
For somebody who wants an old school VW experience. Admit I would find the GT a little underwhelming, but I had two GTX's back in the day.
However maybe the shed would get cheaper insurance for somebody to enjoy a classic 80's drive.
I preferred the Scirocco to the Mk2 Golf. Maybe the lower centre of gravity/seating position, but it felt faster too!
My second GTX was rolling road tuned and for a front driver it went very well. Bit of a cult car at the time.They also seemed to "loosen up" at around 80k miles and some used to fly round the revs. Wish we got the 16V engine though.. Only sold it to get into a Porsche 944.
Underrated motors at a decent price that are worth a punt.
For somebody who wants an old school VW experience. Admit I would find the GT a little underwhelming, but I had two GTX's back in the day.
However maybe the shed would get cheaper insurance for somebody to enjoy a classic 80's drive.
I preferred the Scirocco to the Mk2 Golf. Maybe the lower centre of gravity/seating position, but it felt faster too!
My second GTX was rolling road tuned and for a front driver it went very well. Bit of a cult car at the time.They also seemed to "loosen up" at around 80k miles and some used to fly round the revs. Wish we got the 16V engine though.. Only sold it to get into a Porsche 944.
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