Back in the early 1970’s, VW were in need of a modern coupé to replace the stylish but dated – and not particularly quick, well all right, slow – Karmann Ghia. They were also preparing for the launch of their replacement for the even older Beetle, with a car that is still built today, some eight generations later – I’m referring to the VW Golf, of course.
Their new coupé was to be based on the Golf, although it was almost completely re-engineered from the base car, and even made its public debut six months ahead of the model it was based on. It was different in almost every respect to the Karmann Ghia – front wheel drive, water-cooled, smaller, lighter, roomier and faster, yet more economical – in other words, an advance on every level.
The Scirocco – named after a wind, in the tradition of Maserati – was designed by the genius that was Giorgetto Giugiaro, as was the Golf, and had crisp, clean lines that I’ve always liked. Launched in 1974, as a 2+2 it was relatively practical, although while sporty in appearance, it was a bit of a wolf in sheep’s clothing, especially when equipped with the 1.1-litre engine. 1.3, 1.5 and 1.6-litre units were also available (the US market was offered a 1.7 as well), but none were powerful enough to transform this pretty coupé into a rocketship, though in the case of the Scirocco, the way it performed was perhaps more important than the numbers.
The performance issue was addressed with the introduction of the GTi version in the summer of 1976 – again ahead of the Golf equivalent – which pumped out 110bhp compared to the regular 1.6’s 84bhp, a useful boost, and a five-speed ‘box came as standard. This gave the Scirocco a 180kmh/113mph maximum speed potential, as the car was quite small and light.
During the first generation car’s lifetime, numerous detail changes were made, but the car was fundamentally unchanged until the advent of the facelifted version in 1981. In its seven-year production run, over half a million Scirocco’s were built, 60,000 more than its predecessor in 19 years, all of them by Karmann at their Osnabrück factory.
The motoring press responded very positively to the Scirocco. On testing a 1.5-litre version in 1975, Road & Track magazine called it a “truly remarkable new small GT”. Autocar praised the car’s roadholding and performance, as well as it’s practicality for a coupé when testing the GLS version in 1979, calling it an “eager, sporting little car”. Their major complaint was its price – it cost more than a Capri 3000S, but they still felt the Sirocco was a worthy alternative to any of its rivals.
Other coupés that they compared the VW to included the Lancia Beta, Opel Manta (not forgetting it’s Vauxhall equivalent, the Cavalier Sports Hatch) and Renault 17 and Toyota Celica – all good-looking, sporting cars, and while they didn’t necessarily think it was the best of the group, they certainly felt it more than held its own.
In 1981 the Type 1 was replaced by the in-house designed second-generation car which was bigger and more rounded in every respect, and though still a good looking car, lacked the crispness of line of its predecessor.
First generation…………second generation
Thus we come to our Prime Find for this week, which is a late series 1 – 1980 – GTi, the ultimate version of the model until the run-out Storm. It’s for sale with a dealer in Spaichingen, Germany, about 110km south of Stuttgart – I can find just a single Mk 1 for sale in the UK, and have only seen two in this country, both at shows, in recent years – and is finished in red with a red interior; possibly too much red for some (I’m thinking of our International Editor here) but the car looks very smart to my eyes.
There’s very little information contained in the advert on mobile.de, but plenty of photographs – some of which we have borrowed, as per our usual practice, a number of them quite close up, and the car looks to be in exceptional condition both inside and out. It’s covered only 132,000km over its lifetime, or some 82,000 miles, with just one previous owner, though it’s not stated whether this is verifiable or not.
The paintwork looks good, as does what little chromework there is on the car, and the seats and door cards seem to be free of any rips or holes; in fact they look almost as good as new.
With an asking price of €17,990 or about £15,100, it’s relatively expensive for a Scirocco, but for one in such apparently good condition and low mileage, probably worth it. You can see the full advert – such as it is – here, and as usual, if you are interested in this sharp looking small German sports coupé, we recommend you arrange a prior inspection if possible.
With our Saturday instalment of Prime Find of the Week, we’re offering our services to the classic car community, by passing on our favourite classic car for sale from the week that passed. This top-tip might help a first-time-buyer to own his first classic, or it could even be the perfect motivation for a multiple-classic-car-owner to expand his garage with something different. We’ll let us be inspired by anything from a cheap project to a stunning concours exotic, and hope that you will do the same.
Just remember – Any Classic is Better than No Classic! We obviously invite our readers to help prospective buyers with your views and maybe even experiences of any given model we feature. Further to that, if you stumble across a classic which you feel we ought to feature as Prime Find of the Week, then please send us a link to primefindoftheweek@viaretro.co.uk